Vultures Eye of China on Northeast Bharat - I

Jagdamba Mall *

Beijing is using militant groups of the Northeast to extract information about the Bharatiya Army deployment in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Assam. China is also collecting the strategic classified informations from Sikkim too. This was revealed by Anthony Shing (49) alias Ningkhan Shimray, the foreign affairs head of NSCN (IM) to National Investigation Agency (NIA). He provided inputs regarding deployment of the Agni missiles in Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere in this strategic zone. NSCN (IM) leader Anthony Shing visited China six times in the last year, 2010.

Shing was deported from Thailand by Thai authorities on 27th September 2010 and later arrested by NIA same day on Nepal Air Port. The NSCN (IM) leader who is major weapons procurer from Thailand, China mostly from Yunan province and Cox bazar of Bangladesh for not only the Naga rebel outfits but also for other rebel groups in the Northeast, was the outfits major China contact.

Given the fact that Muivah is engaged in talks with Delhi it is obvious that secrets would have been leaked with his prior approval. There is evidence, however, that NSCN (IM) is keeping the door open in case the negotiations fail with the Centre and its cadres may have to return to the jungles.

Chinese intelligence agencies are known to be cultivating contacts like Shing of NSCN (IM) and Rajkumar Meghen alias Sanayaima, the chairman of United National Liberation Front (UNLF) of Manipur, using them to get more information on armed forces deployment, Oil installations, refineries, uranium reserves, valuable mineral reserves, air-ports, major cities, commercial hubs, national highways, major railway stations and railway lines etc.

Shing was the NSCN-IM's China point man and a major weapons procurer from Thailand, China and Cox bazar of Bangladesh for NSCN-IM and other northeast rebel groups. He owns bank accounts in Bangladesh and Thailand and was carrying Bangladeshi passport, NSCN (Khaplang) group also procures arms and ammunition from China. So does ULFA of Assam and UNLF of Manipur. UNLF Chief Rajkumar Meghen alias Sanayaima was arrested from Bihar in the first week of October last year.

Elusive Paresh Baruah, the Army Chief of Ulfa is shuttling between Yunan in China and locations in northwestern Myanmar. Surrendered Ulfa Chief Arbind Rajkhowa is engaged in peace dialogue with Centre without any prior condition while Paresh Baruah is opposed to it. He demands 'Sovereign' Assam. Ulfa has many commercial hubs and huge amounts in various bank accounts in Bangladesh which Paresh operates. Though Chitawan Hajarika is the Ulfa's commerce secretary, Paresh Baruah owns several hotels, cargo ships and arms smuggling business in Bangladesh. He operates bank accounts in Arab—Bangladesh Bank in Zinda bazar.

All Barakah Bank in Dhaka and Mortin account in Bangladesh. The transactions are still made in all these accounts by Paresh Baruah. He owns Surma International Hotel, Hotel Padam International, Hotel Kaiya International, Hotel Yamuna, Hotel Vasundhara and Hotel Jaking in Bangladesh which is a Paresh's flourishing business. Due to political change in Bangladesh, he monitors his business and illegal arms trade hiding in Yunan Province of China. He is converted to Islam and his Muslim wife helps him in business. Because of legal and illegal business running into Crores, Paresh is not willing to join the Peace talk.

Following the arrest of Anthony Shing of NSCN-IM and Rajkumar Meghen of UNLF of Manipur, another "contact" living on Sino-Indian border has been activated by Chinese authorities. This contact is also believed to be from Tangkhul Naga community and a strong man of NSCN-IM. He has married Chinese women.

The armoury being acquired from China by the insurgent groups is being smuggled through Thailand and Sino-Myanmar border to the northeastern States. The acquisition of arms is facilitated by the easy availability of weapons in the Sino-Myanmar border towns like Tengchong, Ruili and Yingjiang in Yunan province.

Fugitive Ulfa commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah is now the sole arms dealer in the northeast as because Anthony Shing of NSCN (IM) and Rajkumar Meghan of UNLF have been arrested and he gets his supplies for free from China's State-owned China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO). His existing clients are in Assam and Tripura. He has also been contacted by Maoists. Paresh Baruah is trying to take over the space of an arms dealer left vacant by the arrest of NSCN-IM's Anthony Shing.

