Myanmar is restive. The People’s Defence Force, at the time of writing, seems to be gaining an upper hand in its battle against the Myanmar army.
The West are now in the East, as expected, to take forward an unruly war that India should have correctly ordained and taken the opportunity to make robust inroads of, and taken into an interior which would have taken her to the Pacific.
In any event, the “drone wars” about which this author had written in his earlier columns have paved way to real takeovers of townships and munition aspects that the military junta had hold over.
Severe clashes have been reported across northern Shan State in the last few days even as the Ta’ang National Liberation Army of the Brotherhood Alliance engages the Myanmar army in what is being reported to be a CIA backed Operation 1027.
The ethnic militias have forcefully attacked Myanmar army bases in Namtu, Kutkai and Kyaukme townships. But intelligence reports from Chiang Mai states that the Myanmar army has been committing atrocities on the local populace.
Even medium artillery is now being used to shell villages that have been used as tactical bases by the ethnic militias and the People’s Defence Force.
It is in this context that this column wishes to analyse the insurgency situation in the North East.
The Assam Rifles has to be commended on the exceptional work it has been doing in Manipur. The noble force’s intrepid Director General, Lt Gen. Pradeep Chandra Nair and his trusted Inspector Generals, Maj Gen. Vikas Lakhera, Rajan Sharawat, Brig. Swarn Singh and Brig. Vikram Singh have shown the world and the Indian nation what correct strategies can achieve.
The manner in which the United National Liberation Front (Pambei) was brought over ground showcases the resolve with which the Assam Rifles (led by the guiding hand of New Delhi) can act.
It is also important to note the exemplary action by Assam Rifles Col. Santosh Rawat of the Mon Battalion of the force. This author had accompanied the brave officer to Oting in Nagaland to understand the manner in which the Assam Rifles has salvaged the unfortunate incident and restored peace in what could have become a national outrage.
Col. Santosh Rawat recently very courageously foiled an attempt to abduct Atua Konyak and Tingkon Konyak from Yannyu village of Mon.
Rescuing the two from the clutches of NSCN-K Angmai’s faction on 16 December will continue to be a hearty feather in the cap of the gallant Assam Rifles of which Lt Gen. Pradeep Chandra Nair is the proud head of.
However, it has to independently comprehended that there are insurgent groups still at large in Myanmar.
There is the Group of Five (G-5) in three neat clusters of the Sagaing Division which comprises PLA (Manipur), PREPAK (Two Factions), KYKL and KCP. These groups, aided and abetted by Chinese masters, are trying to enter Manipur from Myanmar.
It has been learnt that even NSCN (IM) is trying to help them enter India via the Somra Tracts of Sagaing Division.
ULFA, which also has certain bases in Myanmar, is trying to flex its rusted muscles. Assam that welcomes the New Year of 2024 is not the Assam of 1984.
Forty years ago, there was uncertainty and a modicum of unrest as a result of a wayward group called ULFA attempting to derail the development process that Assam was poised for.
Assassination attempts, bomb explosions, abduction and extortion had marked the difficult years of the 1980s.
But the mantra of (a) concerted kinetic action (b) developmental initiative and (c) psychological imperatives that the State has endowed its practitioners won the day and banned insurgent groups such as ULFA were soon on the sidelines.
Today, ULFA struggles to survive in a civil strife torn Myanmar. The motley organisation’s leadership is in the hands of anti-India inimical powers such as Pakistan’s ISI and China’s Ministry of State Security.
Paresh Baruah, battle fatigued and wrecked with renal disease, limps uncontrollably in China’s Yunnan province. Intelligence source states that he is being chaperoned by a Chinese woman who the Chinese intelligence has foisted on him.
His own family continues to be in Bangladesh removed from the realities of Assam.
ULFA is a dead organisation. As aforesaid it is true that the organisation continues to have a few run-down camps in Myanmar.
But even these are skeletal and without any ideological or military will. Leaders of these camps such as Arunodoy Dohotia and Michael Deka Phukan are just surviving.
The apprehension of Self Styled “Captain” Vivek Axom (Codenamed Yankee-3) and his entire “Action Group” by 31Assam Rifles on December 27, the entire formation of which is led by Brig. Swarn Singh is yet another exemplary action by the Assam Rifles.
Vivek Axom is an “Operations Group” Commander out of ULFA’s Wakhtan camp in Myanmar.
