From MIZZIMA News Group

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Burma giving shelter to India's North East insurgents

By :		MIZZIMA News Group
Date :	19th October 1998

	Due to the increased pressure from the Indian security forces,
insurgent groups of North Eastern States of India have been taking shelter
in its neighbouring countries, including Myanmar (Burma). This was
disclosed by the Assam Chief Minister, Mr. Prafulla Kumar Mahanta on
October 17. Talking to presspersons in New Delhi, the Assam Chief Minister
said militants from Assam, which is one of the Northeasten States of
India, have been taking shelter in the neighbouring countries of Bhutan,
Bangladesh and Myanmar.       

This is not the first time the Indian authorities raised the issue of
Burma giving shelter to some of the insurgent groups of North Eastern
States of India. India has raised this issue with Burma many times in
various levels officially. This has been a major issue between the two
countries for normalizing the relationship and India has sought for
cooperation from Burma in tackling the insurgency in North East. Not less
than ten insurgent groups have been active in seven North Eastern States
of India, and four out of these seven states are, for a thousand
kilometer-long, bordering with Burma.

The Government of India had entered a cease fire with only one insurgent
group in the region and the discussion between the government and this
group, namely National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Muivah) has been
going on since August 1997 to solve the long-standing problem of
Naga-India.

It is a well-known fact now that Khaplang faction of National Socialist
Council of Nagaland (NSCN), one of the armed groups still fighting against
the Indian State in North East, has a number of camps in upper Sagaing
Division of Burma. Burmese government troops do not reach to the areas
where this group is based. Many of NSCN (Khaplang)'s allied groups such as
People Liberation Army (PLA) of Manipur and  United Liberation Front of
Assam (ULFA) have been conducting military training for their new cadres
in the area in Burma, where NSCN (Khaplang) controls. The area which is in
upper La Hal township of Sagaing Division is remote but journalists from
India are occasionally invited to see the camps by the insurgent groups.
According to local Burmese, some of the PLA men in uniform have been seen
moving around freely in Tamu township of Sagaing Division.

Apart from the insurgent groups having their base in Burma, their source
of arms and ammunition has been coming from Burma. In the past, these
groups were getting arms and ammunition from black markets in Cox Bazar in
Bangladesh. But, due to the pressure from India, Bangladesh government has
been, since the beginning of this year, taking actions against the Indian
insurgents in Bangladesh border. Manipur Daily, a local newspaper of
Manipur on 19th October, had detailed the armed smuggling across the
Indo-Burma border from where the insurgent groups in North East are
recently getting arms and ammunition. Many of these arms and ammunition
come from former drug kingpin-Khun Sa's troops and those who got truce
with the military regime in Burma. These include Shan State Army (SSA),
Kachin Democratic Army (KDA), Kachin Special Zone (1), Shan Special Zone
(2), etc.. The current price of a 9 mm pistol was mentioned in the
newspaper as Indian Rupees fifty five thousand and one AK 47 Rifle bullet
as Rs. fifty five. The routes of the armed smuggling have been identified
and Moreh, a border township of Manipur State and also an official trade
gate between Burma and India is one of the armed smuggling routes.
Moreover, Bangkok Post newspaper on 18th October quoted Mr. J.N. Pradhan,
Deputy Inspecter General of Police in Manipur State saying that Indian
insurgents were printing fake Indian currency notes (100 and 500 rupees
notes) and using them to buy weapons from gun-runners across the border.