Paresh Barua admits blunder by Ulfa in Assam

Admitting that his cadres had committed blunders on occasions because of lack of foresight and planning, United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) chief of staff Paresh Barua has said there will be no more bombings in Assam in places where indigenous people live.

"There will be no bombings in Assam and elsewhere where indigenous communities reside. We do admit the Ulfa has blundered earlier on a couple of occasions. And these have happened mainly as a result of the lack of foresight and planning by commanders," Barua told a reporter of the Guwahati-based Seven Sisters Post who had trekked to the jungled tracts along the Myanmar-China border to interview the leader.

"We feel extremely resentful for actions that have led to death and injury to innocent people."

Admitting to a tactical understanding with the Maoists in India, Barua said several top Maoist leaders had visited Ulfa camps in Bhutan in 1996 after which there have been many bilateral meetings followed by logistical and moral support to them.

"Ulfa would be benefited if the Maoists are able to carry out an effective campaign against India," he added.

Barua said he did not think the Maoist would be able to strike deep roots in Assam and there was a definite strategy in place.

In December 2003, the Royal Bhutanese Army embarked on Operation All Clear to destroy the Ulfa camps and making its cadres flee the Himalayan kingdom.

The outfit's next stronghold was in Bangladesh under the patronage of the Khaleda Zia government that ended in 2006. The pro-India Sheikh Hasina government arrested most top Ulfa leaders and handed them over to Indian authorities in 2008. Since then the outfit has steadily built up its stronghold in Myanmar and along the border with China allegedly with substantial Chinese help.

Ulfa was formed in Sivasgar in 1979 with complete sovereignty and independence of Assam as its avowed goal. More than 12,000 people have lost their lives in Assam in the three-decade long insurgency. Another faction led by Arabinda Rajkhowa is engaged in peace talks with the government.