Rebel organisation Ulfa has moved lock, stock and barracks from Myanmar to Yunnan province of China, according to an affidavit submitted by the Centre to a Guwahati tribunal set up under the Unlawful Activities, as reported by the Times of India.
Paresh Barua, who is the chief of Ulfa(I), was believed to be based in Ruili, located in southern part of China near Myanmar border before the official disclosure. The outfit's operational base and training camps were known to be in Sagaing division of Myanmar, close to Indian border.
Assam government in a separate affidavit however said Myanmarese army's operations against Indian militant camps in Taka in January 2019, leaving Ulfa bases in a mess and several cadres deserting the outfit, it said.
A list of eight locations in Sagaing division were submitted by the state government where Ulfa(I) has set up its operational camps with the help of Naga outfit NSCN(K). According to the affidavit, Ulfa(I) was also planning to utilize IT expertise of some of its recruits for activities on the dark web, reported TOI.
The submissions by a representative each of the ministry of home affairs and the state home department were made before a tribunal headed by Justice Prasanta Kumar Deka of the Gauhati High Court. He was briefed to decide whether there were enough grounds to declare the outfit "unlawful" under the UA(P) Act.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a notification on November 2019, extending the declaration of Ulfa(I) as an unlawful outfit for five more years, citing activities "detrimental to the sovereignty and integrity of India." The tribunal has confirmed the notification last month.
