Surrendered ULFA (I) leader says Paresh Baruah in China, Myanmar camps in decline
Recently surrendered ULFA(I) leader Arunodoi Dohotia disclosed that the ULFA chief is not in Myanmar camps, which are reeling from drone attacks and low morale
A file image of ULFA (I) chief Paresh Baruah
Guwahati, Dec 10: The chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) is still in China, and he has not visited the camps of the outfit in Myanmar for the last ten years. This was disclosed by top ULFA(I) leader Arunodoi Dohotia alias Arunodoi Asom, who surrendered recently.
Senior police officers told The Assam Tribune that after the surrender of Dohotia, police and security forces came to know the details of the condition of the camps of ULFA(I) in Myanmar.
After the recent drone attacks in the camps of the outfit, even the Naga militant groups are apprehensive of giving shelter to ULFA(I) militants in their camps. The Naga rebel groups are now apprehensive that maintaining close ties would put them in trouble.
Dohotia surrendered because of several reasons. First reason is that he has realised the fact that the cat and mouse run with the security forces has no future, and the morale of the cadres of the outfit is down after the drone attacks in the camps of the outfit.
Moreover, most of the new recruits of the outfit have no knowledge about the ideology of ULFA(I) and are not well educated. Earlier, recruits had to attend political classes, but such classes have not been held for years.
Paresh Baruah is staying away from the other leaders and cadres. He has not visited the Myanmar camps for more than a decade, and Dohotia himself has not met Baruah for years.
There was some trust deficit between the two as the recent attack in Kakopathar Army camp was masterminded by Baruah without taking Dohotia into confidence.
Police sources told The Assam Tribune that Dohotia’s wife and two children are still in Myanmar, as he could not bring them while surrendering. He could only come out with one bodyguard.
Dohotia told the police that after the drone attacks in their camps, many cadres of the outfit are keen on surrendering, but they have not been able to come out of their bases in Myanmar. The camps in Myanmar are now under the senior leader of the outfit, Michael Deka Phukan.