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Former Maoist combatants, also called the People's Liberation Army (PLA), currently live inside United Nations-monitored cantonments throughout the country. Each one of the seven division headquarters and 21 satellite camps are strategically placed in some of the most remote locations under strict patrol by Maoists themselves.
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About 900 PLA fighters live inside the Jhyaltungdada cantonment in western Nepal. Every day, the former combatants perform routine drills and exercises inside the camps.
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The Maoists have asked that some 19,000 members of armed fighters be integrated into the national army, a demand which has created disagreements among leading political parties as well as the army.
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Members of the PLA claim that the rigor and discipline of their training as soldiers is no different to that of the national army. However, senior army officials say that integrating a politically-indoctrinated group of fighters would divide the institution.
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Living under $70/month stipend inside the camps, most Maoists spend their time training inside the cantonments. Some political parties fear that allowing the Maoists to train inside the camps creates an atmosphere of retaliation if they are not given what they want. But Maoist commanders say just like the army, the PLA has the right to train themselves.
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Maoist cantonments are also home to thousands of women combatants who fought during the decade-long insurgency. Although women fighters don't openly express their desire to join the national security forces, they say that they will do whatever order the senior Maoist leadership tells them to do.
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Young children are the new faces inside the Maoist cantonments. Since living inside the camps, hundreds of Maoists women have become mothers, some of whom have permanently left the PLA to settle with their families.
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Members of the PLA constantly stand guard at several key locations inside the cantonment, and the container that houses arms and ammunition is one of them.
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Outside the cantonments, in major cities throughout the country, Maoists enjoy a strong support. Hundreds of supporters rallied on the streets when the Maoists announced their own version of the new constitution last weekend.
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While members of the PLA say they are hopeful that the government will have their best interests at heart, they are quick to note that the consequences of not doing so could possibly result in an ugly confrontation.
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Published June 22, 2010

As the political future of Nepal still lingers in the air, about 19,000 former Maoist combatants are waiting to find out what the future has in store for their fate. At the Jhyatungdada cantonment which houses around 900 members of the People's Liberation Army, Maoists are hoping that the new constitution will find a place for them in the nation's security forces, the national army. But it has been three years and the Maoists are growing impatient.

View the slideshow as it appeared in The Washington Post.

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