NORTHEAST IN NEW FLUX
…
By M. RAMARAO
NEW DELHI (Syndicate Features): The Supreme Court ruling returning the onus of proof of citizenship back to the person charged with being a foreigner has turned the clock back in Assam but it is not as if the situation in the North-East has returned to square one. In fact the visit of Myanmar Chief of General Staff General Thura Shwe to New Delhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's trip to Manipur indicate subtle changes in which the diverse insurgencies plaguing the region will be tackled.

True, the Prime Minister has dashed any hope of repeal of controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act. He has, however, conceded the need to make the nearly four decade old law humane and prevent atrocities in its application in the course of counter-insurgency operations. The committee set up to review the Act after the Manorama Devi killing by Assam Rifles personnel has given its report. The Home Ministry is expected to act on its recommendations and insert safety clauses to prevent misuse of the wide-ranging powers given to armed forces personnel in disturbed areas.

This promise is unlikely to assuage local sentiments or convince the Manipuri lady who is on hunger-strike demanding the repeal of the Act and who had to be taken to a hospital in New Delhi. So emotive is her condition that it has attracted the attention of the Iranian Nobel laureate to take up cudgels on her behalf.

There is no gainsaying the fact that security personnel empowered with sweeping powers as under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act should be extremely circumspect in using it. Because use of brute force runs counter to the concept of winning the hearts and minds of the local people, which is the bedrock of such programmes as "Sadhbhavana". If insensitivity results in the repeal of such laws it will severely hamper restoring peace and tranquillity. It is the social input which has a long-lasting effect and that is why the terrorists in Kashmir have tried to undercut it by threatening the families who have sent their children to schools set up by the armed forces.
In the North-east the situation is more complex given that there are several different insurgent groups frequently acting at cross-purposes. They have easy access to sophisticated weapons because of policies of encouragement followed by Bangladesh which also allows its territory to be used for training and sanctuary. Militants are also able to make use of Bhutan and Myanmar for mounting their attacks. All this calls for special diplomacy to secure the cooperation of these neighbours for ending cross border terrorism.

A couple of years ago Thimphu took the extremely brave step of launching operations to sweep the militant sanctuaries and training camps at the foothills close to North Bengal – Assam corridor. Unfortunately, while several hundred were killed or captured many members of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) had managed to escape into Bangladesh because of flaws in the deployment of Indian security forces on the border. This is another reason why it has become necessary to ask the Royal Government of Bhutan to conduct another operation against ULFA.

Of greater urgency is getting the military government in Yangon to execute a similar operation against terrorist/militant camps on its territory. A plethora of Indian insurgent groups have set up camps on its territory; many like the Nagas share ethnic and tribal affinities with villagers on its side. Indian has often sought and obtained Myanmar military assistance to clear out concentrations of Indian insurgents operating from there. However, Indian support for the release from house arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi has grated on Myanmar’s nerves.

This time, however, they did try to help by attacking some of the rebel camps but discovered that the weapons and firepower available with the ULFA, Naga and other insurgents was better than that available with the Myanmar army. So the junta has asked Delhi for military wherewithal to conduct sweeping operations on its territory. India has provided several truckloads of arms and munitions the Myanmar army but the requirement of certain specialised equipment like helicopter guns ships and sensors is beyond the ability of the Myanmar army to operate and hence may require more direct involvement of the Indian Army in the operations inside Myanmar.

In the long-term perspective India will have to do what it has done on the Indo-Pak border and the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir -- set up an electrified border fence -- along the India-Myanmar and the India-Bangladesh border to control the insurgencies. The fence itself would have to be patrolled day and night and, therefore, a road must also be laid along its entire length. Otherwise, as in Bangladesh earlier, it would prove to be inadequate.

The visit of Chief of General Staff General Thura Shwe Mann to India recently was intended to iron out the modalities of India-Myanmar operations against the northeast insurgents. There is some hesitation over ‘joint operations’ but there definitely is a requirement to share tactics so that Indian troops seal off the border particularly in the section where the elements of surprise and concentration of fire power can be used to decimate the militant hideouts.

Contiguous areas of the border are a dense jungle and mountainous terrain. India cannot afford the luxury of allowing the terrorists to slip out of the dragnet and from a "hammer-and-anvil" operation, which in military terminology means driving militants into ambushes laid out for them and eliminating them.

This time of particular interest is the ULFA which is again on its killing spree. It is also resorting to indiscriminate bombing attacks in crowded localities like markets. The talks between the government and the Ahom rebels have broken down; there is no prospect of resumption of the dialogue. The eminent citizens' initiative has collapsed because ULFA insisted on demanding sovereignty. While ULFA has bases in Bangladesh mostly, Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) has camps on both sides of the India- Myanmar border.

The other faction of the NSCN led by Isak Swu and T. Muivah has presented a blueprint of self-governance which cannot be acceptable to any Government in Delhi. However, a ceasefire is negotiated every six months and by and large it holds. Unless the Government demonstrates an ability to control its own territory (admittedly difficult given the dense forests) insurgent groups will always try to take advantage