PLA's real strength 7-8K: Dahal 'Goal of revolt still on'  With due acknowledgement to MyRepublic.com http://myrepublica.com/portal/...   REPUBLICA KATHMANDU, May 5: The real strength of the Maoist People´s Liberation Army (PLA) was between 7,000 and 8,000 and not 35,000 as reported by Maoists. This startling revelation comes from none other than Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. He said this while addressing PLA commanders and combatants at Shatikhor cantonment in Chitwan on January 2, 2008, a video of the meeting shows. Dahal said contrary to popular belief that the number of PLA had been reduced by the verification by UNMIN (United Nations Mission in Nepal), the strength was actually up. "We all know what the real strength of the PLA is: it is between 7,000 and 8,000," he said. Had we given the real figure, the number would have come down to about 4,000. But, added the chairman, the party said the number of the PLA was 35,000 and that resulted in around 20,000 verified PLA. "Did the number increase or decrease?" asked a smiling Dahal, evoking laughter around him. [BREAK] --skipped. please read the original article-- http://myrepublica.com/portal/... The Maoist chairman said that money that the "martyrs" in villages throughout the country and the PLA in cantonment receive will help them move ahead in their goal of total victory. The money that will go to the "martyrs´ family" will help repair the party´s deteriorating relations with the common people. "We will tell them this is just a compensation (of Rs 100,000) and you need to support us to get the remaining Rs 900,000," Dahal revealed his strategy of winning the CA elections. Each martyr family has been provided Rs 1,000,000. He added that one third of the Rs 600,000,000 that was agreed to be given to the PLA cantonments would be used to further the goal of Maoists´ control of the state. Republica will soon post the video of the meeting as well as the contents of Dahal´s address.