Arunachal Pradesh Timeline - 2001

February 8

A new militant outfit Arunachal Dragon Force (ADF) has been launched in Arunachal Pradesh with the purported design of protecting the ethnic identity of the native Arunachalis from the growing threat of outside settlers. Reportedly, the ULFA and the NSCN-K have promoted the outfit.

Gegong Apang, former Chief Minister alleged that few Ministers and Members of the Legislative Assembly are harboring and abetting insurgency in the State by maintaining links with the militants of the NSCN-K and NSCN-IM in Tirap and Changlang Districts.

Two NSCN-IM camps were destroyed following a fierce gun battle. One of the camps reportedly housed a 'general headquarters' of the outfit in the Deoparbat forest of Tirap District. The encounter took place, after personnel of the Assam Rifles, acting on a tip-off, cordoned the area, where a group of 30 terrorists had taken shelter. Three militants and one trooper were injured in the exchange of fire. All the militants, however, managed to escape. According to official sources, the structures were in the final stages of completion for the outfit's 'Operation Salvation' launched in the State's Tirap and Changlang Districts.

Arunachal Pradesh has opposed the Union government's agreement with the NSCN-IM on extending the area of cease-fire to the Naga-inhabited areas of the State. It said, the move 'smelt of the Naga organisation's game plan for a greater Nagaland.

According to official sources, troops engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the State are likely to launch fresh operations along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border against ULFA and NDFB terrorists. Sources also stated that terrorist outfits have established a strong base in the area during the past couple of years, forcing the security forces to review their operations. Tirap and Changlang Districts of Arunachal Pradesh have also become a hotbed of the militant groups where they have set up camps in association with the NSCN-IM.

An internecine clash broke out between the NSCN-IM and NSCN-K at Lauding and Senua under Changlang District. Two NSCN-K cadres were killed and another was injured in the clashes. The causalities of the NSCN-IM have not yet been ascertained.

SFs recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition in a major search operation in Khonsa town, Kaimai and Khola villages of Tirap District. The cache included two M-21 rifles, one AK-56 rifle, one Draganov sniper rifle, one carbine, two 7.62 mm self-loading rifles, one .22 rifle, 30 rounds of AK-47 rifle, 598 rounds of .303 rifle, 40 rounds of 7.62 mm rifle, two 51 mm mortar shells and about 80 detonators.

Troops acting on a tip-off recovered a large cache of arm and ammunition at Kaimai area in Tirap District.

A resolution approved by the State Cabinet opposed the extension of cease-fire with NSCN-IM by the Union Government to the State of Arunachal Pradesh. It said 'Arunachal had never been part of the Naga political process. We are opposed to the extension of cease-fire outside Nagaland'.

The ULFA and the NDFB have procured a huge cache of arms and ammunition smuggled through the India-Myanmar border during the past couple of months (May-June 2001). The sources added that the Chin Liberation Army (CLA), a Myanmar based terrorist outfit, has supplied these weapons to ULFA and NDFB camps scattered in the Tirap and Changlang Districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Six CRPF personnel were killed and six others injured in an ambush, laid by suspected NSCN-IM militants, south of Khonsa in Tirap District. According to official sources, the dead and the injured were part of a SF patrol party.

Combing operation continued in Tirap and Changlang Districts to arrest NSCN-IM militants killed in the July 20 killing of six CRPF personnel in Pankeyang near Konsha in Tirap District.

Police in Arunachal Pradesh said that 12 militants of the Arunachal National Liberation Front (ANLF) were arrested from West Siang District. Four weapons and some incriminating documents were recovered from the arrested terrorists.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Mukut Mithi welcomed the Union Government's decision to confine the cease-fire with the NSCN-IM only to Nagaland. He added that the State would cooperate with the Union Government in its efforts to bring peace and prosperity to the region.

Oil India Limited (OIL), the premier oil-exploring agency has received an extortion notice of INR six million by the NSCN-IM. The Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the public sector enterprise, B. B. Sharma said in Duliajan, "This is the first time, since its inception in 1959, that the OIL has received a demand from an extremist organisation in the north-eastern region." Operations at the Khumsai oil well in Chanlang District of Arunachal Pradesh has been suspended since July 31 on the expiry of deadline of August 1 to pay up the demand.

The Naga Hoho, the apex council of Naga tribesmen, held a seven-hour 'consultative meeting' at Kohima. The meeting decided to raise the demand for the integration of all Naga-inhabited areas in the Northeast. The Naga Hoho also declared its support for the demand by the NSCN-IM for a cease-fire "without territorial limits". However, in an apparent criticism of the NSCN-IM's refusal to allow other Naga terrorist groups into a broad-based cease-fire agreement with the Union government, the Naga Hoho asked the various Naga terrorist groups to stop fratricidal killings and unite in the interest of the entire Naga community.

Besides the 150 delegates representing the Hohos or councils of the different Naga tribesmen spread over Nagaland, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, a large number of socio-political groups from Nagaland and Manipur also attended the meeting. These included representatives from the Naga People's Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Naga Mothers' Association (NMA), Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), Council of Naga Baptist Churches (CNBC), Naga Students' Federation (NSF) and United Naga Council, Manipur (UNC).

