CPN (M): Point of View Human Right and development August 10, 2005

Press Statement of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), August 10, 2005

This press statement has been issued to clarify CPN-M's policy in connection with human right, and development and construction. This statement was publishes in the wake of a bloody raid of PLA (People's Liberation Army) forces on a RNA (Royal Nepalese Army) Base Camp in Kalikot on August 7/8, 2005.

Respecting the spirit of the Geneva Treaty and the prisoners of war

Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) CPN-M is a revolutionary party struggling to establish a real democracy of the Nepalese people. Publicizing our conviction towards the main spirit of the Geneva Treaty in relation to human rights we have been emphasizing to pursue it ever since the people's war was initiated under the leadership of CPN-M. A series of conduct that we have been keeping up with respectful and humanly behaviour towards the prisoners of war and releasing them in a process has justified the said conviction in practice. In the context of some of the unexpected and anti-policy incidents that occur from our cadres occasionally in the course of war, along with public self-criticism, we have been pursuing the process of action upon the offenders and we would like to clarify that our policy has been to apply it more firmly.

Welcoming the appointment of a OHCHR envoy

Maoist leader Prachanda is welcoming publicly the decision taken to appoint a High Commission by the United Nations (United Nations Office of OHCHR) to follow up and protect the human rights in Nepal, our determination of helping them up to our capability has already unfolded.

No travel restrictions to OHCHR and ICRC officials

The Maoist leader Prachanda made it clear in his statement that ...

... the CPN-M policy has been to allow the commission of the United Nations High Commisioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to travel to any part of the country influenced by the conflict, to study and inspect the sensitive spot of incident, to visit the prisoners under our control and to help carry out discussion and interaction with different units of our party according to necessity. This policy of our party is also being applied in the case of the International Red Cross organisations

Respectful treatment of prisoners of war

The party chairman has also clarified in his statement that RNA soldiers in Maoist detention are being treated respectfully and they will be released by an appropriate process and time.

Prachanda appealled the entire human right organisations to raise voice on the unsighted air attack that the RNA carrying out upon the remote villages and innocent and unarmed people.

Development in cooperation with the People's Government

Some inclarities and regional unevenness have been remaining in our policy on the UNDP and different NGOs and INGOs in relation to construction and development.

CPN-M policy has been to provide help to the efforts of development by the United Nations. Recently, the CPN-M has issued a statement to implement and make it implement firmly and evenly all across the country.

"So long as different NGOs and INGOs are concerned, party decision has been to work and help them work by maintaining coordination and agreement with regional and district level parties and people's governments. If any problem arises in this regard, the policy of resolving them by having discussions between our party and the central bodies of the related organisations and institutions has also been clarified, " Prachanda said in his statement.