Purna Chandra Thapa

General Purna Chandra Thapa (Nepali: पूर्णचन्द्र थापा; born 9 September 1960) is the current Chief of Army Staff in the Nepalese Army. He served as the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force from 19 January 2015 until 7 February 2016.[2]

General

Purna Chandra Thapa
श्री
पूर्णचन्द्र थापा
Chief of Staff of the Nepalese Army
Assumed office
9 September 2018[1]
PresidentBidhya Devi Bhandari
DeputyHemanta Raj Kunwar as Chief of General Staff
Preceded byRajendra Kshatri
Personal details
Born (1960-09-09) 9 September 1960
Lamjung District, Nepal
Military service
Allegiance   Nepal
Branch/service Nepal Army
Years of service1980–present
Rank General
CommandsGorakh Bahadur Battalion

Thapa’s tenure as COAS of Nepal Army has been characterised by many important structural changes. Thapa vowed to get rid of corruption, nepotism and other unlawful activities in the army [3][4]. Due to corruption allegations against former Chief Rajendra Chhetri, Thapa even went ahead and made all his property details public in order to demonstrate his anti-corruption stance.[5] Thapa also promised to provide equal opportunities to everyone serving in the army, and has been an advocate for digitalization of Nepal Army. [3]

Biography

He was educated at the University of Madras in India and Tribhuvan University in Nepal and holds a Master of Philosophy degree. In addition, he pursued additional studies at the Army Command and Staff College of Nepal.[6]

He was promoted to the rank of Lt General on 4 October 2015. Thapa has held various high-level positions in the Nepalese Army and has worked with the Nepalese contingent to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. In a WikiLeaks document dated 13 April 2006, Colonel Purna Chandra Thapa is mentioned as "Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations".[7] As a brigadier general, he served as Director of Welfare Planning.[8] Thapa was the Adjutant General, before being appointed commander of the Valley Division in 2012.[9][10] Prior to his United Nations appointment on 19 January 2015 by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Lt General Thapa served as the Master General of Ordnance with the Nepalese Army.[6] On 9 September 2018, he assumed the office of Chief of Army Staff of Nepal Army.[11]

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References
  1. "Thapa sworn in as new Army chief". Kathmandu Post. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  2. "UNDOF Leadership". Un.org. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  3. "https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/good-job-nepal-army/". External link in |title= (help)
  4. "https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/nepal-army-launches-probe-against-27-over-irregularities-in-the-recruitment-process/". External link in |title= (help)
  5. "https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/na-website-unveils-army-chief-s-property-details/". External link in |title= (help)
  6. "General Appoints Major General Purna Chandra Thapa of Nepal to Head United Nations Disengagement Observer Force". United Nations. 19 January 2015.
  7. "Pokhara: Stunned Nepali Tourist Town Copes With Violent Protests". WikiLeaks. 13 April 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  8. Akanshya Shah (25 April 2010). "Army chief initiates reforms in welfare fund". República.
  9. "Major reshuffle in army: Sandhurst graduates in key posts". The Kathmandu Post. 23 September 2012.
  10. "Valley Division". nepalarmy.mil.np (official website of the Nepalese Army). Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  11. PTI (9 September 2018). "General Purna Thapa is new chief of Nepal Army". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
Military offices
Preceded by
Rajendra Chhetri		 Chief of Army Staff of the Nepali Army
2018–present		 Incumbent


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