KATHMANDU, Oct 23: Nepali Congress (NC) leader Ram Sharan Mahat said on Saturday that his party would raise the issue of the recent China visit by Maoist People´s Liberation Army (PLA) commanders.
“We learnt about the visit from the media, and we still don´t know the details. If those who visited China are registered Maoist combatants, it´s a serious matter,” said Mahat while speaking at a talk program in Kathmandu. [break]
Mahat, who is also a member of the Special Committee formed to supervise, integrate and rehabilitate Maoist combatants, said he would raise the issue at the Special Committee and demand an investigation. According to him, the Special Committee was not informed about the visit.
Over a dozen PLA commanders led by the party´s integration bureau chief Barsaman Pun visited China just ahead of the Dashain festival. The commanders, who returned to Kathmandu on Thursday, stated that the visit was personal.
Also speaking at the function, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Rakam Chemjong said the government is also not aware of any visit by PLA commanders. “We are not aware about the purpose of the visit -- whether it had a political or a military purpose. UNMIN may have the answer,” he said.
Chemjong argued that the entire problem has arisen out of the Maoists´ reluctance to detach the party from their army. He argued that the problem would be solved once the Maoists become ready for integration and rehabilitation of their combatants.
Party did not fix visit: Gajurel
Speaking at the same function, Maoist leader CP Gajurel argued that his party was not aware of any visit by the commanders to China. “We have placed the PLA under the Special Committee. So the committee may know the answer. I only heard that some organizations sponsored the visit, and it was purely personal,” he said.
Gajurel, who is also the party´s former foreign department chief, said his party has a policy of placing their dealings with India and China on an equal footing.
“There is no connection between the Salleri episode (in which a shoe was thrown by Maoists at Indian envoy Rakesh Sood) and the recent flurry of visits to China by Nepali Maoists,” he said.
The Maoist leader said relations between his party and India were strained a bit after his party launched a struggle against Indian interference. “It may seem we are closer to China than India. We have smooth relations with China because we have not found China interfering in Nepal´s internal affairs,” he said.
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