South Asia Terrorism Portal

Northeast: Insecure Border
Giriraj Bhattacharjee
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

On June 17, 2018, militants of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) laid an ambush near the Tenyak River on the outskirts of Aboi Town in the Mon District of Nagaland, along the India-Myanmar border, killing two Security Force personnel. The deceased were identified as Hawaldar Fateh Singh Negi (Assam Rifles) and Hongnga Konyak (164thBattalion, Territorial Army). Another six troopers were injured in the ambush. One of the injured personnel identified as Alom Hussain belonging to Assam Rifles (AR), succumbed to his injuries on June 18. The NSCN-K, however, claimed that six Indian soldiers were killed.

Claiming the ambush, an NSCN-Krelease said,

The Independent faction of United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) claimed that it was part of the ambush, along with NSCN-K, under "joint military command".

On May 25, 2018, a militant of the Isak-Muivah faction of NSCN (NSCN-IM), identified as Pangang Gangsa, was killed in an encounter near Nignu village in Longding District in Arunachal Pradesh, along the India-Myanmar border.

On March 6, 2018, a soldier of the Rajputana Rifles, identified as Sepoy Abhijit Mondal, was killed and another three were wounded in an explosion at L.Bongjoi village in Chandel District in Manipur, along India-Myanmar border. The United National Liberation Front (UNLF) claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to partial data compiled by the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), between January 1, 2006, and June 22, 2018, there were at least 805 fatalities, including 177 civilians, 149 SF personnel and 479 militants, in 12 Districts spread across the four north-eastern States [Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland] of India that shares borders with Myanmar. Three Manipur Districts were the worst affected: Chandel, accounting for 261 fatalities (56 civilians, 71 SF personnel and 134 militants); followed by Churachandpur, with 155 fatalities (51 civilians, 18 SF personnel and 86 militants); Ukhrul, with 134 fatalities (31 civilians, 36 SF personnel and 67 militants). The other border Districts which recorded fatalities included Tirap, 69 (3 civilians, 8 SF personnel and 58 militants); Tuensang, 47 (17 civilians and 30 militants); Mon, 46 (3 civilians, 9 SF personnel and 34 militants); Phek, 33 (5 civilians and 28 militants); Changlang, 20 (3 civilians, 3 SF personnel and 14 militants); Kiphire, 14 (1 civilian and 13 militants); Longding,10 (all militants);  Kamjong, 9 (2 civilians, 2 SF personnel and 5 militants); and Tengnoupal, 8 (6 civilians and 2 SF personnel). There are a total of 18 Districts along the India-Myanmar Border. The remaining six, Champhai, Serchhip, Lunglei, Lawngtlai, Saiha (all in Mizoram) andAnjaw (in Arunachal Pradesh), recorded no such fatalities over this period. Two of these 18 Districts, Kamjong and Tengnoupal, were created in December 2016, carved out from the Ukhrul and Chandel Districts of Manipur, respectively.

During this period (January 1, 2006, and June 22, 2018), these four north-eastern States have accounted for a total of 2,904 fatalities (791 Civilians, 235 Security Force, SF, personnel, and 1,878 militants). Thus, the 12 bordering Districts alone, out of a total of 56 Districts in these four States, accounted for 27.7 per cent of insurgency linked fatalities. During this period, the six insurgency affected north-eastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, and Mizoram) have accounted for 5,742 fatalities, with the 12 bordering districts accounting for 14 per cent of the total.

In the current year, these 12 bordering districts have accounted for 55 per cent of total fatalities in these four states (11 fatalities in 12 districts out of 20 fatalities in the four states). Seven of the insurgency affected north-eastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, and Mizoram) have recorded 36 fatalities in the current year. The 12 bordering districts thus account for 31 per cent of total fatalities in the region.

Even as the overall fatalities in the entire northeast have declined  and peace talks with various militant groups have progressed the active presence of some insurgent formations in this small pocket of militancy remains a worry. In 2017, during a security review meeting at the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), Mon District was specifically identified as one of the five contiguous Districts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland along the Indo-Myanmar border (Tirap, Changlang and Longding Districts of Arunachal; and Tuensang Districts of Nagaland) as the hub of the “last remaining militants” in the Northeast.

