Naga Rebels Giving Out Indian Army Positions to China

New Delhi, Dec 13 : Reports have surfaced that Naga insurgents are giving away details of the Indian Army's deployment in the Northeast to China.

These details emerged after the interrogation of a key leader of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland Isak-Muivah (NSCN(IM), who the Indian intelligence agencies have caught a couple of months ago.

These details also include positions of aircraft and missiles. The special focus of these leakages, according to reports, are the areas around Twang in Arunachal Pradesh.

Government sources say not the Chinese government, but the Chinese intelligence agencies might have approached the NSCN(IM) through some front organisations for these details.
But the story doesn't end here.

The NSCN(IM), which has been engaged in peace talks with the Indian government for the last 15 years, has reportedly given approximately 700,000 US dollars for weapons. This points to the fact that while the peace talks are going on, they are arming themselves.

When the Indian negotiators took up the matter with NSCN(IM), they agreed to buying the weapons but said those arms have not been brought into India yet.

KNF (S) Designated Camp Opened in Lhanjang village

Imphal, Aug 28 : The designated camp of SoO signatory, Kuki National Front, Samuel group, was inaugurated today at Lhanjang village, about 27 kms from here amidst an impressive participation from the neighboring villages.

The group that has just shifted their alliance to KNO from UPF early this month has been settling in the camp since last year though the official inauguration was held today, sixteen months after the construction started.

Armed cadres of KNF(S) at the opening of their camp

Spreading over three low lying hill-tops, the designated camp christened Gilgal has four barracks, including one for the officers, dining hall, administrative block, drill ground, a Church and an arms depot besides others.

"We have spent over Rs 80 lakhs though the Government have only sanctioned around Rs 38 lakhs so far in constructing the camp," said Issak Kuki the groups' information and publicity in his report.

Issak also claimed that the organisation has till date paid Rs 3000 stipend entitled to each of their cadres timely and that all the members of the group strictly adhere to certain set of rules that have been laid down.

Some of the rules which he claimed was strictly conformed to include daily roll-call of all the cadres and obtaining prior permission to move in or out of the camp.

Free medical treatment, ration supplies to family members, construction of houses for about 10 cadres a year based on seniority and discipline, bearing all monetary expenses for any of their cadre who had served the organization for more than five if they tie the knot in a holy matrimony were the other facilities offered by the organization, said Issak.

Also speaking on the occasion, KNO's home secretary Antone urged the attending chiefs and commoners to preserve the land's natural resources.

"Otherwise when we get what we were fighting for, there shall be nothing to inherit," he said.
A handful of MDCs, numerous village chiefs, civil society and student leaders, artistes and representatives from other armed wings of the KNO were also in attendance.

via The Sangai Express

Manipur Minister Counters Rebels’ Scam Claims

N. Biren Singh

Imphal, Aug 9 : Manipur’s minister for sports and youth affairs N. Biren Singh today said legal action would be taken if allegations of swindling money meant for development of sports infrastructure and organising games against officials of his department, were found true.

Reacting to Kangleipak Communist Party (Military Council)’s allegation that funds had been siphoned off by some officials of the department, Biren Singh said a senior official had been placed under suspension and a departmental inquiry would be ordered to ferret out the truth.

The outfit exploded a hand grenade at the private residence of sports director W. Boby at Loklaobung in Imphal West on Thursday night. No one was, however, injured.

Claiming responsibility for the attack, the outfit had accused the minister and the director of indulging in financial irregularities in the sports department.

“Legal action, including termination of services, would be initiated if there is any truth in the allegations. No guilty official would be spared,” Biren Singh told this correspondent.

He said the superintendent of the sports department, Naorem Open, had been placed under suspension following allegations of misappropriation of funds.

“Action was initiated before the KCP (MC) had made the allegations,” the minister said. The outfit alleged that Open in collusion with district sports officers had swindled Rs 31.5 lakh sanctioned by the Union sports ministry for development of sports infrastructure and organising games in the districts under Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan scheme.

The aim of the scheme is to create a network of basic sports infrastructure throughout the state and provide universal access to sport in the rural areas.

Under this scheme, to harness talent among rural youths financial assistance is given for development of sports infrastructure, acquisition of equipment and organising sports meets.

The outfit alleged that money was swindled without organising any sports meet.

Boby had clarified that the money was spent for organising sports meets in 10 disciplines in the districts and the boys and girls selected had been sent to national meets.

He said all the district youth affairs officers and sports officers had been instructed to submit detailed reports of utilisation of funds provided under the scheme. “Necessary action would be taken after getting the reports from the district officers,” the director said.

He urged everybody to extend help to the department’s efforts to groom talents and improve infrastructure in the state.

The outfit had also demanded a white paper on the use of the Rs 1 crore provided to the sports department by the Union sports ministry for organising the Queen’s Baton Relay in Manipur for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.

