India, Myanmar plan joint ops to flush out holed-up N-E militants

Guwahati: India may soon launch a coordinated operation with the Myanmar Army to flush out Indian militants holed up in neighbouring Myanmar. Saying the movement of Indian insurgents was now restricted to the Taga area of Myanmar, authoritative security sources told this newspaper that the growing bilateral ties between India, China and Myanmar had reduced the comfort level of Indian insurgent groups not only in Myanmar but in the frontier provinces of China as well.

Pointing out that India and China had increased their strategic communications after an agreement was signed on security cooperation between the home ministry and China’s ministry of public security in October this year, security sources said intelligence inputs indicated that top insurgent leaders like Ulfa(I)  chief Paresh Baruah had been compelled to keep changing his hideouts every fortnight. According to these sources, Paresh Baruah is believed to be now shuttling between Taga in Myanmar and Ruili town in Dehong prefecture of southern China’s Yunan province.

Saying that the Ulfa(I) chief and some other militant leaders may still be getting some support in China but very discreetly, the sources said China had withdrawn all logistics support and other protection that earlier was readily available to Indian insurgents in China.

The sources said military cooperation between India and Myanmar was also at its best. While Myanmar has not launched any operation to flush out Indian insurgents from its territory so far, the sources said the free movement of Indian insurgents in Myanmar had been stopped.

Admitting that there were some instances of Indian insurgents buying support from low-level security officials in Myanmar, the sources said steps had been taken to check this. The sources said there were some technical reasons stopping Myanmar from launching operations in Taga region, where most of the Indian insurgents were holed up.

Saying the Myanmar government had entered into a ceasefire agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Khaplang faction), and Taga area had been earmarked as a ceasefire zone, security sources said Indian insurgents, taking advantage of this ceasefire agreement, were holed up in this zone. While the sources refused to reveal the exact locations and strength of Indian insurgent groups in Myanmar, they said more than 500 Indian insurgents were holed up in that country. Some new recruits in the outlawed Ulfa(I) and “anti-talk” NDFB faction were willing to surrender, the sources said, adding some NDFB cadres had surrendered recently, and more may come out soon.