Ulfa secy Chetia hopeful to return before PM's visit
The government is hopeful that Dhaka would be able to complete formalities to deport United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) general secretary Anup Chetia ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh on September 6. Aloke Tikku reports.
The government is hopeful that Dhaka would be able to complete formalities to deport United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) general secretary Anup Chetia ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh on September 6.
Dhaka had promised to try wrapping up Chetia's deportation by early September during home minister P Chidambaram's visit to the state. Home ministry officials said they were hopeful that Bangladesh would be able to deport Chetia after securing permission from the court before Singh lands in Bangladesh.
Ulfa's chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa - who caught by Bangladeshi authorities and handed over to India in December 2009 - is leading Ulfa's tripartite dialogue with the Assam and central government.
The government has timed the agreement for Suspension of Operations between Arabinda Rajkhowa and the government on 3 September, just days ahead of the prime ministerial visit.
The agreement will spell out the terms of references for moving Ulfa cadre to designated camps in Assam. Formal peace talks with the banned outfit will begin soon after.
On the other hand, intelligence reports with the government have indicated that Ulfa's elusive commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, had moved deeper into Myanmar where he had been in hiding in view of clashes between insurgent groups. "Our understanding is that he has moved deeper into Myanmar, closer to the China border in the north, after the clashes," a government source said.
Anup Chetia's deportation would not only signify the vastly improved relations between Bangladesh and India but also help isolate Barua.
Chetia and his two associates have been in a Dhaka prison since 1997 and were convicted in four cases. Their deportation, however, was delayed due to their plea to seek political asylum on grounds that they could be killed if they were sent back to India.