The major militant formation operating along India-Myanmar border are NSCN-K and ULFA-I, who claimed joint responsibility for the June 17, 2018, attack. It is useful to recall here thatthe then ‘chairman’ of NSCN-K, S. S. Khaplang, and Paresh Baruah, the leader of ULFA-I, had in April 17, 2015, formed the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFWESEA) with an aim to wage a ‘united and total struggle’. UNLFWESEA was led by Khaplang. After the death of Khaplang, the ‘founding chairman’ of NSCN-K, who died due to prolonged illness on June 9, 2017, Khango Konyak became the ‘chairman’ of the NSCN-K on June 22, 2017, and also the leader of the UNLFWESEA.

Notably, the second worst single attack targeting SFs, in terms of fatalities, in the entire northeast was carried out by the UNLFWESEA on June 4, 2015. Militants had ambushed a convoy of 46 troopers of the 6 Dogra Regiment of the Army at Moltuk in the Paralong area of the undivided Chandel District of Manipur and killed 18 Army personnel and injured another 11. The worst single attack had taken place on February 19, 1982, when a convoy carrying soldiers was ambushed by cadres of the undivided NSCN near Namthilok in the Ukhrul District of Manipur, and 20 troopers and one civilian contractor were killed. UNLFWESEA also carried out another two major attacks, not in the region (along India-Myanmar Border) specifically, but in the adjoining area of Tinsukia District (Assam), which shares a border with the Changlang District of Arunachal Pradesh:

January 22, 2017: Two Assam Rifles personnel were killed and several others injured when suspected militants attacked an Assam Rifles vehicle, escorting tourists, at Jagun on National Highway (NH)-315 in Tinsukia District. Later on the same day, SFs killed two unidentified militants reportedly involved in the ambush.

November 19, 2016: Three Army soldiers of 15 Kumaon Regiment were killed and four wounded in a joint ambush by ULFA-I and NSCN-Kat Pengeri in Tinsukia District.

Other constituents of UNLFWESEA include the Assam-based Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO) and I.K.Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS), now known as NDFB-Saoraigwra (NDFB-S);and the Manipur-based Coordination Committee (CorCom), a consortium of six Imphal Valley-based militant groups, The Assam-based People's Democratic Council of Karbi-Longri (PDCK) is the latest outfit to join the UNLFWESA in May 2018.

The last incident involving UNLFWESEA in the region (along India-Myanmar border), before June 17, 2018,was reported on November 26, 2016. At least five Army personnel deployed along the India-Myanmar border in Manipur sustained injuries when militants ambushed a patrol party in the Sajik Tampak area of Chandel District. The soldiers were reportedly patrolling in the interior areas of Chandel District located along the International Boundary (IB) when a remote controlled bomb detonated.

The grouping had failed to inflict any major damage in the region (along India-Myanmar border)since then because NSCN-K, the most prominent element in the grouping, had suffered a major loss in the death of its founding ‘chairman’ Khaplang. Assessing the adverse impact of this development on the outfit, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju had claimed on June 10, 2017,

The NSCN-K, under Khango Konyak, has been confirmed to have been involved in five incidents of killing in the region resulting in seven fatalities. The June 17, 2018, incident was the first major incident (involving three or more fatalities).

On March 14, 2018, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of India Parliament), stated,

Earlier, on March 8, 2018, a report titled Action Taken by Government on The Recommendations/Observations Contained in the Two Hundred Third Report on Border Security: Capacity Building and Institutions, submitted to the Rajya Sabha stated,

Presently, the 46 battalion-strong Assam Rifles defends the Indo-Myanmar border, but reportedly patrols only up to 500 meters from the zero line. A January 18, 2018, report states that MHA is considering the proposal of raising a 29-battalion strong India-Myanmar Border Force, comprising 25 battalions of the Assam Rifles and four battalions of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). ITBP will head the newly envisioned force.

The challenge of border management is enormously compounded by the prevailing Free Movement Regime, according to which people living within 16 kilometres on both sides of the border are allowed to cross over without any hindrance. This is intended to facilitate the free interaction of contiguous communities that share ethnic, historical and family ties. However, as UHM Rajnath Singh observed, the Free Movement Regime is “misused by militants and criminals who smuggle weapons, narcotics, contraband goods and Fake Indian Currency Notes.”