Biren Singh said the agencies and firms engaged for organising the baton relay were yet to be paid. There was no question of misuse of funds, he said.

Chargesheeted, Black Widow Chief ‘Untraced’

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

Guwahati, Mar 3 : Niranjan Hojai, the self-styled Commander-in-Chief of the outlawed Dima Halam Daoga (DHD-J) or Black Widow, who was charge sheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last year, has been missing since he surrendered last October.

Indicating this here on Tuesday, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said he was yet to ascertain whether the DHD-J leader was still in a designated camp or was “untraced”. “I don’t know whether he was staying in the designated truce-time camps or not after the surrender ceremony. I will have to find out details about the case,” Gogoi said.

On October 2, 2009, Hojai, who together with DHD-J chairman Jewel Garlosa let loose a reign of terror in Assam’s North Cachar Hills district for several years, led a huge surrender of his followers in the presence of Gogoi at Haflong. His surrender, along with 393 members of the outfit, came months after Garlosa was arrested from Bangalore in last June. Hojai was sent to a designated camp at Haflong after the ceremony.

But by the time the NIA, probing into the first-ever case assigned to it — siphoning off huge sums of development funds by militant groups in Assam’s NC Hills district — came out with its chargesheet on November 17, Hojai was missing. The 14 persons named in the chargesheet on diversion of funds of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council to the Dima Halam Daogah (J) included Gorlosa and Hojai.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports said Hojai had secretly slipped out of the state and moved to Nepal immediately after the NIA submitted its chargesheet.

KNO Celebrates Raising Day at Camp Salem

Churachandpur, Feb 25 : The 23rd Raising Day of Kuki National organization ,KNO, was celebrated today from about 11 am at Camp Salem located at Mongbung under the theme “Celebrating Unity”. The celebration was participated by many leaders from philanthropic organizations, student and unions leaders.

The occasion was attended as chief guest by the Chairman Zomi Council, ZC, N. Songchinkhup, ex- MLA while Joseph D Hmar, vice president of Hmar Inpui, HI, acted as functional president.

Three guest of honors at the celebrations are Kamkholal Vaiphei, resident Vaiphei Peoples council, Ginsuanhau special contractors as well as Khaipao Haokip president Kuki Inpi / Churachandpur.

The Kom, Hmar, Paite, Zou, Makhau and the Vaiphei cultural troupe showcase their dances apart from many artist rocking the gatherings which included a large numbers of civilians with the cadres on the other.

The chief guest during his speech said that they have been reduced to such a status of fencing of others owing to great love for their languages and dialects and attributed as the cause for lack of unity among them.

Unity is the need of the time for the sake of peace, development and harmony he exhorted while stating further that they have to try to stand in their feet.

Joseph D Hmar has said as the centenary for advent of Christianity i.e. 100 years of age amongst the people are being completed there are change and better understanding among them and said a day is not far when complete peace will come.

Ginsuanhau has said when the UPF and the KNO could sit together like this the publics are at peace and could live in a secure environment while advising them particularly cadres to not disturbed and harass their own on a small grounds.

Kamkholal urged the cadres to never forget that they are one and from the same family while stating that they should to maintained a good discipline and not cause fear and harassment to their people who supported them.

Earlier just after the chief guest hoisted the KNO flags a condolences for the departed souls of the cadres and leaders were observed.

While the messages of the president was read out it has been said that the KNO was founded way back on 24th Feb 1988 near the Indo – Myanmar border by  Birg Vipin and Thangkholun.

The messages pointed out many of the achievement the KNO has towards attainment of their aims and goals.

30 Years of Turmoil

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

A Naga delegation led by the NSCN (I-M) general secretary, Thuingaleng Muivah (third from left), with the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil in 2005

What is the history of the Naga movement?

The British, who annexed Assam in 1826, constituted the Naga Hills district in 1866 and followed a policy of non-interference towards the hill tribes.

As British paramountcy in India ended, A Z Phizo, president of the Naga National Council (NNC) declared independence on August 14, 1947. Since then the Naga Hills have been in turmoil, and despite creation of a separate Nagaland state in 1963, the movement has continued.

What is the NSCN?

The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) was formed on January 31, 1980 by Isak Chisi Swu, Thuingaleng Muivah and SS Khaplang, who were all opposed to the NNC signing the Shillong Accord in 1975. But as differences cropped up, Khaplang moved out to form the NSCN(K) on April 30, 1988, with the original group coming to be known as NSCN (IM).

The NSCN(IM) has a strong international network. In 1993, it was admitted to the Unrepresented Peoples & Nations Organization (UNPO). In Amsterdam, it has the Naga International Support Centre, intended at making known to the world the Nagas and their struggle. The UK-based Naga Vigil is yet another organization providing vital support.

