PLA imparts bomb training to ULFA hawks
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 17, 2012: Jolting Assam Government's bid to tame the Paresh Baruah-led ULFA hardliners, the banned People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been providing training to cadres of the anti-talk faction of the outfit on assembling and handling powerful explosives.

Sources said PLA extended its support with the vision to strengthen the military and organizational set up of the anti-talk faction of ULFA after its (former) chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and a large number of followers parted ways to hold peace talks with New Delhi.

A group of Manipuri rebels formed PLA on September 25, 1978.These militants led by late N Bisheshor had received guerilla training in Lhasa in China-Tibet three years earlier.

PLA is the armed wing of the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) and it has close ties with ULFA since the formation of the latter.

As a footballer, Paresh visited Imphal in the late seventies to participate in the 'CC Meet', the biggest football tournament of the State. During his Manipur stint Paresh met PLA leaders and when he went back to Assam, ULFA was born, the sources said and added that two Assamese, who had joined PLA, died in different incidents in Imphal valley in 1980. PLA's 'special warfare group' recently imparted a one-month explosive handling and assembling and guerilla training to a group of ULFA hardliners (anti-talk group) at the PLA-ULFA neighborhood camp, the sources said adding that another training session would also be held soon.

After Rajkhowa and his men began the peace process with the Government, Paresh revamped the group and recruited around 1,000 new cadres.

Besides the anti-talk ULFA faction, PLA has also played a key role in strengthening the CPI (Maoists) after the two groups signed a joint declaration in October 2008. As per the agreement, the two sides agreed to extend full morale and political support to each other "in the liberation struggle to overthrow the common enemy, the reactionary and oppressive regime in New Delhi".

Since then PLA has given communication and,arms and guerilla warfare tactics training to the Maoist in two-phases , the sources said.

PLA also extends unstinted support to strengthen the Khaplang faction of the NSCN, the sources said while revealing that the party had also supplied sophisticated weapons at minimal price to NSCN (K) and other outfits operating in Manipur.

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