Crucially, the 1,643 kilometers long Indo-Myanmar border that runs through the four north-eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram needs urgent attention. According to a March 28, 2018, report, the Government of India (GoI) plans to enhance operational capability of SFs guarding the Indo-Myanmar border, and to address the connectivity issues by constructing helipads along the border. New Company Operating Bases (COBs) are reportedly being planned to be set up closer to the border. Indian Special Forces have periodically launched intelligence based preemptive operations against the militant formations operating along across the border, which remains porous, facilitating easy movement by militants.

Advancing an Unfinished Agenda  
S. Binodkumar Singh
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On June 13, 2018, the Sri Lankan Cabinet ratified the Office for Reparations Bill  to be enacted by Parliament for the payment of reparations to war-affected and missing persons. However, there was resistance within the Cabinet against the proposed reparation formula, which includes benefits to families of former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) combatants. The formula had been worked out by the Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Hindu Religious Affairs Minister D.M. Swaminathan. Minister of Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka opposed benefits being provided to families of ex-LTTE cadres.

A fresh Cabinet memorandum seeking grant of compensation to war-affected people including ex-LTTE combatants was submitted on June 19, 2018. However, the Cabinet withheld its approval for the compensation formula till the establishment of the reparation office after enacting necessary legislation, as Ranawaka again raised objections. Similarly, opposing the move to pay compensation to ex-LTTE combatants, Joint Opposition member Wimal Weerawansa on June 20, 2018, demanded,

Meanwhile, responding to Weerawansa, United National Party (UNP) Colombo District Member of Parliament (MP) Mujibur Rahuman on June 21, 2018, argued that the much debated Cabinet Paper submitted by Resettlement and Rehabilitation Minister D.M. Swaminathan seeking to grant compensation to war affected persons including ex-LTTE combatants consisted of some of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) Report  submitted on November 15, 2011, to the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Rahuman further said that ex-LTTE combatants were also citizens of this country and had a right to lead normal lives without any restriction or monitoring after completing the rehabilitation process.

The Office for Reparations is one of the four transitional justice mechanisms to address 'truth, reconciliation, accountability and non-recurrence' prescribed by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Resolution, co-sponsored by Sri Lanka on October 1, 2015. Of the four mechanisms, Sri Lanka operationalized the Office for Missing Persons (OMP) on March 13, 2018, a special office set up for determining the status of all persons who went 'missing' during the brutal civil war. The Office for Reparations is the second mechanism now expected to be set up. These will be followed by a 'truth-seeking commission' and a special court with independent counsel.

Earlier, reconfirming Sri Lanka's commitment to implementing the UNHRC Resolution, Mano Tittawella, Secretary of the Secretariat for Coordinating Reconciliation Mechanisms (SCRM), while addressing the International Conference on Reparation, "Moving from a Divided Past to a Shared Future", organized by the SCRM and International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Migration Agency, stated on February 22, 2018, "The conference follows the UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka and a Government decision to actively promote reconciliation, including a system of victim reparations, that will contribute to a lasting peace." This was the first such conference to be held in Sri Lanka since the conclusion of the Eelam War  on May 17, 2009.

The OMP was operationalized on March 13, 2018. In its first outreach meeting held at the Mannar District Secretariat, which was attended by about 250 people, on May 12, 2018, OMP Chairman Saliya Peiris elaborated,

In the second OMP public meeting held at the Matara District Secretariat, attended by about 150 persons on May 19, 2018, Peiris disclosed that OMP would set up 12 regional offices in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Ampara, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Matara, Kurunegala, Moneragala and Kandy, in order to expand its services and to receive information and complaints about the missing persons. 

In the third session of consultations with families of the disappeared at the Mullaitivu Divisional Secretariat on June 2, 2018, OMP Commissioners held consultations in two sessions the first for families from Puthukuduyirripu and Maritime Pattu, and the second for families from Thunukkai, Manthai East, Weli Oya and Oddusudan. OMP met with civil society organizations as well. Several families raised concerns about the list of surrendered militants at the end of the war, which the Government had earlier promised to obtain from the security establishment.

