E-Kantipur

DEC 06 -

Maoist combatant Prakash Dumre at the Nawalparasi-based Fourth Division of the People’s Liberation Army posted “What should be my next destination—politics, journalism or military?” as his Facebook status. One of his friends suggested voluntary retirement while others advised a career in the Nepal Army arguing that money alone cannot buy total happiness in life.

Dumre was attending the regrouping process at the main cantonment site in Jhyaltungdanda when I met him last week. The 23-year-old combatant registered from the Paribartan Memorial Brigade informed us that he was a Master’s student in Business Studies and started talking about the dilemma he had after a deal on the integration of the ex-guerrillas was signed on November 1.

Registered as a soldier during the UN verification in 2007, he wanted to know from leaders what rank he would get in the Nepal Army if he opted for integration. He telephoned Special Committee members Ram Sharan Mahat and Bhim Rawal and attended political orientation conducted by party leader Janardan Sharma but was frustrated at their varying interpretations.

“I felt it would be a blunder if I failed to cash in on this opportunity. Many are paying bribes to get the job so how can I simply ignore the offer?” he said. However, after concluding that he would not be able to get a rank in the Nepal Army commensurate with his educational qualification, he opted for voluntary retirement.

Known as Comrade Bikalpa among his friends in the cantonment, Prakash is a resident of Dandakharka Ward No 1 in Syangja. He started working for the Maoist party as a minor seven years ago but UNMIN records show he was recruited to the Maoist combat force in early 2006.

With the beginning of the peace process, he devoted his time to study and spent most of his times outside cantonments. At first, he was engaged in a local news website in Waling and today he is the chief editor of Akala Awaj National News. “I will remain active in both politics and journalism,” he said before joining fellow combatants who had lined up to fill out survey forms.

Prakash, no doubt, was one of the most open and confident combatants we met during our visit to six main cantonment sites last month for covering the regrouping process. In Nawalparasi, Front Guard Leader Shyam Prasad Gaire, 29, followed our conversation with Prakash and later informed us that he had also decided to go for voluntary retirement.

Born to a peasant family in Palpa, he undertook the responsibility of cooking and cleaning, apart from combat duties during the insurgency. Inside the cantonment, he got the responsibility of serving in the musical squad of the PLA. He now plans to return to his village Rajgara, Darcha and start a business which he is yet to decide. Gaire, who passed out of the primary school before joining the Maoists, discussed with his family members on the phone over his decision. Almost all combatants have cell phones and were seen sitting in the corners talking to their family members on the option they were supposed to choose.

During the regrouping process carried out by the Special Committee Secretariat, there was a stall with telephone sets in each cantonment site where combatants would make calls free of cost within the country. Some combatants complained the lack of free international calls so that they could talk to their friends abroad to discuss foreign employment.

Donors have conducted computer training and English language classes at various cantonments after they were set up in 2006. There is internet connectivity in the Division headquarters but there are a small number of computers and which are generally used by commanders.

At the Second Division in Sindhuli, we had to use the commander’s computer for sending news as the CDMA router did not work. Division Commander Suk Bahadur Rokka Magar was busy chatting via Skype when we reached his office at 10:00 pm.

I was surprised to see the commander making internet calls and could not stop myself from commenting. “You are techno-savvy. Many journalists in Kathmandu don’t use Skype yet,” I said. He giggled to hear this.

Posted on: 2011-12-06 09:16

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