India concerned over China's links with North East UGs
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Guwahati, January 30, 2011:
Growing links between UG outfits with China has started ringing alarm bells in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), as in recent times China has started taking keen interest in the activities of the insurgent groups in the region.
The Chinese interest came out in the open once again after Wang Qing, a 39-year old woman from China was detained and questioned by security agencies.
Highly placed sources in the MHA said that Qing, who visited Nagaland posing as a journalist was detained in Dimapur and was later shifted to Delhi for questioning.
Sources said that the lady was on a mission to assess the strength of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M), including the cadre strength and the mass base of the outfit.
India has informed China of her activities and she was deported to China.
"India did not want to create bad blood with China by arresting Qing but India's concern over such activities was informed to the Chinese authorities," sources added.
MHA sources said that majority of the active UG groups of the North East now want to solve their problems through talks and the changed situation in Bangladesh has also added to the problems of the insurgent groups.
Under the circumstances, links with China would be beneficial for both as the UGs need foreign help, directly or indirectly, while, on the other hand, it is always beneficial for China if trouble in the region continues.
The questioning of Qing also revealed some vital information about the links of the insurgents with China and it is now clear that the UGs are in touch with the Public Security Bureau of China.
Sources revealed that at one point of time, the UG groups not only received shelter in Bangladesh, but also received other assistance including Bangladeshi passports from the authorities of Bangladesh.
But the changed situation in Bangladesh forced the insurgets to turn to China.
It is a fact that the links with the UGs with China was not new and way back in the early 1970s, the NNC received help from China, while, other UG groups also received help.
But the situation started changing after the then External Affairs Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visited China in 1978 and the relation between India and China further improved after the visit of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.But of late, China has started taking interest in the activities of the insurgent groups.
However, before providing direct or indirect help to anyone, China always sends its own people to carry out surveys of ground realities discreetly.
Sources said that the NSCN-IM is suspected to be involved in illegal trading of weapons and one senior leader of the outfit, Anthony Shimrey was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged involvement in gun running.
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