NA soldiers in Haiti bag peacekeeping medal

Soldiers of Nepali Army (NA) have been awarded United Nations peacekeeping medal in Haiti.

"The Nepali soldiers based in Mirebalais, in Haiti's Center Region, were awarded their United Nations peacekeeping medal on the 6th of August," states a press release by the UN.

The medals were presented to them by the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Stabilisations Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Edmond Mulet.

"The awards ceremony took place in the presence of the Force Commander, Major-General Carlos Alberto Dos Santos Cruz, the Mayor of Mirebalais, Laguerre Lochard, and a delegation of the Haitian National Police (HNP). A delegation from the Nepalese Ministry of Defense was also present at the ceremony," states the release.

The MINUSTAH chief congratulated the Nepali contingent for "its contribution to the Mission's efforts to stabilise Haiti." Mulet also commended the 430 recipients for "their good conduct towards the Haitian population." He noted that Nepal is the fourth largest troop contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions.

The Nepalese military contingent comprises of 1098 troops. The Nepalese blue helmets who were awarded the United Nations medal arrived in the country in March 2007 and are scheduled to depart on the 18 th of August this year. They belong to the 1st Battalion which has 748 soldiers, including 318 stationed in Saint Marc in the Artibonite Region, as well as in Terre Rouge and Hinche in the Center Region. The 350 troops who make up the 2 nd Battalion are based in the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince. nepalnews.com sd Aug 14 07