Nepal SC orders compensation for missing people

Kathmandu, June 2: Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered the government to pay compensation to dozens of families of people missing in a decade-long civil war that killed thousands, a court official said today.

The order came yesterday in response to petitions filed by the families of 84 people missing after being detained by security forces during the anti-monarchy conflict.

Hementa Rawal, a Supreme Court spokesman, said the apex court also asked the government to file criminal charges against army and police personnel responsible for the disappearances.

''The government should pay immediate compensation to the families of those people who were killed or have disappeared after being detained by the security forces,'' Rawal told Reuters.

The compensation ranges between 1,540 dollar and 3,080 dollar he said.

Local and international rights groups blame poorly trained security forces and former Maoist rebels of human rights including arbitrary detentions, kidnappings, killings and enforced disappearances in the war.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said this year it had received complaints of about 943 people going missing during the conflict that started in 1996.

The Maoists and the government signed a peace deal in November and the former guerrilla leaders have since joined a multi-party government, ending the conflict in which more than 13,000 people died.

Reuters>