HALFLONG: The outlawed Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) has of Iate Stepped up its activities in the North Cachar Hills district of Assam cleating panic among tribals and tribals living in the area.

 A number of ransom letters Signed by Haningsten second lieutenant of the Naga army have been received by various officials as well as businessmen in the Haflong town pictures head quarter of North Cachar the police Say that so far at least 10 government Officials have secured in transfers following the receipt of the ransom letters.

Three wealthy businessmen Haflong Mr. Harbhajan Singh owner of an electronic goods shop Mr. Debilal Pande contractor and also said to have fled lowing the NSCN demand for hefty donations.

But the poor tribals of the area have nowhere to go and they continue bear the brunt of the rebel cities as well as the operation inched against the underground the security forces.

The Kuki tribals are the worst sufferers of the NSCN guerilla have been attacking them much the same fashion as in Manipur Nagaland. In the third week of May. Six Kuki males were slaught by NSCN men at Malkhung age. Even though the maraud were equipped with firearms chose to execute the Kukis by hacking.

North Cachar Hills has borders With four States and is close to Bangladesh These factors lend Strategic importance to the area and the Naga guerillas use the dense forest here as a corridor for reacting their Bangladesh hideouts. They set off from Nagaland and Manipur both of which have borders with the N.C. Hills and Sneak into Meghalaya Cachar district of Assam or north Mizoram for reaching Bangladesh. They also come to the N C Hills whenever Counter-insurgency operations are intensified in Nagaland and Manipur.

A combined offensive has been launched against the NSCN in North Cachar Hills by the police BSF and the Assam Rifles although the operations are yet to yield any result. An operational commander at NC Hills said villagers were not yet forthcoming with information about the movements of Naga rebels out of fear.

Sources however denied the presence of Kuki Liberation Amy (KLA) guerillas in the area although Kuki tribals are frantically trying to gather arms to protect themselves against Naga attacks. On June 24 an Assam Rifles patrol was fired upon by the Kukis and in the ensuring shootout one Jawan and two Kukis were injured while seven muzzle-loading gun was recovered from the Kukis. Later the Kukis claimed that they had mistaken the Assam Rifles Jawans for NSCN guerillas.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 8, 1994