Our sacrifices being counted in money, rue combatants
Udaya Bahadur Chalaune and his wife Shiba Basnet were among the first batch of the former Maoist combatants to receive the severance pay as part of the combatant’s discharge process.
After spending five years inside the Shakhikhor-based People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Third Division camp in Chitwan, the couple is leaving the military life to start anew with their two children. However, leaving the PLA and returning home with retirement cheques in their hands was not what they had wished for.
We decided to ‘sell’ ourselves so that the country would have peace, said Udaya somberly. “Our sacrifice is being valued in money. We did not join the revolution to see this day.”
Former PLA joint commander, Udaya plans to spend his retired life in politics. There are still a lot to do in order to realise the party’s dream, he said.
Like Udaya and Shiba, many other retiree combatants share a common opinion towards the insurgency. That, it had a premature end with many revolutionary goals left unachieved.
Former PLA platoon commander Bishnu Pariyar said the situation got worse with the beginning of the peace process.
“The country was pushed to the situation serious than the Panchayat era. We fought for the liberation of common people not of the capitalist bunch and definitely not to return home with some money to console ourselves,” he said.
The former combatants, choosing voluntary retirement, have asked the UCPN (Maoist) leadership about development, employment, food security, education and equality that they promised the insurgency would bring about in the country. Bringing a republic order in the country was not the only objective of the people’s war, they said.
“Many of us gave our lives and lost our limbs in the war and now we are being sold like cattle,” said Nabin BC.
Disenchantment towards the evolution of the Maoist party after the peace process is rife among the retiring combatants. They consider their departure yet another sacrifice and in return they wish to see the promised ‘New Nepal’.
Posted on: 2012-02-04 10:21
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