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Thapa new chief of Nepal army

Thapa new chief of Nepal army

September 09, 2018 | 11:55 PM
General Purna Chandra Thapa
General Purna Chandra Thapa, a decorated officer of the Nepal army, was appointed as the new chief of army staff (CoAS) of the Himalayan nation yesterday, according to a media report. President Bidya Devi Bhandari conferred insignia on Thapa in a special programme organised at the Sheetal Niwas, the official residence of the president, My Republica reported. Earlier, the 58-year-old General had taken over as the acting chief of the army last month after the incumbent General Rajendra Chhetri went on leave. Born to a military family in Nepal’s Lamjung district, Thapa has served across the globe as part of the UN Peacekeeping Operations. Besides military courses at home, Thapa has also completed training in the United States and India, the Kathmandu Post reported. Thapa’s most important responsibility came as the head of mission and force commander - a rare opportunity for a Nepal army officer in the UN peacekeeping missions - of the UN Disengagement Observer Force in Golan Heights (West Asia) from February 2015 to February 2016.Nepal not to join Bimstec military drill: Nepal will not join the first-ever joint military drill among the armies of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation (Bimstec) members, to be hosted by India next week, an adviser to the prime minister has said.Kundan Aryal, press adviser to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, told Xinhua news agency that Nepal will not join the joint military drill to be organised in Pune from September 10-16.“Nepal will not participate in the Bimstec joint military drill. This is the official decision of the government,” he said, without giving details about the reasons behind the decision.Official sources said that the decision was made by the Nepali government amid growing criticism from multiple quarters over the country’s participation in the first ever military drill among the armies of Bimstec members.
September 09, 2018 | 11:55 PM