Tatmadaw, the Myanmar Army, on Friday handed over 22 ‘Most Wanted Militants’ to India.
Sources from Sagaing in Myanmar said 22 insurgents, mainly from Assam and Manipur, were handed over to Indian authorities at an undisclosed location on Friday.
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The insurgent leaders handed over by Myanmar included self-styled Home Minister of NDFB (S) Rajen Daimary, self-styled Captain Sanatomba Ningthoujam of UNLF and Lieutenant Pashuram Laishram of PREPAK (Pro).
The 22 insurgents were reportedly caught during the last few weeks in the Sagaing Division of Myanmar, the sources said.
Twelve of the 22 insurgents, who were handed over to Indian officials, were from four different insurgent groups in Manipur — UNLF, PREPAK (Pro), KYKL and the PLA.
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While six insurgents belonged to the NDFB (S) and four were members of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO).
This is for the first time; Myanmar Army handed over ‘Most Wanted Militants’ from Northeast India.
Almost all the insurgent outfits from Northeast India, including the ULFA, operate training camps in Upper Myanmar, especially in the Kachin Province.
The insurgents are being brought back by a special plane, the sources said, adding that the insurgents wanted in Manipur, will be handed over at Imphal.
At Guwahati, the Assam Police will take custody of the six NDFB (S) militants, and the KLO insurgents may be handed over to the West Bengal Police, the official said.
The handing over of the insurgents by Myanmar Army on Friday is part of the united operations carried out by India and Myanmar against the separatist outfits in Myanmar.
In February last year, the Myanmar Army had carried out a series of operations against the Indian insurgent outfits in Kachin, and had managed to destroy more than a dozen training camps.