Hasina’s return frustrates ULFA
Samir Purkayastha, bdnews24.com, Kolkata
Published: 2014-01-17 09:44:59.0 BdST Updated: 2014-01-17 09:44:59.0 BdST
Awami League-led government’s return to power in Dhaka has frustrated the northeast Indian separatist group, ULFA.
Leaders of its anti-talks faction like Paresh Barua were hoping to stage a comeback in Bangladesh if there was a change of guard but with Sheikh Hasina back in power, they seem frustrated.
Surrendered rebels have given such indication to authorities.
Indian intelligence officials told bdnews24.com that anti-talks faction of the Ulfa led by Paresh Barua, which is now holed up in its jungle bases in the Sagaing division of Myanmar, is finding it difficult to keep up the morale of its cadres.
Many of its fighters are surrendering.
“Life in the jungles of Myanmar is tough unlike in Bangladesh where Ulfa cadres not only had a comfortable life, but they could amass wealth by involving in business and other activities,” said an army intelligence official.
Moreover, he said, Ulfa was also finding difficult to operate from jungles of Myanmar and that is causing further desertion and infighting.
A top commander of the outfit Partha Gogoi, was executed on Wednesday in Nagaland's Mon district bordering Myanmar on Paresh Barua’s orders.
Gogoi was allegedly "conspiring with police and security forces to engineer a mass surrender of cadres".
In a statement, Ulfa’s assistant publicity secretary Arunodoy Asom said Gogoi, the operation head of the eastern command of the outfit, was about to surrender before police on January 26 along with many other fighters.
The statement said he was executed for conspiracy against the outfit, luring members with huge amount of money to lay down arms and for passing on information and maps about the locations of various camps to police.
Ulfa also accused Gogoi of planning a strike on one of its camps on January 16.
Intelligence sources claimed Partha was killed by fellow-cadres, who were camping with him in Mon district, following instructions from Paresh Barua.
In November last year, seven Ulfa cadres were executed for trying to flee outfit’s Mynamar base and surrender before police in Indian state of Assam.
Two others in the group, who managed to make it to India, surrendered to police on November 20 last year.
Several of Paresh Barua’s comrades have joined peace talks with Indian government after Sheikh Hasina's government had sent them packing from Bangladesh.
But Barua managed to escape to Myanmar from where he continues to run his subversive activities to push for his demand of a “sovereign Assam.”
A court in Chittagong will on Jan 30 come up with a judgment on the 2004 Chittagong arms haul in which Paresh Barua is implicated.
So with Hasina back in power, it is risky for him to try and return to Bangladesh.
Indian intelligence says he is holed up in Tenchong on the Sino-Burmese border not far from the Chinese border town of Ruili.
Officials say he is involved in smuggling of weapons, but after the pushout from Bangladesh, even that has suffered.
Hasina’s return frustrates Ulfa -
bdnews24.com
While Afghanistan doesn't recognises Durand line. Only yesterday Balochistan CM was crying about so called atrocities of Iranian border guards on the border.
