The 16-year old youth, who did odd jobs for the Nepal Police at the base in exchange for food and money, had hanged himself to death on August 17, prompting mass demonstration by hundreds of locals outside the base camp four days later. [break] The protestors alleged that Nepali members of the Formed Police Unit were responsible for the death of the boy.
According to the online edition of Inner City Press, which is known for its investigative stories, the MINUSTAH began investigation amid mounting protests of locals targeting MINUSTAH base camp in Cap-Haitien. Earlier, Haitian Senate President Kelly Bastien had also demanded thorough investigation into the murder apparently to calm down the protests flaring in the country´s second largest city.
Altogether 140 Nepal Police personnel are currently deployed in the UN Formed Police Base Camp.
Nepal Police Spokesperson Deputy Inspector General Bigyan Raj Sharma claimed that there was no involvement of Nepal Police personnel in the death of the youth.
Sharma said they have received a report that the youth hanged himself to death after a female interpreter, also a Haitian, with Nepal´s Formed Police Unit (FPU) accused him of stealing money. “Hundreds of locals had attacked the residence of the lady interpreter who was also a local in the area alleging that she caused his death,” said Sharma.
The FPU had to take the interpreter to Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti, in order to save her life, according to Spokesperson Sharma.
According to weekly news update posted in the online edition of World War 4 Report, locals, however, said people who live near the base saw police personnel assaulting Gilles and officials at the nearby Roi Henri Christophe Hotel also heard someone shouting: “They are strangling me!”
Sharma denied any wrongdoing on the part of Nepali members of the FPU. “We will take action as per the UN rules if anyone is proved guilty,” he added.
APF to be a part of UN FPU in Haiti
Armed Police Force (APF) is all set to be a part of United Nations Formed Police Unit in Haiti.
Senior APF officials said preparations are underway to send a contingent of a total 140 APF personnel in the conflict-hit Latin American nation. It will take some two-and-a-half months for the APF personnel to land there.
Altogether 18 Formed Police Units, including one unit of Nepal Police under MINUSTAH, are currently based in various parts of Haiti.
Amid complaints from the UN that Nepal Police personnel were poorly equipped, the APF has decided to send its personnel only after verifying from the UN officials that the equipments and other logistics meet the UN standards.
The APF has two Formed Police Units each comprising 120 personnel in Liberia (UNMIL) since December 2003. “We have procured quality goods and ensured special training for our personnel,” said a senior APF official, asking to be unnamed.
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