Meghalaya’s ‘most wanted’ militant arrested in Tamil Nadu garment factory

William A Sangma, self-styled commander of Achik National Cooperative Army (ANCA), and an accomplice called Alas R Sangma, who was declared as “most wanted” by a special police team of the Meghalaya Police a few months ago, was finally tracked down and arrested in Chinnakkarai in Tirupur district of Meghalaya.

An official of the Meghalaya Police said William A Sangma, who had managed to escape from the Mendipathar police station lock-up in August this year, was working in a ready-made garments factory under a different name when police tracked him down there.

While William is a “wanted” person in several cases in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills region, his accomplice Alas R Sangma, who was working in the same garments factory in Tamil Nadu, too had a non-bailable warrant against him.

Surrendered ultras launch hunger strike

AGARTALA, Nov 21 – Peeved at government apathy, 26 surrendered militants have launched a hunger strike at Lachi Rehabilitation Camp in south Tripura’s Santir Bazar sub-division, official sources said.

The surrendered militants, who are undergoing vocational training, have been demanding BPL cards and loans from the State Government.

Having failed to draw the attention of administration, all inmates of the camp began the hunger strike on their 20-point charter of demands on Tuesday.

Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Uttam Mandal met the surrendered militants and appealed to them to withdraw their agitation.

“I have requested them to roll back their hunger strike as the government is ready to consider their demands, whatever they have,” the SDM said.

According to rehabilitation agreement, all the surrendered militants have been provided a package comprising a fixed deposit of Rs 1.50 lakh and Rs 3,500 monthly stipend for each returnee.

2 cops killed in Meghalaya militant ambush

SHILLONG, Nov 19 : Two policemen were killed and three injured Tuesday when tribal militants ambushed them in Meghalaya, officials said.

Heavily armed suspected militants of the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) attacked the Meghalaya policemen in Siju area of South Garo Hills district.

The police personnel were proceeding to Siju from Baghama, the district headquarters of South Garo Hills district near the Bangladesh border.

"Preliminary reports indicate that two policemen were killed and three others were injured after they were ambushed by suspected GNLA militants," Meghalaya police chief Peter Hanaman told IANS.

He said a search operation has been launched by a joint team of Meghalaya's Special Weapons and Tactics and the Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) commandos to nab the rebels involved in the incident.

"Our men are already on the ground and we are hopeful we'll track them down at the earliest," he said.

However, the GNLA, a terrorist outfit, did not claim responsibility for the attack.

The GNLA, fighting for a separate Garoland, is headed by Champion R. Sangma, a former deputy superintendent who deserted Meghalaya Police owing to alleged harassment by his superiors. He floated the GNLA in 2009.

Sangma was arrested July 30 near the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya. The state government terminated his services in July 2010.

The outfit, outlawed by the central government, forged an operational alliance with the United Liberation Front of Asom and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland, providing it access to arms and ammunition.

GNLA rebels, who number around 100, unleashed terror in three impoverished districts of Garo Hills in the last one year and killed over 35 people, including security personnel.

55 camps of NE armed groups in Bangladesh

India and Bangladesh to discuss terrorism and border crimes

Agartala, November 12 : Arms and drug smuggling, terrorism, circulation of fake currency notes and border crimes are among the issues to be discussed when border guards of India and Bangladesh meeting Nov 17, an official said here Monday.

“The BSF (Border Security Force) officials would ask the BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) officials to dismantle the camps of northeast India terrorists, who have been running many camps in Bangladesh despite many such camps were destroyed by the security forces of that country,” a senior BSF official told IANS.

He said: “At least 55 camps of northeast India militants are still functional in different parts of Bangladesh and opposite to Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam’s borders with that country.” The northeast militant outfits running camps in Bangladesh territories include National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), United Liberation Front of Asom and National Liberation Front of Tripura.

“After Bangladesh security forces undertook occasional crackdowns against the northeast India militants, some terrorists have taken shelter in the jungles of neighbouring Myanmar,” the BSF official said on the condition of anonymity.