Police arrested 'commander-in-chief' Bamang Baki and four other cadres of a newly floated militant outfit, National Liberation Army of Arunachal Pradesh (NLAAP), from its hideout at Naharlagun in Papumpare District. Some arms, ammunition and incriminating documents were also recovered from the hideout.

Army personnel killed two NSCN-IM militants at Kennar village in Changlang District, five kilometers away from the from the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

Both the NSCN-K and NSCN-IM factions are shifting their areas of operation to Margherita sub-division of Tinsukia District in Assam. The two factions are being forced to shift from the adjoining Tirap and Changlang Districts of Arunachal Pradesh, due to intensification of counter-insurgency operations there. Margherita may soon become the new theatre of conflict between the two rival factions of the NSCN, especially over sharing of extortion resources.

Official sources disclosed that the ULFA has shifted three main camps from Kalikhola and Sandrup Jhonkhar areas of Bhutan to the Arunachal Pradesh border. The Royal Government of Bhutan has been applying pressure on various North east terrorist outfits like the ULFA, the NDFB and the Kamtapore Liberation Army (KLO) to remove their camps from Bhutanese territory. Earlier, there was an agreement between the ULFA and the government that the terrorist outfit from Assam would shift its camps from Bhutan by the end of this year (2001). The Indian government is also expected to renew its demand to expel North East terrorist outfits from Bhutan when Bhutanese Foreign Minister Jigmi Thinley comes to India on October 15 on a weeklong visit.

The Arunachal Pradesh Government called for action to curb the activities of a new tribal terrorist outfit that emerged in the State, the East India Liberation Front (EILF). The EILF was formerly known as the ADF and is currently operating in the eastern Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. According to police sources, the EILF wants an independent homeland for the Khamti tribe and draws its cadres from among the 40,000-strong Khamti tribe. At present, it has about 500 cadres.

Army personnel raided and destroyed a NSCN camp at Balan Gaon village near Miao in Arunachal Pradesh. Two hand grenades, large quantities of ration and medicines were seized during the raid.

The United Committee of Manipur (UCM), which had spearheaded the anti-Naga cease-fire extension stir in Manipur, has refuted the report that over 40,000 Nagas in Manipur had fled their homes. Recently, the Naga International Support Centre (NISC) based in Amsterdam had raised the issue of mass exodus of Nagas from Manipur valley during the anti-cease-fire extension protests in Manipur. These protests had been spearheaded by the UCM, to protest against the decision of the Union government to territorially extend its cease-fire with the NSCN-IM to Manipur, as well as Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

According to SF sources, the ULFA has carried out several specific reconnaissance missions in the States of Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, close to the international borders with Bangladesh and Myanmar, in search of locations to set up bases. In may be noted that the terrorist outfit is in the process of relocating its camps from Bhutan and is on the lookout for safe havens. The sources added that, during the past two months, the outfit has been visibly active in the Garo hills, Meghalaya, and the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh.

Assam Police seized a huge consignment of gelatine sticks and fuse wire rolls from a bus bound for Itanagar, at Chairduar in Sonitpur District of Assam. The consignment, it is suspected, was being clandestinely routed to the ULFA and the NSCN.

Official sources said three Arunachal Pradesh State Transport Corporation (APSTC) personnel, who were in the bus, were arrested. Meanwhile, media reports quoting intelligence sources added that they did not rule out the possibility that the explosives may have been meant for new a terrorist outfit, the Arunachal Dragon Force (ADF), which is allegedly being assisted by the ULFA and the NSCN-K. Sources further added that the ULFA and the NSCN-K were training the ADF at the Namsai camp in Chaglang District of Arunachal Pradesh.

An unidentified NSCN-IM militant was killed in an encounter at Kanubari. One M-21 rifle, 57 rounds of ammunition and two Chinese grenades were recovered from his possession at his hideout at Luaksim village near Kanubari in the Tirap District. Media reports have indicated that the Kanubari area is regarded as a regular haunt of the NSCN-K.

SF personnel killed a hardcore NSCN-IM militant at the Mintong village under Lauding Circle in Arunachal Pradesh. Two AK-56 rifles, a revolver and some live ammunition were also recovered from the deceased cadre.

The ULFA has shifted only two camps from Bhutan. Bhutan had asked ULFA to vacate its camp in that country by the year-end. The camps scattered in Samdrup Jonkhar of Bhutan were shifted during the last week to areas bordering Arunachal Pradesh, reports said. The NDFB reportedly runs 15 camps in Bhutan and is yet to vacate even a single camp. The NDFB is operating camps in Kiopani and Kalaikhola areas of Bhutan, reports said.

Reports also said both the groups have set up camps in the Changlang and Tirap areas of Arunachal Pradesh, with the help of NSCN-K faction, so as to enable them to easily slip into Myanmar.

Extortion by NSCN-IM and NSCN-K is continuing unabated in Tirap and Changlang Districts. According to the report, annually 25 per cent of the gross salary twice a year has been fixed by both the factions as its share from each of the Government employees and the business community depending upon the salary and income. However, SF personnel are reportedly exempted from this system.