GUWAHATI, April 27 ? Though the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has not indulged in any major act of violence in recent past, the recruitment drive of the outfit is still on and according to intelligence reports, at least 300 youths have been recruited from different parts of the State within this month. Highly placed official sources told this correspondent that those who joined the ULFA in recent weeks included some educated youths including engineers and doctors, who were frusted at the lack of employment avenues in the State. According to intelligence inputs, the fresh recruits have been sent for training in the ULFA camps in Bhutan and Maynmar.
Sources said that the ULFA has been lying low for strategic reasons and the outfit is, in fact, regrouping. In recent months, a number of cadres of the outfit were either killed or apprehended in the counter insurgency operations, but the overall strength of the out fit has not been affected as the top leaders are still at large and the loss of lower level cadres can easily be filled up with fresh recruits, sources pointed out. Sources also said that the outfit has not faced shortage of funds and according to intelligence reports, even a few political leaders and prominent businessmen of the State are paying the outfit to buy peace.? It is apprehended that the ULFA is waiting for the frustration of the people to grow before making their presence felt,? sources added.
On the possibility of talks between the Government of India and the ULFA for a negotiated settlement of the problem, official sources said that so far no direct contact has been established for initiating talks with the outfit. Referring to the recent statements of the ULFA on the issue of talks sources pointed out that there was nothing new in the statements as the outfit has been repeating the same pre-conditions, knowing fully well that the Government of India was not in a position to accept the same.? The talks with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M) started after informal contacts and talks and the leaders of the NSCN never insisted on presence of observers from the United Nations during the talks. Moreover, no elected government can publicly offer to talk on the issue of sovereignty as demanded by the ULFA as a pre-condition.? sources added. Sources also pointed out that shifting of a few camps from Bhutan by the ULFA was a mere eyewash as the outfit still has its main bases in the Himalayan kingdom.