Maoists intensify recruitment drive
Kantipur Report
KATHMANDU, Nov 16 - As the date to keep Maoists cadre in cantonments approaches, the Maoists have suddenly intensified their recruitment campaign. According to reports coming in from districts across the country, the Maoists have been luring youths with promises of lucrative salary and an option to join Nepali Army if they join People's Liberation Army (PLA).
A report from Nepalgunj stated that parents and school teachers in several villages in Banke and Bardiya districts are terrified as the rebels have started recruiting school children in the PLA. Several innocent youths have been joining the rebels after being lured them by tall promises.
Some youths who have managed to escape from the Maoist camp have confirmed the report. Kul Bahadur Tharu and Tej Bahadur Chaudhary from Khadkabar are among them.
Tharu stated that though the rebels had assured he would be provided basic expenses, he preferred to run away
from there. "Some 300 youths like us have been kept there," they said.
Several helpless parents are confused, shocked and are crying for help. Others have been aggressively flaying Maoists and urging the rebels to immediately return their children.
Thirteen students--mostly fourth to eighth graders-from Nepal Rastriya Lower Secondary School were taken by rebels four days ago.
Likewise, the rebels have taken students from Ram secondary and Gyanjyoti Secondary of Shamsergunj of Banke and Adharsha Secondary of Motipur in Bardiya district. "I have not taken meal since my son (Khum Bahadur) was taken away," said Sabitri Nepali from Motipur of Bardiya.
Maoists have also taken over 100 locals along with students from Khadkabar, Nayabasti and other areas of Kohalpur till Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Maoists have taken over thousand youths including girls from Sanoshree, Taratal, Padnaha, Rajapur Tappu and other areas of Bardiya district toward Surkhet and Kailali districts to put them in cantonments located in the districts.
Maoists have assured the youths they will be provided 7,000 rupees monthly salary along with other facilities, said a local requesting anonymity.
Before leaving for the cantonments, local youths were given training at Ghorpitta of Padnaha VDC by Maoists.
However, "Suman", secretary at Bardiya district liaison office, claimed they were just gathering PLA personnel, who had earlier scattered around the villages.
In Sarlahi, Maoists have taken hundreds of youths from dozens of villages in the district with them. They have also been successful in convincing youths in some villages.
In Hajariya, Rajghat, Lalbandi, Netragunj and other VDCs, several youths have joined the PLA as they have been promised one hundred dollars a month and other attractive packages, said Suresh Karki, a local of Hajariya.
"I joined the PLA mainly with the hope of joining NA," said a local youth who recently arrived in the village on leave, requesting anonymity. However, he added that nine other boys who had joined the PLA together with him had run away from the training camp due to hard physical training.
Interestingly, several locals were inquisitive whether it was really an opportunity to join the PLA. Several villagers even asked journalists whether it would be good to send their youths to the PLA.
However, "Prabhat", the Maoist district in-charge, claimed they had started "unified organization campaign" which had been misinterpreted by the public as recruitment.
In Bhojpur, Maoists took over 100 students to make them join the PLA, assuring them lucrative jobs. The students followed them as the rebels promised them jobs after they join PLA.
Some 40 youths from Hasanpur, 14 from Chaukidanda along with dozens of other students were taken by Maoists, according to a parent of the student. Also, 50-year-old Keshav Rai has recently joined PLA after the Maoists' announcement.
Meanwhile, Maoists in Sankhuwasabha have forced 38 students from Diding, Khandbari and Syabun VDCs to join the PLA since Monday, according to locals.
Also, in the major tourist town of Pokhara the rebels have intensified their "recruitment campaign". Maoists have been carrying out a mass recruitment of hotel and restaurant employees lately. "They have turned hotel employees into rebel militia overnight and have started to take them to their training camps since Wednesday," a local hotelier said.
In Udaypur, cadres of the Kirant National Liberation Front, which is close to the Maoists, interrupted a cultural program organized at Deuribazaar Tuesday night and held the stage artistes and the audience captive for two hours. According to organizers, four rebels led by Jeewan Kirant forcibly took over the stage and gave "revolutionary speeches", saying that all should "help the rebels".
"During their speech no one was allowed to leave the venue," said a member of the audience.
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