Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, the lawmakers also accused the Maoist leadership of embezzling the salaries for the combatants.[break]
“It is a great frivolity on the future of the combatants,” said NC lawmaker Ram Sharan Mahat, referring to the news “Where is our deposit money, comrade?” carried by Republica on Wednesday.
He argued that it is unethical to retain the money meant for the combatants and demanded that the party immediately return the money to the combatants.
The combatants have sought the return of money the party has kept as "deposits".
The UCPN (Maoist) has been retaining Rs 1,000 from the salaries of each of the 19,525 combatants every month since November 2006 till November 2011.
The combatants were told that Rs 500 was to be deposited as each combatant´s savings, while the rest of the money would go to the party headquarters, the combative outfit Young Communist League (YCL), and to carry out various party activities.
Mahat also stated the Maoists must return the money they received as the salary of around 3,000 combatants who were not there in the cantonments.
Similarly, Ram Nath Dhakal, of the CPN-UML argued that the Maoists should return the money they received as the salary for absent combatants. "The Maoists must not be allowed to go scot-free for the corruption. They cannot be forgiven in the name of peace process," said Dhakal.
Maoist lawmakers, on the other hand, objected to the statement of the Nepal Army that those who defected to the PLA during the insurgency would be court-martialed. “We doubt if the army is under the civilian government,” said Yasoda Gurung from the UCPN (Maoist).
Some lawmakers had opined that term of the OHCHR should be extended till the first general election.
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