KATHMANDU, Jan 9: Nepali Ambassador to UK Suresh Chalise, who reached London after cutting short his holiday on Monday, has intensified diplomatic efforts to secure release of Nepal Army (NA) Colonel Kumar Lama.
The envoy held separate meetings with Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire and head of Britain-Nepal All Parliamentary Party Group John Stanley on Tuesday and discussed on ways to secure release of Colonel Lama, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in Kathmandu. The envoy is also holding meeting with Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan.
Shortly after his arrival in London, Ambassador Chalise had met the family members of Colonel Lama and his lawyer to learn about the case. “Our envoy in the UK has already initiated diplomatic efforts. He has sought appointment with UK´s foreign office,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said.
Colonel Lama, who was serving at UN Mission in South Sudan as senior Military Liaison Officer, was arrested on Thursday over suspicion of his involvement in torturing detainees in 2005, when the Maoist insurgency was at its peak. MoFA has already handed over a ´protest note´ to the UK, protesting the arrest and demanding immediate release of Colonel Lama.
Colonel Lama, who was denied bail, will be produced in Central Criminal Crown Court on January 24. He is charged with intentionally "inflicting severe pain or suffering" as a public official on two separate individuals.
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