Intel Fears Huge Cache of Weapons Captured by Myanmar Rebels Can Reach Manipur

In restive Manipur, authorities have a new headache to deal with as intelligence officials fear that a massive cache of weapons seized by rebels in bordering Myanmar can find its way into the northeastern state. Reports ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi:Chin rebels of Myanmar have captured a huge number of sophisticated arms and ammunition from the fleeing Myanmar army soldiers, many of whom entered India recently, with Indian intelligence agencies fearing that the arms may find their way into the hands of different militant groups operating in restive Manipur.

“Proliferation of these arms and ammunition into the hands of different militant groups in Manipur would certainly create more trouble in the already volatile state,” a senior official privy to the intelligence inputs told ETV Bharat in New Delhi. The cache of arms and ammunition includes SLR, AK-47, Insas, and rocket launchers among others.

In the past two to three months, more than 200 Myanmar soldiers have entered India seeking safety from Myanmar rebels. Although they were sent back to Myanmar by the Assam Rifles, sources said that the rebel forces had already captured a cache of arms and ammunition from the Myanmar Junta (army). Since the fresh war started between Myanmar junta and ethnic rebel groups, the latter has gained in northern Shan State, as well as Karenni (Kayah), Chin, Karen and Rakhine states of Myanmar.

Strategically placed Chin, a state in western Myanmar, is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to the west and Manipur to the north.

“There is every possibility that the captured ammunition from the Myanmar army could be used in Manipur by different rebel groups,” the official said, adding, "On earlier occasions too, Manipur rebels used arms and ammunition imported from Myanmar in different terrorist acts in Manipur." Several northeastern insurgent outfits including many from Manipur and Nagaland have their bases in Myanmar.

The official said that an alert has already been issued to the Home Ministry as well as the central intelligence agencies in Manipur regarding the apprehension of arms finding their way to the militant groups.

Meanwhile, as many as 10 Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi-Hmar MLAs from Manipur wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah pressing for the re-imposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the valley. The MLAs said that on January 21, the Legislators of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly sans members from Kuki-Zomi–Hmar representatives, adopted the one-sided misconceived resolution which moves to abrogate the ongoing political discourse between the Suspension of Operation (SoO) Group and the State and Central Government.

“This partisan decision is nothing but a sinister ploy to demean and tarnish the image of the SoO groups,” the MLAs stated in their letter. The lawmakers further alleged that the continued presence and reinforcement of Meitei personnel among the State Commando Forces in the Kuki Zo border town of Moreh, and the proven embedding of suspected Meitei militias among the commando units is behind the violence in Moreh.

Stating that Assam Rifles and the Indian Army should be given full powers to recover the arms looted from the State Police and IRB, the MLAs claimed that the looting of arms continues in the conflict-ridden state.

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