The NSCN(IM) movement, often called the “mother of all insurgencies”, is also held responsible for rise of insurgent groups in other states of the Northeast. Its ‘Greater Nagalim’ demand has created problems, with Assam and Manipur refusing to give even an inch of land.

What is the objective of the NSCN?

The primary aim is a Greater Nagalim comprising all Naga-inhabited areas, irrespective of whether they are in India or Myanmar.

The NSCN-IM’s manifesto is based on the principle of socialism for economic development and a spiritual outlook — ‘Nagalim for Christ.’

Incidentally, the Nagaland Assembly passed a resolution back in 1964 supporting inclusion of all Naga-inhabited areas under one umbrella. Since then it has adopted the same resolution four more times, provoking a counter-resolution in Assam and Manipur each time.

Who are the NSCN leaders?

The NSCN (IM) leadership has a dominance of Tangkhuls — a Naga tribe inhabiting Senapati, Ukhrul, Chandel and Tamenglong districts of adjoining Manipur. Thuingaleng Muivah, a Masters from Gauhati University, is general secretary and ‘prime minister’ of the Government of People’s Republic of Nagalim (GPRN). Isak Chisi Swu is chairman. It has a full-fledged nine-member ministry, the four major ministries being Home, Defense, Finance and Foreign Affairs.

Where does the NSCN get funds from?

NSCN (IM), like similar insurgent outfits in the area, collects “taxes” from the people in Nagaland and other “Naga-inhabited areas” on a regular basis.

The GPRN has an annual budget of Rs 200-Rs 250 million. Intelligence reports also say that it collects portions of extorted funds of other outfits of the region in lieu of training, arms supply and shelter. Intelligence reports also say it earns money through narcotics trade. With an army of about 4,500 men, top NSCN(IM) leaders live outside India, mostly in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand. It also had camps in Bangladesh and Myanmar, but most cadres have shifted to designated camps in Nagaland after it signed a ceasefire agreement with the Government of India on August 1, 1997.

Leaders and supporters are said to have business interests in Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh and other countries. Its headquarters have also shifted to Camp Hebron in Nagaland.

Has the Centre held talks with the NSCN leadership in the past?

In 1992, the then Governor, M M Thomas, a clergyman from Kerala, made the first successful move to get in touch with the NSCN. On June 15, 1995, then prime minister P V Narasimha Rao first met Muivah and Swu in Paris. A ceasefire was agreed upon with the Government of India with effect from August 1997.

Subsequently, former prime ministers H D Deve Gowda (February 1997), A B Vajpayee (September 1998) and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (December 2004) also met them. At least 50 rounds of talks have been held between the two sides at various levels.

412 KNLF Militants Surrender in Assam

By K Anurag 

Guwahati, Feb 12 : In a major boost to the morale of security forces engaged sustained counter-insurgency operation Assam, 412 militants including 22 women of the Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) laid down arms before Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi in presence of senior police and Army officials at Diphu in Karbi Anglong hill district of Assam.

The militants deposited 162 assorted weapons, a huge quantity of explosives, detonators and live ammunition during the surrender ceremony held at Diphu stadium on Thursday.

Union Home Minister P Chandambaram sent a latter to the KLNLF welcoming its cadres to the mainstream and assured that the surrender by the militants would pave way for a meaningful tri-partite peace talks among the KLNLF, Assam government and the Centre to address to demands of the outfit. The letter of the Home Minister was read out by the district deputy commissioner on the occasion.

The KLNLF which had declared unilateral ceasefire few months ago in response to the wishes of the civil society in the hill district was formed 19 years back to launch armed revolution to demand for a separate state of Karbi tribe in Assam.

The outfit was operating in close coordination with the banned United Liberation Front of Assam which helped formation of the Karbi militant group and was involved in large-scale killing of Hindi-speaking settlers in the hill districts in 1990s and early years of this decade. KLNLF cadres were trained in Bangladesh and Manipur with ULFA's.

All the 412 KLNLF cadres from 12 different camps of the outfit gave up arms on Thursday, under the leadership of chairman in charge Habe Tokbi. The chairman of the outfit P Dili is in jail.

Indo-Myanmar Operation to Flush Out Northeast Rebels

Rahul Karmakar

Dimapur, Feb 4 : India is drawing up a blueprint in coordination with Yangon to uproot 45-50 camps of Northeast militants from the Kachin area of Myanmar. Some 30 of these camps are major set-ups, three of them belonging to the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) each housing 150-300 cadres.

The development follows the visit to Yangon of a high-level delegation of the Ministry of Home Affairs last month.

The Myanmar camps – a majority of them belong to Khaplang and Isak-Muivah factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland besides Manipuri outfits such as United National Liberation Front – are concentrated in Shwelo and Haukyat areas of Myanmar adjoining Mon district of Nagaland.

