ULFA faction of Paresh Barua changes name; State Maoists trained in Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh; Tension continued in Assam-Nagaland border; Asian Development Bank (ADB) calls for better North East India-South East Asia connectivity; National Democrat
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  • According to reports, the hardline faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has changed its name and now the outfit will be known as the ULFA (Independent). In a release e-mailed to the media on April 30, the hardline faction ULFA chairman Dr Abhijit Asom said that the central executive committee meeting of the organization was held from April 2 to 5 and the decision to rename the organization as ULFA(I) was taken in the meeting to maintain the distinct identity of the organization. The release said that the ULFA (I) would remain a revolutionary organization fighting for the Independence of Assam. On the issue of talks with the Government for political solution of the issues, the ULFA (I) chairman said that talks on the issue of sovereignty of Assam can be held in a third country in presence of representatives of the United Nations. 1

    In another development, according to reports, armed cadres of the Maoist rebels of Assam received training in handling of weapons in Jharkhand and jungles of Arunachal Pradesh and efforts are on by the rebels to spread their bases to other parts of the North East region. According to sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), though the threat to the security of the North East region by the Maoist rebels cannot be considered very serious, the threat should not be overlooked as setting up of armed wing proved that the Maoists have reasonably strong bases in the State. The Maoist rebels normally start establishing roots in any area by working among the people and the creation of armed wing is the last stage of their movement. 2

    According to reports, tension continued to simmer along Assam-Nagaland border following the April 17 incident in the border area in which three persons belonging to the tea tribes of Assam were injured after they were allegedly beaten up by suspected armed Naga miscreants. One of them reportedly suffered bullet injury. The All Assam Tea Tribes Students Association (AATTSA) has asked the authorities concerned to fulfil its demands to book the culprits responsible for the incident and pay compensation to the injured victims by May 5 failing which it has threatened to re-launch its agitation. Following this, the Border Peace Coordination Committee (Assam-Nagaland) has advised commuters not to use the Mariani-Nakachari-Amguri-Dhodar Ali route from May 6 onwards till such time the impasse is settled. 3

    In other developments, “Connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia,” a study interim report by the ADB and ADB Institute (ADBI), has noted that South and Southeast Asian economies have grown rapidly during an era of fragile world economic growth beset by risks. However, integration of trade and investment between the two sub-regions, while having made progress, has been relatively limited, hindered by various bottlenecks in trade infrastructure, residual trade barriers and insufficient regional cooperation. 4

    According to reports, police have arrested fifteen newly recruited cadres of the NDFB (Songbijit) faction from Assam-Nagaland border in Sivasagar district when they were on their way to Myanmar for arms training. The ASP Lamhao Donguel, in collaboration with a team of Namtola Police arrested the NDFB cadres from a night super bus on May 2 when they were moving from Kohima to Mon. Meanwhile, police have intensified operations against militant outfits along Assam-Nagaland border. 5

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