To promote the Government’s reconciliation programme, a ‘Reconciliation Channel,’ a new Tamil language TV channel under the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) was launched on February 20, 2018, presided over by President Maithripala Sirisena. The Channel has programmes catering to Tamil speaking people and showcase items that reflect their religious, national and cultural identities. Separately, to improve the quality of education in Jaffna, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe announced on March 28, 2018, that a 10-year-plan will be implemented in Jaffna. The Prime Minister instructed Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam to take necessary measures to implement the 10-year-plan with the assistance of Northern Province Education to improve the quality of education in Jaffna District.

Meanwhile, to extend civil-military cooperation, in a meeting between Northern Province Chief Minister Canagasabapathy Viswalingam Wigneswaran and the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake at the Chief Minister's Office in Nallur, Jaffna District, on March 29, 2018, the Army offered its assistance to the Northern Province to resolve vital issues pertaining to development and the livelihood of the community. During the meeting, the Army Commander pointed out to the Chief Minister that the Army was capable of providing leadership for school cadetting programs if the provincial department of education sought such assistance. The Army Chief also offered his assistance to resolve issues relating to the fishing community. The Commander also emphasized that the Army's potential was available at all times for civil-military cooperation.

Further, to discuss the implementation of projects in the Northern Province, Minister of Finance and Mass Media Mangala Samaraweera, accompanied by Central Bank Governor Indrajit Coomaraswamy and Finance Secretary Dr. R.H.S. Samaratunga on March 30, 2018, met with the Chief Minister of the Northern Province, Canagasabapathy Viswalingam Wigneswaran. During discussions, the officials considered possible projects to best use the SLR one billion allocated for the five Districts in the Northern Province. The District Secretaries of the five Districts also participated in the discussion.

Significantly, to inspect the progress of development projects launched in the Northern Province, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe made a tour in the Northern Province on May 28, 2018. Participating in the progress review meeting at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat, the Premier emphasized that measures should be taken to increase economic production, aiming at improving the quality of life of the people. On June 14, 2018, the President's Media Division announced that a Presidential Task Force had been appointed to operate development programs in the North and East. Headed by President Maithripala Sirisena, the task force will be responsible for coordination and follow up of all development programs in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. The Prime Minister, Provincial Governors, Chief Secretaries of the two Provincial Councils, top military and Police officials and representatives of all relevant factions are included in the task force. 

Expressing satisfaction on the progress of Sri Lanka's reconciliation process and the measures taken by the Government, UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, concluding a three-day visit to Sri Lanka on March 11, 2018, commended the Parliament’s adoption of the Bill for the Protection Against Enforced Disappearances as an important element of the Sri Lankan Government’s commitment to its citizens. Feltman underscored the importance of accelerating the momentum on other initiatives, including those relating to the constitution, truth and reconciliation, reparations, and counter-terrorism, in line with the Government’s promise to strengthen the country’s democratic principles and practices. Meanwhile, making reference to Sri Lanka’s peace building efforts, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President Miroslav Lajcák on May 2, 2018, cited Sri Lanka as a successful example of how civil society could collaborate with the Government on peace building. He also cited an example of how Sri Lanka’s civil society made a contribution to the Government of Sri Lanka’s efforts on drafting a reconciliation and peace building programme for the country. In the meantime, on May 25, 2018, Peter Maurer, President of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), commended the efforts taken by Sri Lanka in post-war peace-building and reconciliation. Referring to various measures taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to address humanitarian aspects involved in peace building and reconciliation, Maurer noted the recent progress achieved in establishing and operationalizing the OMP.

The current National Unity Government, formed on August 20, 2015, has made remarkable efforts to press forward with the reconciliation process by reaching out to the Tamils and initiating constitutional and legal reforms. It has operatinalized the OMP to help find the missing persons of the war era. Challenges remain, of course, as some Ministers and Joint Opposition members contest the formula to pay compensation to ex-LTTE combatants through the Office for Reparations, but these are relatively marginal issues of conflict within an enveloping process of successful consensus building and rehabilitative response.