These militant groups and ULFA are also maintaining up to 45-60 camps in Bangladesh despite Dhaka’s recent crackdown that led to the arrest of ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and others last year. “Most of the Bangladesh camps have over the years converted into villages, but even the presence of four-five militants count as a camp for us,” said Lt Gen NK Singh, GOC of the army’s Spears or 3 Corps headquartered in Dimapur.

Singh was briefing a select group of media persons ahead of 3 Corps’ silver jubilee celebrations here on Wednesday. It was raised on February 4, 1985 to combat insurgency in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya.

“A coordinated operation should take place to remove and eliminate camps in Myanmar. Things are at the decision and planning stage following the MHA visit to that country,” said Singh, adding the forces were awaiting the green signal from Yangon.

A list of such camps was being drawn up to track down ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua and other militant leaders in Myanmar. According to Intelligence officers, Barua has been shuttling between guerrilla-controlled Myanmar and Bangladesh and Southeast Asian countries to hold the reins of a ‘fast-depleting’ ULFA.

Assam Police officials also said the possibility of Barua spending much of his subversion-scheming time in Myanmar was strong. Apart from ULFA general secretary Golap Barua alias Anup Chetia, who is under the court’s observation in Dhaka, Barua is the only top leader at large.

ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and deputy commander-in-chief Raju Barua were arrested in December last year after they tried to sneak in from Bangladesh. The outfit’s foreign secretary Sashadhar Choudhury and finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika had a similar fate the month before. Other senior leaders were either ‘neutralized’ or caught earlier.

Morale of ULFA Cadres Still High: Surrenderee

Shillong, Feb 1 : Even after the arrest of its top leaders, the morale of the ULFA cadres has not been dented with the outfits 'commander-in-chief' Paresh Baruah still remaining at large and supporting the outfits cause.

ULFA 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa and 'deputy commander-in-chief' Raju Baruah were pushed back to India from Bangladesh and were later arrested by Indian security agencies last year. But Paresh Baruah has been till on the run for several years.

''The morale of the ULFA cadres in the Myanmar camp has not been affected, knowing Paresh Baruah is still around and supporting the cause of the outfit, ULFA 'Sergeant' Ranjeet Nath, who surrendered before the BSF at its frontier headquarters here today, said.

Mr Nath, who hails from Jorhats Ranga Chahi village of Assam, is from ULFAs 28 battalion and was wanted in several cases of killing, extortion and planting explosives on railway tracks in Assam's Golaghat district. He was decamped from ULFAs Myanmar camp with an AK 56 rifle, 140 rounds of ammunition and two magazines.

''There are four camps in Myanmar. Each camp houses four battalions of the ULFA,'' Mr Nath said after his formal surrender before BSFs (Assam-Meghalaya) Frontier IG Prithvi Raj. ''According to intelligence inputs, Paresh Baruah is hiding somewhere along the Myanmar-China border,'' Prithvi Raj said, adding that there has been large exodus of the ULFA cadres from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

The Myanmar junta has assured New Delhi during the recently concluded three-day Home Secretary-level talks between the two countries held at Myanmar capital Nay Pay Taw that it would help arrest the elusive ULFA 'commander-in-chief' and hand over to India.

ULFA Talks: RSS Rules Out Compromise on India’s Sovereignty

"RSS keeps away from politics. Hindutva teaches tolerance and acceptance": RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

New Delhi, Jan 31 : RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today echoed the government’s stance on peace talks with the ULFA, stressing that the country’s sovereignty and unity are non-negotiable.

“The sovereignty, unity and security of the country cannot be negotiated with. Talks are held under peaceful conditions and not by fighting. So the discussions have to be within this parameter,” Bhagwat told reporters here.

On various ethnic and insurgent groups demanding autonomy or separate states by balkanizing Assam, he said, “The country is one and it is only for administrative convenience that states were made.”

To queries on steps by the RSS to stop the alleged large-scale conversion activities of Christian missionaries in the northeast, he said, “Conversion is either by lure or force. Earlier, there was no resistance from the people. But now people are alert and we are creating awareness about it.

“As progress brings about awareness, the RSS, besides the government, is helping the development activities of the country. If people are alert, they cannot be converted and lose their cultural identity.”

The RSS chief said Hindutva was also a way forward for stopping conversion as it awakened awareness in society.

India has evolved a unique social system having a distinct view of life with values in society. On this basis, Hindutva is for unity in diversity, people of different cultures to live together, smaller identities live harmoniously as a part of a larger identity. This is Indian culture,” Bhagwat said.

On reports about missionaries indulging in child trafficking in the northeast, Bhagwat said poverty was being exploited and this had to be stopped through strict measures.

Discounting Shiv Sena’s claim that Mumbai was for Marathi Manoos only, the RSS chief said, “Mumbai is for all Indians. People of all languages, communities, tribes are children of India...Nobody can prevent Indians from moving to any part of the country in search of employment.”

