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Maoist fighters vote for 'new Nepal' and uncertain fate

AFP, Shaktikhor kamp
Maoist fighters in Nepal were noting in an election yesterday >tmed at bringing the connin' into » new era of peace and putting them out of their jobs as hardened revolutionaries.
Still dressed in combat fatigues but confined to camp as part of 'heir ceasefire, members of one of the world's grittiest guerrilla forces said they were nevertheless opti-nistic that their struggle was coming to an end.
“Ten years of fighting in our People’s War was just to bring us to this moment. The new constitution will take our poor country forward by 25 years," said beaming rebel commander Bibidh
"Tomorrow, this country will be ours," said the top rebel in Shaktikhor camp, one of several sites where the Maoists, who have about 20,000 fighters, are being watched by the United Nations while the peace process plays out.
Shaktikhor, situated in Nepal’s
central Chitwan district and 100km hum the capital, is home to 2,600 ivbels.
1 hursday’s elections are a landmark for the impoverished coun u y, still sti uggling to emerge on the othvi side of a decade-long civil war that left at least 13,000 people dead.
The polls will appoint a new body that will rewrite the constitu non ind ikely abolish the monar-chv a longstanding demand of du lebels.
A> polls opened, a steady stream of rebels snaked to the voting centre next to their tidy cantonment of woculen houses with corrugated tin tools.
"We will do well unless the elec lion workers and observers rig the viec uons." said deputy brigade coi . • iaiider Kanchan. aged 36 and atigiuci lor the past lOyears.
1 he Maoists' leader, Prachanda, has said he will respect the vote -but has threatened mass protests if there is any sniff of rigging.
There are still a lot of achieve-
ments to be made. We want the basic needs of the people to be met - a home, food, education, jobs,” Kanchan said.
But a more immediate concern is what will happen to trained and indoctrinated soldiers such as Kanchan now that the war is over.
The political parties and the former rebels were brought together by common opposition to Nepal's autocratic King Gyanendra, who sacked the government in 2005, blaming it lor being unable to vanquish the Maoists
Widespread protests forced him to cede power a year later, and the Maoists and mainstream parties went on to sign a peace accord in November 2006 that saw the Maoists laydown their arms.
Early into the peace process the Maoists called for their soldiers to be integrated into the 90,000-strong Nepal Army, also confined to barracks as part of the pact.
But Nepal's interim Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said
earlier this year that the People's liberation Anny combatants were too "politicised" to join the regular anny.
The Maoists say it must happen.
"Our major objective Is to be part of the national army, and after we are joined we can build a new Nepal," said smiling deputy brigade comhiander Madhu Lima, 25, who was selected by camp leaders along with other soldiers to be interviewed by AEP.
"If it doesn't happen we won't be able to make a new Nepal."
I-or now, the camp is offering classes to the soldiers, many of whom left school early.
"We are giving them military training as well as some other kinds of training such as computer classes, driving classes, English language and medical," said Bibidh.
"1'hey .ire also taking classes in political economy and philosophy"
Soldiers at the camp said they were willing to go into any line of work that their leaders decided on.