The Royal Nepal Army and Amnesty International are on a collision course over allegations of rape of two girls from Nepalganj in April which are contained in the human rights group's latest report on Nepal.

A National Human Rights Commission team visited Nepalganj this week, and returned to Kathmandu Tuesday. It is expected to present a report shortly. But the family home of the victims is reported to be guarded, and the girls did not agree to talk to investigators from the commission. One of the girls' father was also not allowed to speak privately to them.

A "public hearing" was also held at the Chief District Officer's office on Tuesday, in which the family including the cousins again refuted the rape charges. Plainclothes soldiers were reported to be present in the crowd. The RNA has set up its own internal inquiry into the matter.

A video tape screened at the RNA press conference last week was made public in a joint Nepal TV/Channel Nepal broadcast over the weekend. It shows the 18-year-old girl allegedly raped at the Chisapani army camp confirming in her mother's presence that nothing had happened to her or her 16 year-old cousin in their three days' detention. This statement, which witnesses say was made in the presence of the alleged perpetrator, Captain Ramesh Swar and his superior Major Ajit Thapa, contradicts charges made in the Amnesty Report and a BBC report broadcast on 19 December.

This week, Swar is said to have agreed to forgive the family's Rs 11 lakh debt if one of the girl's father were to join his wife and daughter in refuting AI's rape allegations. The father had been in hiding since March and returned home on 29 December.

AI this week issued a publication appeal to pressure the prime minister and the Chief of Army Staff to "immediately suspend" those involved in intimidating the family, pending the findings of an independent investigation.

"The first thing the army should have done is to arrest their officers on suspicion of rape. By staging a show trial, the government is treading on dangerous territory," said a senior Kathmandu-based diplomat.

National human rights groups too have deemed it "inappropriate" for alleged perpetrators to carry out investigations, and "unjust" for victims to have to provide testimony before the armed forces. A delegation of nine major human rights organisations has met the Prime Minister, pressing for an independent investigation commission.