'Hostile' Dhaka turns ultras Myanmar-ward

Pinaki Das
Agartala, Aug 9 – The tough stance of Dhaka against militants using the Bangladesh soil for anti-India activities has forced the militants active in the northeastern Indian states to shift their camps to Myanmar.
This trend came to light from the interrogation of recently arrested militants of various groups in Tripura, said a government source.
"With the present regime in Bangladesh coming down heavily on the anti-India insurgents, major separatist outfits of Northeast India are eyeing Myanmar," said Tapan Saha, the Tripura public prosecutor.
"Similar inputs were given on Monday by two militants of the banned Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) of Manipur state who were arrested in Agartala, capital of Indian northeastern state of Tripura," Saha added.
East Agartala police, based on secret information of Assam Rifles, arrested the militants from a rented house on the outskirts of Agartala where they were staying for over seven months.
Besides a meeting point, the rented house was served as a transit camp for the militants who were moving through Tripura from Bangladesh.
The militants identified as Ngangon Sovet Meitee, 30, a self-styled captain, and another Herojit Singh, 26, were produced before a local court which sent to five-day police remand for further interrogation.
As many as 13 mobile sets, nine SIM cards, two laptops, cash and other incriminating documents were seized from their possession.
The militants informed that several major insurgent groups of Northeast India had recently organised a meeting in Bangladesh where they formed a 'United Joint Forum' and decided to work together to revive their activities in the northeastern region.
The militant groups also decided to shift their base camps from Bangladesh to Myanmar in view of a hostile regime in Bangladesh.
All major separatist outfits of northeast, like the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa), cadres of the both factions of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), People's Liberation Army of Manipur (PLA) and National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) are among the outfits trying to space in Myanmar.
Myanmar shares 1,643-km boundary with India's four northeastern states Mizoram, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. India also shares maritime boundary with Myanmar.