Three weeks ago in Ilam's Fikkal, the Maoist PLA detained three young men and took them away. No one knew who they were. It is belatedly known that they were three former guerrillas who had taken part in a rebellion from the Danabari camp.

This week, Jana Astha got a call from an Indian number from a certain Khadga Limbu purporting to be the leader of the mutiny. Limbu said he had taken part in many battles on behalf of the PLA but he and his followers had gotten tired of living a hard life in the camps while Maoist leaders enjoyed themselves in Kathmandu. The mutiny was planned a few weeks previously in Sitali Bajar in a meeting of up to 60 hardcore guerrillas. The plan was to kill the battalion vice-commander and capture weapons. Then they would attack the police stations in Danabari and Surunga, capture more weapons, and flee to the hills. There was no concrete plan about what to do after that, but the mutineers were confident they could continue the guerrilla warfare from there.

However, the plan leaked out, and the battalion vice-commander started taking action against suspected mutineers, torturing them and taking them to labour camps. Limbu says he fled from the area and is now with four other armed guerrillas. He says thousands have deserted the Maoists in recent weeks and the numbers of fighters inside the camps has fallen from 31,000 to between 25-29,000. "Why should we rot in cages when our leaders ride around in Pajeros," Limbu asked. "We got sick of camp life. Every night a couple of friends would get snake bites, there would be no medical treatment, and storms would destroy the tents. If the leaders don't care about our welfare, why should we stay in the camps?"