Nov 20, 2010

Nagaland: A Transnational and State Terror  Hub

Commercial hub of Nagaland, Dimapur, has emerged as transit point for militant groups operating outside the state with the arrest of NDFB terrorists and those of the group being transported for training to Mon in Nagaland. Najib Basumatary, an NDFB cadre, had also recently come to Dimapur from Bangladesh for treatment.

The NSCN IM links abroad were also exposed when its leader Anthony Shing was remanded in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for probe into allegations of arms procurement to expand to Bangladesh and Thailand. “He probably has an account in the HSBC bank in Bangladesh and a major Thai bank,” a source said. Shing, who is also known as Ningkhan Shimray, is the “head of foreign affairs of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim”. The leader is reported to have travelled from Thailand to Nepal.

 According to an Indian Express online report of Oct 24, Shimray told the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that he had paid an advance of $ 800,000 this April to a Bangkok-based company to source rocket launchers, grenades, assault rifles and ammunition for the Naga and other insurgent groups in Assam and Manipur from a weapons supplier in China. The weapons were being supplied from Dalian in north China to the Naga group through either the Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh or through North Myanmar in Oct-Nov, 2010,

Transnational linkages of Naga insurgent group the NSCN IM have been well established, while these were primarily focused on Myanmar and Thailand so far revelations of linkages in China should be alarming for there were limited indications in the past of Chinese support to the militant groups in the North East. But the  Shimray case indicates the Chinese seem to have revived the links with terrorist groups in the North East with the main focus now being arms running. While NSCN IM has been in cease fire mode, it is continuing the criminal terror activities and has also been indulging in supporting other terror networks in the North East. The presence of Shimray in Patna would be indicative of a larger nexus supporting the Maoists in the state or with the Nepal Maoists as well therefore there is a need for greater vigilance on this front.

NOV 2010