While Anthony Shing was handling a bigger market and supplies from both NORINCO and Myanmar, Baruah has set up his market in areas closer to Bangladesh because of the close proximity to Bangladesh political leaders and its national security officials. Baruah has sold weapons to militant outfits like (i) All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) (ii) National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and (iii) National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). He has also been approached by Maoists.

China's arms link with ULFA became public in 2004 when two truckloads of consignment ordered by Baruah were seized at the Chittagong port in Bangladesh. The seized arms including assault rifles, RPG, T-85 sub-machine guns, grenades and ammunition having been originated from NORINCO.

Chinese spy Quing Wang, 39, was allowed to leave Bharat despite evidence that Beijing had tasked Northeast insurgents to supply information on Bharatvarsh's long range missile installations. Since early 2010, China has extended its NE militant link for beyond traditional ally NSCN-IM and was training several of these. In September 2010, Manipur's UNLF and its Chairman Rajkumar Meghen had been asked to spy for China. This apparently came out from an examination of the laptop of one Ningombam Dilip alias Ibochou, an UNLF leader arrested in Guwahati on 6th September, 2010.

This was around the time that top leaders from NSCN-IM, ULFA, UNLF and at least two other NE outfits attended a meeting in China's Guangzhou. Shortly before that Quing Wang had visited Bharatvarsh, travelled to Nagaland and met NSCN-IM leaders in its Hebron headquarters near Dimapur. She then repeated her visit in January 2011 and was caught in Dimapur on January 18. Instead of showing anger to China, Delhi spoke imploringly that she was not arrested and was let off within three days on 21st January. This was a total surrender to China and a disgrace to Bharatvarsh.

ULFA Chief Commander Paresh Baruah relocated to China's Yunan province in April 2009. A top Naga insurgent leader met a retired Chinese General – Lee, at a hotel in Kunming, Yunan in the first week of May 2009. A UNLF leader, Lancha, met Chinese officials at Ruili in Yunan in the middle of 2009. Beijing helped ULFA to establish a camp at Laiza in Myanmar's Kachin in March last year and advised it to relocate 100 cadres from Western to Eastern Kachin.

The NSCN (K), UNLF, PLA and several other Manipuri and Naga militant groups have opened bases and training camps in Northern Myanmar jungles with Chinese support. China's increased support for the rebels was apparently prompted by the change of Government in Dhaka. Whenever assistance from Bangladesh to the northeast rebels became difficult, Chinese stepped in to fill the gap. Since the Sheikh Hasina Govt is becoming increasingly intolerant of Bharatiya insurgents, their friendship with Beijing can only be expected to flourish.

UNLF Chief Raj Kumar Meghen alias Sanayaima, detained by Dhaka in October 2010 and handed over to Delhi in November has revealed that his Myanmar based aide, N Birjit was in regular touch with Chinese Embassy in Yangoon.

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on green house gas emissions has listed Arunachal Pradesh and J&K as separate countries along with Bharatvarsh. The 2010 report by FAO published in collaboration with International Dairy Foundation has been brought out to assess green house gas (GHG) emissions from dairy food chain. Both Arunachal Pradesh and J&K have been listed as part of East Asia and Arunachal has been spelt as "Arunashal". Aksai chin has been listed as an East Asian country.

The latest smart phone (iphone 4) launched by US based Apple in China contained maps showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of China. This is yet another attempt at painting a wrong picture on the territorial integrity of Arunachal Pradesh. Twice in the past two years Google showed the northeastern states including Arunachal Pradesh as part of China. This is a conspiracy by all these International technology giants including search engine Google.

In 2009, Google maps for Bharatvarsh marked areas of Arunachal Pradesh including its capital Itanagar and Tawang in China. The mountainous States of Arunachal Pradesh shares 1030 km unfenced border with China. The McMohan Line, an imaginary border known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) separates the Sino-Bharatiya border along Arunachal Pradesh. Bharatvarsh and China fought a bitter border war in 1962 with Chinese troops advancing deep into Arunachal Pradesh and inflicting heavy casualties on Bharatiya troops.

China has never recognized the 1914 McMohan Line and claims 90,000 sq km nearly whole Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh Govt has from time to time been warning Delhi about Chinese incursions. After 1962 China war, tension flared up in 1986 with Bharatiya and Chinese forces clashing in the Sumdorong Chu valley of Arunachal Pradesh.

Read Part II of this article here