N-E militants get arms from Myanmar factory run by Chinese ex-officer: Intel

Security officials on Monday claimed that North-East insurgents are getting arms from an assault rifles factory set by a former Chinese Army official and a former Burmese communist party member.

The Indian intelligence agencies have collected details about the factory located at Pangwa in Kachin state, along the China-Myanmar border.

Sources said the insurgents are helped by ULFA chief Paresh Baruah and NSCN(K) leader S S Khaplang in getting the arms and ammunitions.

The factory was set up by former (Chinese) People's Liberation Army (PLA) Colonel Muk Yan Pau Huan along with former leader of Burmese Communist Party Tin Ying. According to sources, Ying has formed a new outfit called National Democratic Alliance in Kachin.

Security officials believe that the insurgents, who carried out the June 4 attack on Army personnel in Manipur, got the arms manufactured in this factory. Officials also said NSCN(K), which was one of the insurgent groups that carried out the attack, refused to renew the ceasefire agreement with the Centre following instructions from the PLA. “Two PLA officers were in touch with the insurgents. It was ULFA chief Baruah who convinced Khaplang to snap the ceasefire agreement,” a senior Home Ministry official said. Baruah told Khaplang that Chinese were willing to help them in their fight, he said.

The official said they had inputs as early as in January that NSCN(K) may not renew the agreement, which would mean that there would be more insurgent activities in the north-east. “We were getting signals that Khaplang was not willing to renew the agreement,” he said. Another official said Khaplang and Baruah often shuttle between Taga (Myanmar) and Ruili and Kunming - both in Yunnan province of China - and are in regular touch with Chinese officials.

The security establishment is also surprised why the Army could not respond properly to the attack in Chandel as there was enough “specific inputs” that there would be attacks following non-renewal of ceasefire agreement. “On June 3, a day before the attack, there were intelligence reports warning about possible attacks. The Multi Agency Centre (MAC) had shared it with all stakeholders,” the official said.

“Even if you assume that there was no input, the security personnel should have been alert, especially after the NSCN(K) walking out of the agreement. You don’t need specific input to be alert,” he said.