Samdrup Jongkhar (Southern Bhutan): Little Prem has never seen a battle and doesn't know how soldiers look in real life, but today he is happy to learn that his idol, the Prince, has donned the war gears to fight the enemy.

Six-year-old Prem Dorji has been fascinated by war movies right from his childhood and even without understanding a word he would remain glued to movie channels airing a film on battle.

He is very happy to learn that prince Jigyel Wangchuck has joined the Bhutan militia to drive out the Northeastern militants, who had tormented his country for long 12 years, Prem's father Victor told a visiting PTI correspondent at this town along the Assam-Bhutan border.

The junior Wangchuck, who is the second son of the King, away in Oxford for studies was pained to learn about the calamity facing his motherland as the separatist NE ultras made it their domain for conducting subversive activities.

The prince wasted no time in coming to the defence of his motherland to clear the kingdom from the intruders.

"His only aim is to clean the country from such elements who have made it their domain and openly flouted all norms," says Victor, an employee of the Bhutan's excise department.

Prem, who has always ideologised the king and his sons, is now elated to know that the prince himself would fight for the country and is very much anxious to see the battle royal.

"In fact, we have a very tough time in making him understand that at the moment it would not be safe for him to be witness to the battle taking place in remote jungles," says his father.

When confronted by a group of visiting correspondents from India, little Prem innocently asks, "Will you take me to the battle field?"

"I have heard one or two gunshots, but my father and mother say it is dangerous to go there," regrets Prem who was born in this sleepy headquarters of Samdrup Jongkhar district on the Southern Bhutan hills.

There are hundreds of children like Prem who have made action movie heroes their idols and this is a perfect occasion for them to see it in real life.

"We are Buddhist people who are basically peace loving and very unwillingly we have taken up arms," says Yashey Dorji, the director of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan, who has been stationed here since the operations against the ultras began.

Up in Northern Bhutan, the temperature sometimes goes to minus 20 degrees. "Who would like to fight in that kind of terrain, which is snow covered almost the entire year?" he asks?

"In Thimpu, the country's capital has 10 degrees maximum temperature, but during the winter the mercury drops to minus 10 degrees. So people here are quiet, fun loving and peaceful," Dorji said.

Even as the battle rages hardly 20 kms away from Samdrup Jongkhar, this small hill town, nestled among the green mountains, wears a sombre look and hardly one comes across a casual visitor.

"Security is at the tightest and even the common resident, not to speak of the visiting mediamen, are asked not to venture into the markets unless it is very urgent," a police posted at the Samdrup Jongkhar gate on the Indo-Bhutan border said.

PTI