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Registration
and Verifications of combatants and weapons 2007
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UNMIN's
monitoring of the management of arms and armies
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Kathmandu,
27 December 2007 UNMIN
The
agreement promises progress on matters linked to UNMIN's monitoring of
the management of arms and armies:
release
of payments to Maoist combatants, discharge of those disqualified in verification
by UNMIN, and deliberations in the special committee to consider the supervision,
integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants.
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Statement
by Ian Martin
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| Ian
Martin: The verification process was a difficult one, requiring thousands
of individual interviews, and it was a rigorous one. UNMIN arms monitors,
a professional military physician, UNICEF and UNDP experts were all part
of the verification teams, and the interviews they conducted with Maoist
personnel were extensive when they needed to be in order to make their
decisions. |
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Since
UNMIN completed its verification, I have met with Chairman Prachanda and
Peace Minister Ram Chandra Poudel to discuss our cooperation regarding
discharge, and I have now sent to the two sides a report on UNMIN's monitoring
of arms and armies, including the final report on verification. This report
will be discussed in the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee before
we make it public, but in the meantime I will give you the key figures:
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The
corrected number of personnel registered
in the first phase was 31,318.
18,923
of these personnel were verified in the second phase as members of the
Maoist army. |
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An
additional 932 persons who had not been
registered in the first phase were presented
for the verification process in the second phase. 679
of this total were verified as members of the Maoist army. |
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8,640
personnel did not appear for verification
interviews in the second phase and were automatically disqualified. |
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4,008
persons remain to be discharged from cantonments
after the total of absentees has been taken into account. |
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2,973
of this total were assessed to be under
the age of 18 on 25 May 2006. |
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The
full total verified as members of the Maoist army is thus 19,602,
comprising
15,756
men and 3,846 women. |
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Statement
by Ian Martin
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| Question:
Regarding the 8,641 who did not attend the second phase of verification.
Do you have any idea, among them, how many have been involved in the YCL?
Ian
Martin: We don't know. I mean, frankly, we have a little information
as to where those people are at the moment. Certainly some of the child
protection agencies have come across some of them back in their own communities.
It may indeed be that some are now active in the YCL in their own communities
or elsewhere. But we simply don't have that information.
Ian
Martin: We do engage in 24-hour surveillance of weapons storage,
because they are gathered together in seven sites, Maoist cantonments,
and one for the Nepal Army. |
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The
verification process was a difficult one, requiring thousands of individual
interviews, and it was a rigorous one. UNMIN arms monitors, a professional
military physician, UNICEF and UNDP experts were all part of the verification
teams, and the interviews they conducted with Maoist personnel were extensive
when they needed to be in order to make their decisions. I am proud of
the work they did in executing a very demanding task - much of it during
difficult monsoon conditions. And I express appreciation of the good cooperation
received from the Maoist army once initial difficulties had been resolved.
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Statement
by Ian Martin
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| Ian
Martin: UNMIN was not mandated to supervise the cantonments. UNMIN
was mandated to monitor the management of arms and armies. The PLA commanders
are exercising their responsibility to keep control of the movements of
their personnel, including records as to when people are authorised to
go on leave and return. |
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Statement
by Ian Martin
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| Question:
4,008 are disqualified and almost 3,000 are minors. What is the criteria?
Ian
Martin: We had to apply two criteria, one whether those involved were
over eighteen or under eighteen on the 25th of May 2006, and secondly,
whether they were recruited before or after that date. So the others are
those who were assessed to have been over 18 but to have been recruited
after the 25th of May 2006. Now, we also believe that a significant number
of the minors were recruited after the 25 May 2006, but once someone was
assessed to have been a minor it wasn't necessary to go on and apply the
second criterion of date of recruitment as well. |
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Statement
by Ian Martin
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| Ian
Martin: The 8,640 persons were disqualified. They did not appear for
verification, and were disqualified. These are people who presented themselves
at the first stage of registration, from January-February onwards, but
have not appeared at the second stage. And so they are no longer to be
considered as part of the personnel of the Maoist army for the discussions
of the future of the combatants. Now, certainly some of those we believe
were people who are underage, and UNICEF is certainly concerned that they
should also benefit from assistance with reintegration if they are in need
of that in their communities. But they are not now part of the formal process
of considering the future of the Maoist army combatants. |
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Source:
UNMIN , December 2007
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