Assam urges Centre to rein in Naga rebel factions

The two factions of the Naga rebel group Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland -- NSCN-Isak Muivah and NSCN-Khaplang -- which have been in truce with government of India forces, have become a headache for the Assam government in its fight against insurgents.

Assam government wants the Centre to prevent the two Naga rebel groups in truce from providing logistical support to the proscribed United Liberation Front of Assam in Myanmar base, and indulging in violence in Assam districts having boundary with Nagaland.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said, "Right from the inception of the ULFA, Myanmar-based NSCN-K has been offering assistance and logistic support to the ULFA, which must be curtailed at this crucial juncture by the Central government."

"The activities of NSCN-IM, which has always been found involved in violent activities and extortions in the bordering districts of Assam and Nagaland viz N C Hills, Karbi Anglong, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar and Tinsukia district, also need to be checked by enforcing ceasefire ground rules effectively," Gogoi added.

Both the NSCN-K and NSCN-IM have been in ceasefire with government of India for over a decade now. The NSCN-IM has been holding on-and-off peace-talks with the government of India to find a solution to the vexed Naga insurgency problem, while there have not been any talks between the NSCN-K and the Centre yet.

The NSCN-K led by S S Khaplang, a Burmese Naga, has a strong base in Myanmar, where it allows many rebel North East groups, including the ULFA, to set up bases.

Meanwhile, about the chances of holding talks with the banned ULFA in near future, Gogoi said the fugitive commander-in-chief of the banned outfit, Paresh Baruah, is out to derail chances of any peace process taking place in the wake of arrests of most of the top leaders of the outfit recently.

Gogoi said, "Paresh Baruah, who has reportedly shifted his base from Bangladesh to Myanmar with a handful of his supporters, is trying to regroup and derail the peace process, which seems to be in the offing with the arrest of most of the top leaders of ULFA."

He underlined the need for gearing up vigil along the Indo-Myanmar border by advancing the border outposts manned by the Assam Rifles closer to the Indo-Myanmar border, so that extremist and anti-national elements cannot sneak into Assam through Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur to launch recruitment drives and other terror strikes.

Gogoi termed the anti-talks faction of National Democratic Front of Bodoland led by fugitive chairman Ranjan Daimary, who is believed to be hiding in Bangladesh, was a danger to peace in Assam.

He stated that the anti-talk faction of the NDFB were in touch with anti-India forces to procure arms and other logistical support, and in return, the outfit was helping those forces inimical to India to have footholds in Arunachal Pradesh areas close to Assam boundary to carry out covert activities.