[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index
][Thread Index
]
Forces on alert along border with M
Subject: Forces on alert along border with Myanmar (The Hindu, 3/2/97)
Forces on alert along border with Myanmar
The Hindu (New Delhi), 3/2/97.
IMPHAL, Feb. 2. The international border along Manipur, Nagaland and
Mizoram has been sealed and the BSF and other Central forces were kept on
red alert today to check the movement of insurgent in general and
infiltration of Myanmarese in particular, highly-placed sources said on
Friday.
Anticipating a major operation by Bangladesh following agreement with
India the insurgents who have been bivouacking in Bangladesh have
reportedly started migrating towards unpoliced jungles of Myanmar.
On the other hand, there was a fear psychosis among the students,
pro-democracy workers and members of the National League for Democracy
(NLD) following incarceration of some of them by the military rulers of
Myanmar on the charge of instigating the students' upheaval two months
back. More and more members are hounded and then sent to jail after a
perfunctory trial,
The military rulers accused of forced labour, not sparing even minor
children, trampling of human rights, repression of democratic movement
and selling of Young boys and girls to brothels. have turned their wrath
on the students and pro-democracy leaders,
In the past, many student leaders had come to Manipur and stayed in the
refugee camps set up here with the financial assistance from the Centre,
Indications are that India will no longer be welcoming such elements
since their presence here would strain bilateral relations. The
Northeast insurgents who were migrating from Bangladesh to Myanmar were
pinching weapons, money and the like. Official reports said such a
migrating group had raided the police station at Khuzuma in Nagaland
bordering Manipur on Thursday. The 50-odd insurgents did not fire a
single shot since there was no resistance from the terrified policemen.
The insurgents escaped within minutes with one light machine gun, six
bolt rifles, 12 hand grenades, 12 detonators, two wireless sets and a
large quantity of ammunition.
Intelligence sources believe that the insurgents will be going towards
Myanmar and as such all escape routes have been blocked. It was also
feared in some circles that most of the insurgents had come towards, the
NE region after leaving their huge cache of arms and ammunition stashed
somewhere since they had plans to return to their camps in Bangladesh
once the dust settles down or there was a change of the political climate
there.
As a result the unarmed insurgents have been converging at Moren(h), the
smugglers' border town in small numbers for crossing the international
border by masquerading as common traders. The police and the Central
forces in these three States were on as it was felt that more weapons may
be snatched by the insurgents to fend themselves while they were moving
around to dodge the onslaught by the Bangladeshi Government.
---END---