On the unabated illegal migration of Bangladeshis into Assam, he said “The Supreme Court and the Foreigners Act are clear on who is a foreigner. The infiltrators are a danger to our economy and culture.”

He said the government has not taken the issue seriously. “Its first job is to protect the sovereignty, unity and security of the country. Vote considerations weigh heavy on taking measures against infiltrators. Problem delayed is solution delayed as it has a negative impact on security.”

Asked if the RSS made distinctions between Hindu and Muslim Bangladeshi infiltrators, Bhagwat said, “Under the Foreigners Act, all coming voluntarily, irrespective of religion, are foreigners. Those thrown out from there are refugees and are to be treated accordingly as per law.”

The RSS had begun a public awareness campaign on the foreigners issue as it was the only way within the democratic limits, he said.

On Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi taking a broadside at UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, Bhagwat said, “RSS keeps away from politics. Hindutva teaches tolerance and acceptance.”

Leaders Won’t Jump Parole if Freed For Peace Talks: ULFA

Guwahati, Jan 18 : The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) Monday pledged their jailed leaders would not jump parole if freed from prison to facilitate peace talks with the government.

“Let me assure the government and the people of Assam that if released on parole we shall never betray the trust… we shall not flee,” jailed ULFA vice chairman Pradeep Gogoi told journalists while being produced at a local court here.

Gogoi’s reaction follows reports that the Assam government was contemplating granting parole to at least eight top jailed ULFA leaders to facilitate peace talks, but New Delhi is apprehensive the rebel leaders might jump parole and go underground.

“Let the people of Assam and the government first take us into confidence… we are not going to break that trust,” the ULFA leader said.

Almost the entire top brass of the ULFA is now in jail - ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, Gogoi, deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, “foreign secretary” Sasha Chouhdury, “finance secretary” Chitraban Hazarika, publicity chief Mithinga Daimary, cultural secretary Pranati Deka, and senior-most leader Bhimkanta Buragohain.

Buragohain, 70 years old, is presently lodged at the Tezpur jail in northern Assam, while the other seven rebel leaders are at the Guwahati Central Jail.

The only top leader of the ULFA still at large is commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah, while the outfit’s general secretary Anup Chetia is in Bangladesh following his arrest in 1997.

The jailed ULFA leaders, including its chairman Rajkhowa, have been repeatedly saying that they were ready for talks but not in handcuffs - meaning they want them to be released.

“It is true there cannot be peace talks from inside the jail. Any talks could be possible only when we are freed,” Gogoi said.

The apprehension of the intelligence agencies that the ULFA leaders might jump parole is not without substance.

In January 1992, the first round of preliminary talks with a five-member ULFA delegation comprising Chetia and ‘central committee’ members Robin Neog, Kamal Bora, Siddhartha Phukan and Sabhan Saikia was held with then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in New Delhi.

All the five leaders were granted safe passage to attend the meeting and then allowed to leave to convince their other top leaders for the peace talks.

But the delegation led by Chetia jumped parole never to return.

“I would like to once again reassure that there would be no repeat of history this time. Let the government create that atmosphere and see the result,” Gogoi said.

Haven Going Inferno

State enemy Anup Chetia in a Dhaka court diplomacy: bangladesh

Our co-warrior against terror, Bangladesh must ferret out marked men

The one signal that came loud and clear from Sheikh Hasina’s visit was: Bangladesh is no longer a safe haven for Indian insurgents.

For years, secessionist groups would slip through the porous borders to launch attacks in the Northeast and north Bengal, and then slink back to their Bangladesh hideouts.

Assisting them with logistic support were successive regimes in Dhaka and sections in the Bangladesh security establishment. Worse, Dhaka denied the presence of insurgents on its soil.

All this seems to be a thing of the past. The Sheikh Hasina government has put its money where its mouth is.

Beginning November last, it handed over Chitrobon Hazarika and Sashadhar Choudhury, two central committee members of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), which is waging a bloody battle to liberate Assam.

A month later, it handed over ULFA founder Aurobindo Rajkhowa and the outfit’s deputy military commander, Raju Barua.

The list of insurgents nabbed and handed over to India is likely to grow, courtesy a spate of agreements signed between New Delhi and Dhaka. These agreements facilitate handing over fugitives still in Bangladesh, especially those in custody.

“The question is not how many other insurgent leaders are still in Bangladesh. The question is now whether they will still see Bangladesh as a safe haven,” says an Indian official confidently.
Here are six important insurgent leaders who are said to be in Bangladesh:

Anup Chetia: Currently in the Bangladesh government’s custody, the ULFA general secretary is even said to have had a 90-minute meeting with then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf in 2002 in Dhaka.

Paresh Baruah: He’s the commander-in-chief of the armed wing of ULFA, and responsible for much of the mayhem in Assam. A keen soccer player, he was once a star of the Dibrugarh Railway team.

