Tanahun, August 31:

Seven People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighters, who fled from a PLA camp in Hattikhor of Nawalparasi district on August 21 and came to Tanahun, have demanded security. The escapees said they felt threatened from the Maoists.

The PLA personnel had fled from the Paribartan Smiriti Brigade Fourth Division Camp.

They have met United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) representatives, rights organisation and political leaders and pleaded for security.

Deepak KC alias Sagar (25) of Deurali in Ghansikuwa-5, one of the escapees, said the UNMIN

had expressed commitment to take up their cause.

“We all are in contact with the UNMIN. It has pledged to assist us,” Deepak said. We fled the camp as our commanders have treated us in an inhumane manner,” he said.

Another PLA member accused senior commanders of not behaving with them in line with the party’s policy. “We were made to carry stones and dig land for the construction of jail in the camp,” the member alleged. The PLA escapees hail from Tanahun, Lamjung, Gorkha and Makawanpur districts.

They also alleged that they did not get salaries in the PLA cantonment. “We were supposed to get Rs 3,000 as monthly salary, but commanders misappropriated our salary in

the name of donating it to the party,” Sagar said.

According to Deepak, 500 out of 1350 PLA fighters have fled the Hattikhor camp. “Rest of the PLA fighters are also preparing to revolt and flee,” said Dipak, whose family is based in Chitwan.