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safe passage to myanmar-a plan



Guwahati, July 7  
A thought ? attributed to the Union home ministry ?
that it would consider giving ?safe passage? to the
Ulfa through the country if the outfit evacuates
Bhutan and shifts to Myanmar ? can probably be laughed
away at this moment. 
Such a suggestion of ?safe passage? for the proscribed
rebel outfit is meaningless at this juncture as,
unlike in Nagaland, there are no reports of any
negotiations being held with the Ulfa at any level.
Or, is it that Delhi has indeed succeeded in breaking
the ice with the Ulfa at some level, prompting it to
contemplate offering ?safe passage? to its cadres on
their journey from Bhutan to Myanmar via Arunachal
Pradesh? 

If ?safe passage? is actually offered to the Ulfa, the
journey from Bhutan to Myanmar would entail leaving
the Himalayan kingdom from its eastern fringes, then
travelling from west to east Arunachal Pradesh before
finally reaching North Myanmar. 

The Ulfa has repeatedly denied the existence of any
channel of communication with the Assam government or
the Centre. 

However, the state government, particularly chief
minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, insists that the
Centre has established contact with a section of the
rebels. 

But G.K. Pillai, joint secretary (Northeast) in the
ministry of home affairs, categorically stated here
last week that ?although the Centre had sent feelers
to the Ulfa, it is yet to respond.? 

Until and unless there is a loud and clear message
from the Ulfa that it is inclined to hold a dialogue,
a ?safe passage? into Myanmar will essentially mean
allowing the militants to move from one safe haven to
another without any obstacles in their way. 

The issue of the Ulfa vacating Bhutan after taking
shelter in the jungles and mountains of the Himalayan
kingdom for years together appears to stem from the
reported ?quit notices? the Bhutanese government has
served on the outfit. Sending signals to the Ulfa that
its cadres will not be allowed an unhindered journey
in the event of their migration from Bhutan may force
the outfit to finally consider taking up the Centre?s
proposal for a negotiated settlement. 

The possibility of the Centre thinking that shifting
to Myanmar would rob the Ulfa of the operational
advantage it enjoys from Bhutan also cannot be ruled
out. 

However, Myanmar is not new territory to the Ulfa as
its cadres have long been taking shelter in camps set
up in that country by the Khaplang faction of the
National Socialist Council of Nagaland. 

As far as operational advantage is concerned, Myanmar
is more suited to the Naga rebels because their area
of operation is not the same as that of the Ulfa.     
(teleglaph)


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