Kathmandu - The Nepalese army has sacked two female soldiers
for indulging in 'lesbian activities,' local media reports said
Tuesday.
The Kathmandu Post identified the two soldiers as Rohini and Shama
and said they were detained for more than a month before being
discharged from the service.
Rohini, a physical instructor, and Shama, a second-lieutenant
trainee at the Nepali Army's Training Centre in the Kathmandu Valley,
have both denied the charges.
'They accused us of maintaining a sexual relationship,' the
newspaper quoted Rohini as saying. 'They just read out the
termination letter in front of me which accused me of an immoral
act.'
However, the military has rejected claims that the two were
discharged on sexual grounds.
Army spokesman Brigadier General Ramindra Chettri said the two
were fired through a general court martial for a serious offence in
terms of discipline. He did not elaborate.
This is the first time that the Nepalese army has taken action
against its women soldiers for harbouring different sexual
orientation since it began recruiting them as combat troops in April
2004.
Earlier this year the Maoist youth wing Young Communist League and
the Maoist fighters targeted Nepal's small but vocal gay community.
New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented at least two
cases of detention by the Maoists of people who they say were
lesbians.
The HRW also said Maoist cadres targeted suspected homosexuals as
part of the Maoists' campaign against so-called 'social pollutants'
and urged homeowners in the capital Kathmandu not to rent rooms to
gays or lesbians.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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