Ultra leaders China visits worry Centre Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, Nov 2 Increase in frequency of visits of leaders of the militant outfits to China is causing concern to the Government of India as no one is sure whether the militants are receiving any help from Chinese Government agencies. Highly placed security sources said that according to intelligence inputs, the commander in chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Paresh Baruah is believed to spend most of his time in the Yunan province of China and he also frequently visits. Thailand. Baruah is not in a position to stay in Bangladesh after the Government of the neighbouring country named him in the FIR relating to the arms haul case of 2004. With former army officers including a major general and a brigadier arrested in connection with the case, Baruah may also be arrested if he visits Bangladesh.
Moreover, senior members of the NSCN(I-M) are also visiting China. Sources said that India has definite information about NSCN chairman Issac Swu visiting China in June, while, another senior leader of the outfit Anthony Shimrey also visited the country on several occasions in the recent past. Sources said that with the NSCN under cease-fire agreement with the Government of India for the past ten years, there should not have been any reason for the leaders of the outfit to visit China at this moment.
Sources said that though it is a well established fact that most of the militant groups of North East including ULFA procure arms and ammunition from the clandestine dealers of China and Thailand, it is still not known whether they receive any help directly from the Government agencies of those countries. Sources said that the possibilities of the militants receiving direct or indirect help from the middle or lower level officials of Chinese agencies cannot be ruled out.
It may be mentioned here that the ULFA had contacts in China right from its formation. According to police records, immediately after formation of the outfit, a team of the ULFA visited China to seek help from Chinese agencies and Paresh Baruah also stayed in China for training for a long time. Baruah maintained his connections in China all throughout and it is believed that he still has good contacts in China, particularly in the Yunan province. Sources said that at the initial stage, several batches of ULFA men received training in China and the outfit also received help in running some of the training programmes in Myanmar.
