UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN NEPAL UNMIN Press Release UNMIN concerned over recent incidents allegedly involving Maoist army personnel 22 September 2010 Representative of the Secretary-General Karin Landgren expressed her strong concern today over the alleged involvement of Maoist army personnel in two recent incidents that are being investigated by the police. The UNMIN Acting Chief Arms Monitor sent a letter yesterday evening to Maoist army commander Nanda Kishor Pun ‘Pasang’, drawing his attention to the alleged involvement of Maoist army personnel in a clash with villagers in Thotri Village in Sindhuli District on 16 September and in a robbery in Gwagha Village in Gulmi district on 24 August. These incidents will be raised in the next meeting of the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC), which is responsible for supervising compliance with the implementation of the Agreement on the Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies (AMMAA). UNMIN calls upon the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) and the responsible commanders in the Maoist army Cantonment Sites 2 and 4 in Sindhuli and Nawalparasi to cooperate fully with the ongoing police investigations into the incidents. UNMIN further calls on the UCPN-M and all parties to adhere strictly to the peace agreements and refrain from any provocative statements or actions. Such incidents underscore UNMIN’s long-standing public concern over the continuation of the current arrangements with regard to the two armies. The cantonment of Maoist army personnel was intended from the start as a short-term measure, pending political agreement on the end of the ceasefire arrangements. These arrangements have been prolonged and have showed some signs of straining the overall process. UNMIN therefore welcomes the newly re-started efforts to reach agreement on integration and rehabilitation measures to end the uncertainty about the future of the Maoist army and its personnel. ICC Complex, New Baneshwor, GPO Box: 15211, Kathmandu, Nepal, Tel: + 977-1-5010036/37/38, Fax: +977-1-5010040 .