'1000 Maoists fighters fled Nepali camps’
The Kathmandu Post/ Ann, Chitwan
Over one thousand Maoist Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) fighters, including two platoon commanders, cantoned at the Maoist Fourth Division in Nawalparasi have fled the camps over the past six months, a Maoist platoon commander has claimed. Addressing a press conference in Narayanghat on Tuesday, commander of the Maoist fighters cantoned at the Jhyaltung Danda, Kul Prasad Bhattarai also known as Kusum disclosed that some one thousand PLA fighters had left the cantonments over the past 6-7 months. "Initially, there were 1500 fighters in the main cantonment. Now there are only 1000," Kusum said, "Some 500 fighters from three other satellite camps, too, have fled." "There are only four thousand fighters left in the main as well as three satellite camps," Kusum added. He also informed that the number of PLA fighters who had left the camps could be even higher. A large number of PLA fighters have fled the camps over the last couple of days, accusing the party of not providing them the monthly allowances and perks released by the government. "The amount released by the government for the PLA fighters has been subjected to extreme misuse. None of our comrades who were injured during the war have received treatment. When we raised this issue, we were threatened with action. The fighters have been victims of the dictatorship of the camp leadership," said Kusum. He added that the PLA fighters have not received the monthly allowance of Rs3000 each and medical allowances allotted by the government.
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