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ISI is training NSCN guerrillas

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

Insurgents of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah group) are being trained at two camps in Pakistan. During the cease-fire in Nagaland, about 200 of them passed out from these camps, according to Indian intelligence inputs. At present, about 60 of them are undergoing training in the camps supervised by the Inter-Services Intelligence, sources disclosed.

NSCN (I-M), general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah was arrested on January 19 in Bangkok when he was returning from Karachi after reportedly holding meetings with ISI officials and shopping for arms.

In fact, there is a growing feeling in the Indian establishment that the prolonged cease-fire between the Union government and the NSCN (I-M) group may have been exploited by the latter to regroup and get its leaders out of Indian jails.

Sources said seven of the 11 ministers of the NSCN (I-M) 'government-in-exile', who were in jail before the cease-fire, are free today.

The cease-fire came into effect in August 1997 and would end in July 31 this year.

Investigations carried out by Indian intelligence agencies post-Muivah arrest and his being sentenced to a year's jail term have revealed that the NSCN (IM) was receiving extensive support from Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence.

At two camps in Pakistan, one on the outskirts of Islamabad and the other near Afghan border, the NSCN (IM) cadres are being trained, it has been now established.

The growing influence of ISI over NSCN and the indiscreet contact the outlawed leadership has with Pakistan has outraged many in the government.

Sources also said that the NSCN has about 50 of its strong supporters in Thailand. Most of them operate front companies - mainly in travel and tourism, real estate and toys. The NSCN also has a large number of bank accounts in Thailand, Bangladesh and Burma.

The government officially maintains that the peace talks between the prime minister's key negotiator K Padmanabhiah and the NSCN leadership would continue. But they are unable to pinpoint the leader whom they would engage in talks after Muivah's arrest.

The second rung leadership of NSCN is a deeply divided house. Shimre, the blue-eyed boy of Muivah, is not particularly popular with the cadres. Hangshi Thangkul, the present commander-in-chief of the NSCN Army, is a key contender for the top post.

Brig Atem, the hugely popular former NSCN army chief, who is presently the finance minister, is not a favourite of Muivah. In fact, Muivah has been trying to sideline him.

Crisis gripped the NSCN-government peace talks after Muivah was arrested along with a key associate at Bangkok airport while they were travelling from Karachi.

An immigration court in Songkhla in south Thailand sentenced Muivah to a one-year prison term for violating country's immigration laws and attempting to flee during his bail period.

Muivah will now also face another trial for entering Thailand with a fake passport.

The court in Songkhla sentenced him to a year's jail term and forfeited 200,000 Baht that he had deposited as bail.

Muivah had landed in Bangkok on January 19 after travelling on a fake passport from Karachi in the name Hwan Soochin. He was granted bail by a local court, but was not supposed to travel out of the country. He was kept at Hotel Basili near Bangkok International airport with two security guards to keep a watch on him.

On 28 of January he pretended to be ill and went to a hospital. From there he disappeared.

Muivah later appeared at Hatyai, an airport in South Thailand with yet another fake passport. He was nabbed at the airport and produced before the Songkhla court which sentenced him to a one-year prison term.

Thailand has been carrying out a crackdown on the Myanmar rebels who have carried out two hostage operations in that country in the recent times. It is known that NSCN (IM) has links with the Myanmar rebels.

The NSCN (IM) had asked the government to reschedule the next round of peace talks, originally scheduled to be held on January 29 and 30 in Paris. The talks were postponed to February 3 in Bangkok. This was supposed to be the third round of talks between the NSCN (IM) and te Indian government after the BJP-led government came to power.

The cease-fire was declared in August 1997, but there have been disputes between the two sides over several issues including the area covered under it. Centre insists that the cease-fire covers only Nagaland, while NSCN (IM) demands that it cover all areas where Nagas live in the North-East. The Centre's decision to appoint Padmanabhiah in place of the original negotiator, Swaraj Kaushal, husband of BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, has not gone down well with the NSCN.

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