Nawalparasi, September 23:

People’s Liberation Army’s fourth division commander Bam Bahadur Adhikari aka Pratiksha today said the PLA would go into battle mode again if the government continued to remain indifferent to the demands of the PLA personnel.

Speaking at a programme of the Revolutionary Journalists’ Association of Nepal at Arungkhola of Nawalparasi district, Pratiksha said the PLA personnel had been asking for pay on par with the Nepal Army, medical care facilities and proper infrastructure in the PLA camps but the government had not cared to heed their demands.

Pratiksha said the PLA wanted the announcement of a republic before the constituent assembly (CA) poll and the merger of the PLA with the Nepal Army. He warned that if the PLA’s demands were not met, it would resume its struggle.

Pratiksha said the PLA personnel received only a month’s pay of Rs 3,000 since November. He said the pay was handed out in June only and added that the Peace and Reconstruction

Ministry kept promising that the money would come but it never did.

Division personnel complained they were not getting the promised daily food allowance of Rs 60 on time. Several PLA fighters said they were already neck-deep in debt for want of cash. Pratiksha said the division had run up unpaid transport bills worth Rs 8 lakh due to the first phase of the UN verification of PLA fighters. He added that the division would not cooperate in the second phase of the verification if the bill remained unpaid.

The PLA fourth division also alleged that Nawalparasi district public health office chief Dr Gopal Khanal committed irregularities leading to a freeze on Rs 2.50 lakh that were sent by the Health Ministry for the division’s medicare. There are 5,062 fighters in the PLA’s fourth division.

Protest in Sindhuli district

Mahottari: Led by joint commander Pramod of the second division of the Maoist People’s Liberation Army of Dudhauli camp in Sindhuli district, 80 PLA fighters came out on Sunday and staged an hour-long sit-in at the district administration office. They also submitted an eight-point demand list to the chief district officer.

The PLA men demanded the government fulfil the CPN-Maoist’s 22-point demand charter, hold a round table conference, disclose the whereabouts of those killed and missing and pay compensation to the kin of those killed and injured during the 11-year long insurgency. The PLA men also demanded that the government pay them the promised salary of Rs 3,000 each per month, induct PLA fighters in the Nepal Army and treat both equally. — HNS

PLA’s 11-point demand charter

Damak: People’s Liberation Army personnel of Chulachuli camp in Ilam district on Sunday shot off an 11-point charter of demands to the government. The letter of demands sent through the Jhapa district’s Damak-based camp management head office by the personnel of Ilam’s main and sub-camps asked the government to provide clean drinking water, medical care and proper residential facilities to the PLA personnel. The letter added that the PLA personnel are facing great difficulties in the Chulachuli main camp and sub-camps at Morang’s Tandi, Yangshila and Ilam’s Danabari. Chulachuli main camp commander Parwana signed the letter and urged the government to declare the nation a republic before the constituent assembly poll.

The Chulachuli PLA personnel have sought pay on par with the Nepal Army personnel, bonus, travel and dearness allowances and a solution to the problems that they have been facing in the camps. Division commander Parwana said the PLA personnel would take to the streets if the government remains indifferent to their demands. There are 3,221 PLA fighters in Chulachuli and the three sub-camps who have been verified. — HNS