Ranjan Daimary: He allegedly masterminded the serial bomb blasts in Assam on October 30, 2008, which killed around 100 people. Two months later, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland went into peace talks with the Centre and removed Daimary from the post of president. He heads his own faction now.

Biswa Mohan Deb Barman: He’s the supremo of the National Liberation Front of Tripura, which wants to carve a separate homeland for tribals who have become a minority because of migration into the state. Biswa was reportedly arrested in Bangladesh last year.

Jibon Singha: He heads the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, which is fighting for a separate state comprising six districts of West Bengal and four districts of Assam. ULFA is said to finance it.

Anthony Shimray: He’s the chief arms procurer of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isaac-Muivah group), which is involved in talks with the government. Jane’s Intelligence Review named him among the possible target recipients of the $4.5-5.7 million worth of arms seized from Chittagong in 2004.

Will Jailed ULFA Leaders be Released on Parole?

By Syed Zarir Hussain

Guwahati, Jan 17 : The Assam government is seriously contemplating granting parole to at least eight top jailed separatist leaders of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to facilitate peace talks, but New Delhi is apprehensive the rebel leaders might jump parole and go underground, an official said.

“There has been some thinking to free the jailed ULFA leaders to pave the way for peace talks. But various intelligence agencies are worried that once released, the militant leaders might go back to the jungles,” a senior Assam government official said requesting not to be named.

Almost the entire top brass of the ULFA is now in jail - ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, vice chairman Pradeep Gogoi, deputy commader-in-chief Raju Baruah, self-styled foreign secretary Sasha Chouhdury, finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika, publicity chief Mithinga Daimary, cultural secretary Pranati Deka, and the senior-most 70-year-old leader Bhimkanta Buragohain.

Buragohain is presently lodged at the Tezpur jail in northern Assam, while the other seven rebel leaders are at the Guwahati Central Jail.

The only top leader of the ULFA still at large is commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah, while the outfit’s general secretary Anup Chetia is in Bangladesh following his arrest in 1997.

The jailed ULFA leaders, including its chairman Rajkhowa, have been repeatedly saying that they were ready for talks but not under handcuffs - meaning they want them to be released.

“I don’t think the ULFA leaders would betray the popular sentiment of the people of Assam for peace talks. I don’t think they would jump parole and escape,” Lachit Bordoloi, a rights leader, told IANS.

Bordoloi is also a member of the ULFA constituted People’s Consultative Group (PCG) formed in 2005 to explore possibilities of opening peace talks with New Delhi.

The apprehension of the intelligence agencies that the ULFA leaders might jump parole is not without substance.

In January 1992, the first round of preliminary talks with a five-member ULFA delegation comprising ‘general secretary’ Anup Chetia and ‘central committee’ members Robin Neog, Kamal Bora, Siddhartha Phukan and Sabhan Saikia was held with then prime minister P.V. Narasimha Rao in New Delhi.

All the five leaders were granted safe passage to attend the meeting and then allowed to leave to convince their other top leaders for the peace talks.

But the delegation led by Anup Chetia jumped parole never to return.

“The circumstances in 1991 were quite different from 2010, and now the general mood is for peace and I am confident the ULFA leaders would not escape,” Bordoloi said.

Moreover, with the wives and children of the top jailed leaders now back in their homes, there is a feeling that chances of jumping parole was minimal.

“These are things that we have also taken into consideration while mooting the idea of freeing the jailed ULFA leaders. But the ball is in New Delhi’s court,” the official said.

The idea of engaging the jailed ULFA leaders is primarily aimed at marginalising the elusive Paresh Baruah and making him redundant in the peace process.

“Whether Paresh Baruah comes for peace talks or not is irrelevant if all the top leaders agree for negotiations. We want Paresh Baruah to come and join the peace process, but talks can be held without him as well,” Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.

Former ULFA Cadre Hopeful About Peace Talks

Barpeta (Assam), Jan 17 : Former ULFA cadre are hopeful about unconditional peace talks between the banned underground outfit and government and that too without the participation of its absconding "commander-in-chief" Paresh Barua.

"We are hopeful about the talks without any condition.

The peace talks are possible without Paresh Barua," Prakton ULFA Samannayrakshi Somity (Former ULFA Cadre Protection Committee) general secretary Rajen Medhi said.

"Peace in Assam is needed at any cost without any condition during the parleys with ULFA," Medhi said to reporters after the organisation's central committee general meeting here.

The organisation's working president Dhanajoy Rabha also demanded that "all the police cases registered against the former insurgents be dismissed".

Rabha further demanded that "the former extremists be given employment as the government had failed to rehabilitate them after their surrender forcing them to lead a miserable life".

NDFB bomber killed in Assam, ULFA commander held in Shillong

Guwahati, Jan 17 : Security forces Saturday gunned down a bomber belonging to the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) in Assam, while a top commander of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) was arrested in Meghalaya capital Shillong.