Inspector generals of three frontiers of BSF in northeast India - Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram-Cachar - would hold a four-day long border management meeting from Nov 17 with BGB officials at Tamabil in Bangladesh’s Sylhet district.

Meghalaya frontier Inspector General of BSF Sudhesh Kumar would lead the Indian team while Bangladesh delegation would be led by BGB’s Additional Director General (northeastern region) Mohammad Latiful Haider.

Senior officials of India’s home ministry and Narcotics Control Bureau would also present in the meeting. “Smuggling of arms and drugs and using northeastern states as corridors for their illegal hauling would also be discussed in the meeting. We would ask the BGB officials to take stringent steps to prevent such clandestine trading,” the BSF official added.

He said the BSF and BGB troopers are now holding coordinated patrolling along the border and the meeting would discuss about intensifying such joint patrolling in the sensitive and porous borders.

“Bangladesh security forces in the recent past have seized huge fake Indian currencies and arrested a large number of people involved in circulating the fake currencies. We would ask the BGB officials to share the information (with BSF) gathered about the fake currencies and their roots,” the official added.

In the meeting, the BSF would also propose to the BGB to hold mutual cultural and sports events on both sides of the border and adjoining cities and villages as part of the confidence building measures. The official said that the BSF would also ask their BGB authorities to take effective measures to prevent attacks on BSF troopers and Indian villagers by the bordering people of Bangladesh.

Four Indian northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam share an 1,880-km border with Bangladesh. The mountainous terrain, dense forests and other hindrances make the unfenced borders porous and vulnerable, enabling illegal immigrants and intruders cross over without any hurdle.

India is erecting a fence and putting up floodlights all along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram to check trans-border movement of militants, prevent infiltration and check border crimes.

Assam for amnesty to ULFA chief Paresh Baruah if he returns to fight polls

Paresh Baruah Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said he was ready to write to the Centre for amnesty to ULFA's anti-talk faction chief Paresh Baruah if he decides to return and contest polls.

"If you (Baruah) really want to do something, then why don't you come back to Assam and fight for the people? You form a political party, do politics, contest elections and prove that people support your causes except that of Assam's independence," he told reporters here.

Gogoi's comment comes after a local English daily today published a report quoting Baruah that India was scared of holding a plebiscite on sovereignty of Assam and asking leaders to learn about 'true democracy from countries like Great Britain and Canada'.

"If he (Baruah) decides to come back to Assam we will request the Centre to give him amnesty. However, it will be the Centre's decision to consider that or not." Gogoi countered ULFA(I)'s allegations that Assamese people were not independent and gave examples of high turnout during elections held in the state in recent years.

"There may be 0.5 per cent or even less number of people supporting separate Assam. More than 99 per cent of Assam's population accept that we are a part of India," he added.

India scared of holding plebiscite: Paresh

R Dutta Choudhury

 

