Source: Hueiyen News Service
Guwahati, September 23, 2009:
There's no business like extortion-driven militancy in the Northeast.
The reported birth of a new outfit in the North Cachar Hills dis trict of Assam, coinciding with the process of surrender of a dreaded tribal out fit, makes this apparent.
Earlier this month, 373 of some 450 members of Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) out fit deposited their weapons and moved to designated camps, It raised hopes of peace returning to ethnical ly volatile NC Hills, but the reported emergence of another tribal outfit Halam National Liberation Front (HNLF) - has somewhat dented the peace process.
The DHD (J) is partial to the Dimasas, the largest of 12 major ethnic groups in NC Hills.
The HNLF represents the Hrangkhols, who number some 4,000 in and around district headquarters Haflong.
According to Intelligence officials, the National Socialist Council of Naga land (Isak-Muivah) has been propping up HNLF as a bulwark against the DHD (J) and its parent group DHD (Nunisa), which had surrendered a few years back.
Both DHD factions are opposed to the Naga militants' presence in NC Hills and their perception of a Dimasa homeland includes parts of Nagaland.
The NSCN (I-M), on the other hand, wants a large chunk of NC Hills to be included in its map of Greater Nagaland.
"The NSCN (I-M) had inducted 21 Hrankhol youths and trained them in its Hebron Camp near Dirriapur (in Nagaland) to en sure a share of the extortion and arms dealing market in NC Hills," reports quoting Special Branch and a former Assam police chief said.
However, NC Hills superintendent of police Anurag Tankha said he was not in the know of any new outfit floated by the Hrangkhols.
"We would certainly be looking into these reports," he told Hindustan Times from Haflong.