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| India-Pakistan |
| Assam: Militant outfit hangs it up |
| 2008-10-01 |
| Entire cadres of the militant United Liberation Front of Barak Valley (ULFBV) numbering 305, most of them belonging to the Reang tribe of southern Assam's Hailakandi and Karimganj districts, returned to the mainstream on Tuesday, ending their eight-year-old armed insurrection. The ULFBV was formed in 2001 and it raised an armed rebellion demanding the creation of a Zilla Parishad for the tribal communities in the Barak Valley, restoration of land to the tribal people and development of tribal-inhabited areas of the two districts. The Assam police said the aim of the outfit was to protect the Reang community from alleged "atrocities of the Mizos and Muslims." It received logistical support and training from the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah), Dima Halam Daogah, National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT). Some of the cadres received training in Nagaland, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The outfit had declared a unilateral ceasefire on June 7 last. Led by their president Panchram Apeto, the ULFBV cadres, in battle fatigues, laid down arms and ammunition before Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Excise and Border Areas Development Minister Gautom Roy, Principal Secretary (Home) Subhas Das, Director-General of Police R.N. Mathur and General Officer Commanding of 21 Mountain Division of the Army, Major General Chander Prakash. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 The DGP said the ULFBV was involved in 28 incidents of various acts of crime and violence and had kidnapped 42 people, all of whom had either been rescued by police and security forces or released by the outfit. Doesn't sound like they were very good at it. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-10-01 16:48 |