Northeast: Over 500 militants set to surrrender

Guwahati: More than 500 hard-core Ulfa-I and NDFB cadres, who are running from pillar to post for shelter in Myanmar, are said to have been approaching the security forces in separate groups to surrender and return back home.

Indicating that a few senior Ulfa-I and NDFB leaders are already in touch with top police officers and working out modalities to surrender, authoritative security sources told this newspaper that condition of a large number of Ulfa-I and NDFB cadres are also stated to be very critical since Myanmar Army has launched operation and demolished Taga camp of the Indian insurgent groups in Myanmar. It is significant that in March this year, Myanmar Army had taken over the physical control of National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) headquarters and started driving out Indian terrorists from Taga area of Myanmar. Pointing out that a large number of Ulfa-I and NDFB cadres are roaming from village to village in Myanmar for shelter, security sources said that rainy season has made their life more difficult.

Referring the intelligence inputs, security source said that these cadres who were driven out of Taga camp, don’t have money to survive in Myanmar so some of them were reported to have been doing “manual work” to earn money. Informing that because of heavy rain, they can’t cross over the hilly terrain to enter India, security sources said that some of them have also approached their respective family members in Assam. Admitting that Ulfa-I chief Paresh Baruah, who has been shuttling between Myanmar and Ruili town in southern China’s Yunan province, security sources said that Ulfa-I chief has been trying to dissuade his senior comrades not to surrender but many of them are reported to have defied him.