SOMEWHERE (Along) INDO-MYANMAR BORDER, April 9 – A number of militant outfits of this region have been taking shelters and imparting training inside hideouts in the Myanmar territory apart from transportation of sophisticated military equipment from the south east Asian countries into India’s porous north eastern states. This is despite the moves of the Myanmar military regime initiated for flushing out the North East underground militants’ from their camps inside the Myanmar territory with the killing of five activists of the banned NSCN (K) men along the Nagaland-Myanmar border last year, Myanmar military intelligence sources, here said.
The intelligence sources quoting General Khin Nyunt, the Chief of Military Intelligence , State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) of the Myanmar military regime, said, “Various numbers of India’s insurgent outfits have been operating inside Myanmar particularly in the western and north-eastern Myanmar under the Sagaing division (Myanmar) which is neighbouring the north-eastern States of India”.
However, the insurgent outfits of the region, except the Kuki National Army (KNA) have not launched any action against the Myanmar armies inside the Myanmar territory, the sources from across the border said. The existence of the KNA along the Indo-Myanmar border is a stumbling block in the pace of development between the bilateral trades between India and Myanmar which started since April 12, 1995 at Moreh, India’s gateway to the South East Asian countries. There are over 36 underground organisations operating in the India’s north-eastern states fighting for their causes.
In Manipur state alone, there are 21 underground outfits including the KNA. There are around 50,000 kuki population inside the western portion of Myanmar. Besides, some of the Kukis living inside Myanmar have formed the KNA and launched actions against the Myanmar armies at regular intervals. The KNA which is also launching its operations in the kuki inhabited areas of Manipur in particular and the north-eastern region in general has been demanding a separate homeland inside Myanmar in the past three decades.
“There were frequent gun battles between the Myanmar armies and Kuki rebels inside Myanmar particularly near Bokan village inside Myanmar which is adjacent to the Molcham village of Manipur in India”, the Myanmarese military intelligence sources said. Interestingly, the Myanmar armies has failed to contain the movements of the Kuki rebels inside Myanmar. The KNA has set afire the market complex of Namphalong in Myanmar which is a few yards away from Moreh gate number 2. The KNA has claimed responsibility of the incident which occurred on April 11, 1997.
The emergence of yet another Kuki underground organisation the United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF), has added to the problems of the Indian authorities along the Indo-Myanmar border. This newly formed Kuki outfit has close links with the NSCN (IM). The UKLF, in its first action this year blew a passenger bus to cinders as its owners failed to pay the extortion demands for plying the vehicle on the India’s National Highway-39 between Imphal and Moreh. This incident took place on January 16.
The KNA, UKLF and Kuki National Front, have been mainly operating in the southern part of Manipur particularly in Chandel and Churachandpur districts of Manipur bordering Myanmar on the south and Mizoram on the west. However, the Naga underground outfits – NSCN (IM), NSCN (K) and Naga National Council have mainly been launching its operations on the Indo-Myanmar border in the Nagaland sector in particular.The valley underground organisations of Manipur - like the powerful PLA, UNLF, KYKL, PREPAK, KCP etc. have also been taking shelters in the camps inside Myanmar.
All in all, General Maung Aye, the second-most powerful man in the military regime in Myanmar and vice-chairman of the SPDC who had visited and held discussion with the Indian leaders in the national capital said, “India and Myanmar would launch a joint operation against the NE militants’ outfits operating along the porous Indo-Myanmar border”. From this point of view, the insurgency movements along the Indo-Myanmar border would be curbed to a certain extent. But time will tell the fruits of the actions.