Guwahati: In what has confirmed the growing nexus of the outlawed Ulfa(I) in China, the banned outfit has warned the Dalai Lama to refrain from uttering anything against China during his visit to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
In an open letter to the Dalai Lama sent to local media houses on email, Ulfa(I) chairman Mukul Hazarika alias Abhizeet Asom Barman, who is said to have been a physician based in London, said, “Nothing against China will be uttered by you (the Dalai Lama) in private or public because China has always been a friendly neighbour of ours and the relationship between China and Assam is truly very deep. We won’t tolerate India’s view to be propagated from Assam’s soil.”
The Ulfa chairman also questioned the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh.
“The Dalai Lama’s plan to visit Tawang, despite China objecting is unwise and a cause of great concern to us. Should a war break out between China and India, Tibet and Assam would stand to suffer,” he said.
The Dalai Lama is going to start his north-east tour from Assam on April 1. He is expected to visit Tawang, a Buddhist majority town in Arunachal Pradesh, some time after April 4. Union minister Kiren Rijiju is expected to accompany him.
China had earlier warned of “severe damage” to Indo-Chinese bilateral ties when the Dalai Lama had announced his visit to Tawang, which China claims to be a part of its territory and calls Southern Tibet.
Security agencies have alerted the police and asked to intensify security measures in the wake of the Dalai Lama’s visit.
Fearing that Ulfa(I) may try to create trouble, security sources said that all districts have been asked to be on high alert during the Tibetan leader’s stay in the region.
It is significant that security agencies have reports that elusive Ulfa(I) chief Paresh Baruah has frequently been shuttling between China and Myanmar.
Security sources said that the Ulfa(I) chief was found to have been taking shelter at Ruili town in Dehong Prefecture region of Yunan province in southern China.