A police spokesperson said a group of NDFB militants early Saturday challenged a security patrol near Udalguri in northern Assam, about 90 km from here.

‘There was a fierce gunfight, in which an NDFB bomber was killed, while three to four others managed to escape,’ a senior police official said.

Police and army soldiers recovered a pistol, live cartridges and some explosives from the dead rebel.

Police suspect the dead NDFB bomber could have been involved in the grenade attack Friday night in Udalguri town that killed one person and wounded 12 more.

A massive search is on to nab the other rebels who escaped.

Meghalaya police, meanwhile, arrested a top ULFA commander from Shillong Saturday.

‘All we can say is that the arrested person is a commander of the ULFA’s 27th battalion and was in Shillong to escape the security heat in Assam,’ a Meghalaya police official said.

Shillong Haven for NDFB

Police step up vigil in areas with mixed population

File picture of a pistol and documents recovered from the NDFB militants Shillong, Jan 14 : Police in Meghalaya have stepped up vigil to track militants belonging to the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) who take shelter in localities with a mixed population to carry out abductions and extortion in the state. On Sunday evening, the police foiled a bid by two suspected NDFB militants and five others to abduct a city trader’s son for ransom and arrested the seven-member gang. One of the NDFB cadres, identified as Monthosh Daimary, 25, in December last year, rented a house at Bangladesh Colony, a locality with a mixed population, in the Polo area of the city to commit the crime. The other suspected NDFB militant has been identified as Bijay Sugunary. Five others, including two surrendered NDFB militants, Khomtha Daimary and Bipul Narzary, two Tangkhul Nagas, Nickson Khang and R.S. Somiror, and another person identified as Gopal Roy, were part of the gang. A blank demand note of the Bodo outfit was also recovered from them. Shillong (city) superintendent of police Claudia Lyngwa said today that the police had faced difficulties in tracking down the militants who were taking shelter amid a population comprising all sections of people in certain localities of the city. Lyngwa said Bangladeshi Colony in the Fourth Furlong area in Polo had makeshift houses let out for rent at cheap rates. All sections of people, who come from outside the state, including the migrants and militants, take shelter here, making it difficult for the security agencies to find their whereabouts. The suspected NDFB cadre, Daimary, had also hidden a country-made pistol with six rounds of live ammunition in the rented house as there was no police checking in the locality. According to Lyngwa, as there was no headman in the Bangladeshi Colony, it was impossible for the police to interact with those responsible to check various crimes. She said the government should take initiatives to check the antecedents of the people residing in the mixed localities. “We had issued several directives to all the headmen of various localities in Shillong in the past to verify the antecedents of the people who wanted to take rooms in the areas,” Lyngwa said. In the past, several Northeast militants belonging to KYKL, DHD and NSCN residing in rented accommodations here were also arrested from various localities. Besides, the mixed localities in and around the capital where the criminal elements take shelter, certain pockets of Ri Bhoi district and Garo hills have also become a safe haven for NDFB militants to carry out their activities freely. A senior police official today said the intelligence network in Meghalaya would be beefed up to arrest militants taking shelter in various parts of the state.

ULFA ready for talks if jailed leaders released

Guwahati, Jan 10 : The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) Saturday said it was ready to hold peace talks with New Delhi only if its jailed leaders were freed.

‘Talks, if any, cannot be held from the prison cell. If the jailed leaders are released, the peace process could begin,’ ULFA vice chairman Pradeep Gogoi told journalists while being brought to the Guwahati Medical College Hospital for a health check-up.

Gogoi and seven other ULFA top leaders are in prison. The others include chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, deputy commader-in-chief Raju Baruah, self-styled foreign secretary Sasha Chouhdury, finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika, publicity chief Mithinga Daimary, cultural secretary Pranati Deka and the senior-most 70-year-old leader Bhimkanta Buragohain.

Buragohain is presently lodged at the Tezpur jail in northern Assam, while the other seven rebel leaders are at the Guwahati Central Jail.

‘The last few days we have been talking about various possibilities for furthering the peace process. It all depends on the government’s sincerity,’ the ULFA leader said.

Rajkhowa and Raju Baruah and their wives were arrested Dec 4 at Dawki in Meghalaya after they were handed over to Indian authorities by Bangladesh.

In November last year, Choudhury and Hazarika were also arrested by Indian authorities under similar circumstances.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Saturday said there were positive signals from the jailed ULFA leaders in pushing the deadlocked peace process.

‘I would say there are positive signs coming in. Even if Paresh Baruah (the elusive ULFA commander-in-chief) does not come for talks we can still hope to begin negotiations,’ Gogoi told journalists.

Barring Paresh Baruah, almost all the top ULFA leaders are now in jail. ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia is in prison in Bangladesh since 1997 with the Indian government pressing for his deportation.