 GUWAHATI, Oct 21 – The political leaders of India should try to learn about true democracy from countries like Great Britain and Canada, said commander-in-chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) Paresh Baruah. He also said a concrete shape to the common platform of the “revolutionary organisations” of the region would be given shortly.Talking to The Assam Tribune over phone from an unknown destination, Baruah said that the mindset of the political leaders of India would have to change for a political solution to the issues. He pointed out that Great Britain dared to hold a plebiscite on the demand for separation of Scotland and solved the issue without any bloodshed. Canada had taken similar steps, but the political leaders of India do not have the courage to go for such a move, he added.
Replying to a question on whether the ULFA(I) would accept the result of such a plebiscite, Baruah said that if majority of the bonafide citizens of Assam vote to stay with India, the ULFA would accept it. But at the same time, the Government of India must accept the result of the plebiscite if majority vote in favour of separation from India, he said.
On whether the ULFA (I) is expecting any change of the attitude of the Government of India towards Assam as a new Government has assumed office in Delhi, Baruah said that at present, the mindset of all Indian political leaders is the same and they are not expecting any change at this moment. “We do not know whether there will be any change of mindset of the political leaders of India in future. But at present, we do not foresee any change,” he added.
The ULFA(I) leader revealed that the move to unite the revolutionary organizations of the West-East-South Asia region is still on. “We want to come into a common platform to fight the common enemy together. We are taking a bit of time as we want to make it a concrete platform of true revolutionary organizations with the motto of fight together and live together. However, we managed to complete about 90 per cent of the work of forming the common platform and we hope to make the formal announcement soon,” he said.
When asked to comment on the ongoing talks with different militant groups of the region, Baruah said that the talks were only tactical moves by the Government of India. He alleged that the Government is not sincere in solving the issues and the Government is only playing divide and rule policy. In this regard he pointed out that talks with the NSCN (I-M) have been going on for the past 17 years without any positive result, which is happening because of the lack of sincerity of the Government.
Baruah refused to give a direct reply to a question on whether the ULFA(I) is receiving help from China and only said, “we are ready to receive political, moral or logistic help from any country which comes forward to extend help without any pre-condition. We will also like to make it clear that we will not accept help from anyone by compromising the interest of Assam.”
Replying to a question on whether the ULFA(I) gained anything from the long struggle since 1979, Baruah admitted that sometimes one has to wait for years to get positive results. He pointed out that India’s freedom struggle lasted for more than a century, while, similar struggles also lasted long years. So far more than 14000 lives were lost in the ULFA’s struggle and many more may have to sacrifice their lives. The results of struggles often depend on the global political scene and the ULFA(I) may have to wait for the favourable political environment. “However, we are fighting for a historical truth as Assam was annexed to India without taking the views of the people. We may not see the result in our lifetime but the next generation will continue the struggle,” he added.

Narendra Modi's tough stance unsettling for Northeast rebels

 In what appears to be a making a shift from the established convention of all past central governments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have taken a tough stand of not engaging with the North-Eastern insurgent groups at his level.

Modi so far has not met National Socialist Council of Nagalim – Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) top leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah who have been camping in Delhi since a week before he went for the US tour of September 26. NSCN (I-M) is one of the most potent insurgent groups in the northeast that still has a large base of armed cadres intact.

If Modi persists with this strategy, it will be the first time since 1997 – when the bloody conflict was brought to an end by signing a ceasefire agreement between government of India and NSCN (I-M) – that a PM would not meet them.

The side-tracking of their leaders, who are designated as Yaruiwo (President) and Ato Kilonser (Prime Minister) of the self-styled Government of the People's Republic of Nagalim and the chairman and president of their party NSCN (I-M), has not gone well with the cadres of the outfit. Moreover, they are also not very pleased with the newly appointed interlocutor R N Ravi, who is tough in approach.

While a large section of the NSCN (I-M) is feeling slighted because of this development and is anxious about the future of the ceasefire and talks, a section with in the Indian security establishment also thinks that it is not a step in the right direction.

"The government should not take NSCN (I-M) lightly as it seems to be taking or, at least, trying to project. It can impact on the ceasefire agreement and future of the talks whose fall out can push the North-East in turmoil again," said a senior security official not willing to be quoted because of the involvement of his seniors for advising the PM to be tough.

However, a simultaneous development of NCSN (I-M) cosying up a Myanmar based Indian insurgent outfit has increased the anxiety within the security establishment and has put the focus back on having talks.

According to intelligence inputs the NSCN (I-M) has re-establish its contact with another powerful Meitei insurgent group Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) based in Myanmar.

Recently, the NSCN (I-M) has twice sent its senior members to Myanmar - senior steering committee member, Akhui, and later "Colonel" Thotmathing - to meet KYKL leaders in Myanmar. Security agencies believe that the NSCN (I-M) is engaged in re-assembling its cadres in case of a possible scenario of negotiations failing with the Modi government.

Almost a hundred NSCN (I-M) cadres said to have assembled in Sagaing division of Myanmar where the Meitei group has a base. This is for the first time in a decade, the NSCN (I-M) has re-established contacts with a north-eastern outfit with bases in Myanmar.