Meitei rebels, Ulfa hawks boycott I-Day

GUWAHATI: At time when the state government is rattled by intelligence reports that some ministers in the Tarun Gogoi cabinet are on Ulfa commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah's hit list, a newly-floated conglomerate of 12 militant outfits in the region has boycotted Independence Day celebrations and called a strike in the region on August 15. In a joint statement issued here on Thursday, the rebel forum has criticized the Centre for the ongoing peace talks with Ulfa and other Naga outfits. "We have seen futile promises made by the Centre earlier. The ongoing peace processes in Assam and Nagaland is nothing but an effort to weaken our struggle," the statement added. Lending voice to Baruah's opposition to peace talks between the Centre and the Arabinda Rajkhowa-led Ulfa's pro-talks faction without sovereignty on the agenda, the forum said, "Sovereignty is the utmost obligation of a nation. It is the most valuable prize and it cannot be replace by anything else." Along with eight Manipuri outfits, the conglomerate includes the Hynnitrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) of Meghalaya, the West Bengal-based Kamtapur Liberation Organization (KLO) and the Tripura People's Democratic Front (TPDF). Incidentally, the NDFB's anti-talks faction, which has declared a unilateral ceasefire after expressing willingness to hold peace talks, has not joined the conglomerate. A government source said authorities considered the joint statement as a view of Manipuri outfits. "The primary concern is the coming together of the Meitei groups. They are very active in Manipur. KLO is virtually non-existent, while the ground is set for the group to join the peace talks soon. The HNLC and TPDF are weak groups and there is not too much threat perception from the Ulfa's Baruah faction," the source said. Last month, the eight Meitei groups had joined hands with Ulfa in Myanmar. A source said 17 cadres of Manipur's PLA have entered the state with Ulfa cadres in two groups to strike on behalf of Ulfa. "They have not been successful so far because of the presence of security forces, especially in Sivasagar and Tinsukia district," the source said. In the meantime, suspected Ulfa militants looted Rs 25 lakh and two INSAS rifles from security personnel at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday. According to sources, Baruah has recruited and transferred 25 new cadres from Tinsukia to Changlang in Arunachal Pradesh recently.