NE militants defy deadline to dismantle Bhutan camps

GUWAHATI, Jan 2 — Despite expiry of the deadline on Monday night set by Bhutan Government for militant outfits ULFA and NDFB to close their camps on its soil, the banned outfits defied the diktat and only relocated a few camps, reports PTI. Official sources here said the extremists did not vacate any of their camps set up on the Bhutan hills along Assam, but had only relocated four United Liberation Front of Asom camps within that country’s territory. The sources attributed the failure of the insurgents to dismantle their camps in deference to King Jigme Singme Wanchuk’s orders to the mountain kingdom government “not taking any firm action for eviction them from its territory.” During the Bhutan Government’s talks with ULFA in June last, the ultras had agreed to close down four of their camps but did not do so despite the deadline expiry, the sources said. There were reports that in the wake of the deadline, the ULFA leadership had directed its cadres to consolidate their bases along the Assam-Arunachal border where both the ULFA and NDFB have set up camps in Tirap and Changlang areas with the help of NSCN-Khaplang faction.

The defiant NDFB, which also refused to abide by the king’s orders had about 15 camps operating in Kiopani and Kakaikhola areas of that country. The existence of ULFA and National Democratic Front of Bodoland camps in that country was causing serious concern for the Royal Government as reflected in the recent National Day address of the King. The King had told his people that “armed Assamese militants” who had refused to leave the country posed a serious security threat to the Himlayan kingdom. If the ultras closed down their camps as agreed, then his government would make efforts to peacefully resolve the crisis through dialogue, but if it failed to make a positive response the country would be left with the only option of sending its security forces to flush them out, he added.

The Bhutanese state-run newspaper Kuensel quoted the King as saying that an armed conflict with the insurgents would give rise to serious problems for the country with the threat of its vital installations and services being sabotaged. Besides, the King feared that his security forces, civil servants and businessmen could be targeted by the guerillas.

Kuensel also quoted the King as stating that in preparation for the armed conflict, over 80,000 people between Lhamoi Zingkha and Daipham would require to be evacuated and funds mobilised for looking after their well-being. As part of the Bhutanese Government’s repeated threat to use force against the militants, the country last year had over 3,000 Army personnel trained in counter-insurgency operations by Indian Army.