Imphal, October 23 2010: The human Rights Inittiative (HRI), Imphal has drawn attention of international human rights bodies to the illegal detention of the Chairman of Manipur's insurgent organisation, United National Liberation Front (UNLF), RK Meghen @ Sana Yaima by combined authorities of Bangladesh and India, and asked them to put pressure on the heads of the governments of the two countries to respect International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law and deal with the issue accordingly.

In a letter sent to the international bodies, the HRI said that the arrest of the Chairman of United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Rajkumar Meghen @ Sanayaima (64) has been a public concern for weeks in Manipur.

[The UNLF is a powerful armed opposition group in India's north-east formed in 1964 to fight for Manipur's liberation from India, the group is estimated to have 5,000 armed fighters.

It is a group which has managed to retain territory in some areas of Manipur's borders with Burma, despite repeated military offensives by the Indian army.

In 2005 the party proposed plebiscite to New Delhi for resolving the conflict] .

According to the BBC news which was broadcast on October 13, Sanayaima was arrested by Bangladesh authority personnel early this October.

After the arrest, the prominent separatist leader was flown out of Bangladesh in an Indian aircraft.

His arrest was also confirmed by the Vice Chairman of UNLF, Kh Pambei in a press release issued on October 16 .

The Vice Chairman had claimed that Sanayaima was arrested by a joint team of India's intelligence�RAW and Bangladesh intelligence on 29 September around 12.30 pm when he was travelling on his vehicle, No. Dhaka Metro G-17-0716 in Lalmatia area under Mohammadpur Police Station near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The HRI says, the family of the arrested UNLF's Chairman, has been insisting Indian authorities on ascertaining the whereabouts of Sanayaima.

The family has sent complaint letters to the UN Commissioner for Human Rights and National Human Rights Commission, India earlier.

Civil societies and political parties in Manipur have also been demanding a lawful procedure of his arrest.

The HRI says that the Home Secretary of India, GK Pillai, after making some self contradictory statements when he came to Manipur on a four-day visit from October 18 to 21, he said that he has no information on the arrest of UNLF's Chairman .

in Bangladesh and denied that he had been handed over to India.

He later said that since the UNLF's Vice chairman has claimed that Sana Yaima had been arrested in Dhaka, the Government of India would ask Dhaka about the arrest.

Observing the situation, there is a strong possibility of arbitrary detention of UNLF leader by New Delhi and Dhaka despite not issuing any official information on the matter, the HRI said and urged to the international and other concerned bodies to appeal to New Delhi and Dhaka to respect the provisions of the International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law, and deal with the case accordingly, and to guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Sanayaima.

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