SoO signatories asked to rein-in cadres

Imphal, Jan 10 : The Government has made it clear that stringent action would be taken up if armed cadres of any of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) signatory UG groups were found violating the ground rules including in the recent Nongbrang incident.

The Government made its position clear on the issue to the UG groups in the meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group of SoO held at the banquet hall of Ist Manipur Rifles here today.

It had also been pointed that inter and intra factional clashes, deserting one group and joining another, etc also come within the purview of violating the laid down ground rules of SoO.

Effective since August, 2008, SoO has been signed as a tripartite agreement with the involvement of the Centre and the State Government on one hand and the two umbrella bodies of various Kuki UG groups, namely UPF and KNO, on the other to facilitate peace talks.

There are in all 8 Kuki UG groups under UPF and 11 others under KNO.

The meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group was attended by Chief Secretary DS Poonia; Commissioner (Home) V Vumlunmang; Director in-charge of Northeast, Ministry of Home Affairs Dr Mehanathan, IG (Intelligence) LM Khoute, representatives of the Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF and BSF, and leaders of the Kuki UG groups which are signatories of SoO.

Inclusive of the recent Nongbrang incident, all the cases relating to registration of FIR, media reports as well as those which have not been reported in media in which the armed cadres of SoO signatory UG groups were allegedly involved were taken up for discussion in the meeting today.

While giving strong warning against repeating such incidents, the UG groups have also been directed to stop their extortion activities at once from the side of the Government.

From the side of the UG groups, it was informed that armed cadres who were found involved in activities that amount to violation of SoO ground rules are being removed from the group and other necessary actions initiated against them.

Maintaining that the nearly two years long peace process is progressing well in the right direction, the Government assured that ongoing construction of 10 designated camps for the armed cadres would be completed next month.

To ensure speedy construction work of the designated camps, relevant order for releasing all the requisite fund to facilitate completion of the Ginatjang designated camp had been issued and release of additional fund for the designated camps at T Gamnom and N Phaisat had also been assured.

Furthermore, the Government side assured the leaders of the UG groups that the monthly stipend for the armed cadres of the SoO signatory groups would be released very soon.

With regard to issuing identity cards to the armed cadres, the two sides agreed that it would be carried out on the basis of the new list to be prepared after deleting the name of the cadres who have been removed or passed away.

Ten more Bangladesh-trained terrorists surrender

Agartala, Jan 10 : With Bangladesh continuing its crackdown against militants active in northeast India, 10 more terrorists, including four women, have fled from that country and surrendered to Indian authorities this week, officials said here Saturday.

Four All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) guerrillas fled from their camps in Khagrachari in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in southeast Bangladesh and surrendered to the Border Security Force (BSF) in west Tripura Friday, the officials said.

The four surrendered tribal guerrillas include publicity secretary of the banned ATTF Raj Kumar Debbarma, 38, and ATTF supremo Ranjit Debbarma’s private secretary Biswajit Debbarma, 36.

The surrendered militants also deposited some arms and ammunition, a computer, Bangladeshi currency and incriminating documents. They are being interrogated by senior police officials.

Six extremists, including four women, laid down their arms earlier this week after they escaped from their Bangladeshi hideouts.

“In the base camps of ATTF in Bangladesh, there are huge arms and ammunition stored but there aren’t sufficient rebels to use them,” the surrendered militants told police.

A senior police official said: “The ATTF is trying to buy an FM radio channel in Bangladesh. The ATTF leaders are negotiating with private parties in that country to procure the radio channels to earn money.”

According to police, about 370 tribal guerrillas of the ATTF and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), including many carrying rewards of Rs.250,000 and with Interpol arrest warrants against them, have fled from their Bangladeshi camps and surrendered to Indian security forces in 2009.

The ATTF and the NLFT have been demanding independence for indigenous tribals and the secession of Tripura from India.

Security officials say militants belonging to various rebel groups in the northeast region have set up about 100 camps and hideouts in different parts of Bangladesh, specially Sylhet district and Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) bordering India’s Tripura, Mizoram and Meghalaya states.

ULFA should trust us: CPI Maoist

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW / KISHENJI, CHIEF, PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY

By Sarbari Bhaumik
A wily fox has many exits to his lair. So also with Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji, national chief of the People’s Liberation Army and politburo member of the CPI (Maoist). Media-savvy, he often speaks to the press, but on his own terms. His call would come out of the blue and he would hang up immediately after giving his sound bite. Long phone calls, he knows, will give away his location. But in an interview with THE WEEK, Kishenji spoke at length on a wide range of issues, including Telangana, Kashmir and the northeast. Excerpts:
What is your response to the decision to form Telangana?
The demand for Telangana is very old and we support it. Though Delhi has announced its intention to form Telangana, I doubt their sincerity. Many rich and powerful Telugus have illegal land in Hyderabad and have invested millions there. There are powerful people in the UPA who are linked to these vested interests. They will create roadblocks.