Countering the terror funding : The case of Arunachal Pradesh along India-Myanmar Border
Report Jointly Prepared by-
- Special Unit for North Eastern Affairs, Border Management Division (CISA)
- Counter Terrorism Division (CISA)
Monday, 4 December 2023
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Report Jointly Prepared by-
Introduction
India shares a 1643 Km long boundary with Myanmar which passes through four Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. Among these states, Arunachal Pradesh shares a 520 Km long boundary with the Myanmar which makes it the state having longest boundary with the Myanmar among the aforesaid four Indian states located along the India-Myanmar Border. There are four districts in Arunachal Pradesh adjoining the India-Myanmar Border namely Anjaw, Changlang, Tirap, and Longding. Three of these four districts are declared ‘disturbed’ by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and accordingly, the provisions of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act are extended to it [1].
The law and order situation in the aforesaid districts continues to remain volatile. The gravity of disturbance may be understood from the fact that recently, a former member of legislative assembly of the Arunachal Pradesh had been shot dead by unknown assailants suggesting a rise in militant activity in the region [2]. However, the bigger concern relates to the rise in smuggling of illicit drugs followed by increase in extortion and abduction related activities which suggests a steady flow of income to the militant groups operating in this region. Various initiatives of security forces to counter such militant groups depends on countering the flow of money diverted for terror purposes.
Intel suggests continuation of militant activity, fragile security situation
The Assam Rifles along with Arunachal Pradesh Police have intercepted multiple Over-Ground Workers (OGWs) in the previous few weeks suspected to be operating on behalf of active insurgent groups in the region and arrested them [3][4]. In fact, in the Changlang district itself, the Jairampur circle has been particularly hot and has seen several recent actions by the Assam Rifles and Arunachal Pradesh Police targeting the overground workers acting on behalf of such insurgent outfits [11]. While some of these arrests happened recently, the pattern of arrests going back in time suggests the existence of an elaborate operational network working for insurgent outfits such as NSCN (K-YA), ULFA(I), NSCN(R) and NSCN(IM) which are operating smoothly by taking the advantage of well protected safe havens located in Myanmar. Many of these OGWs are associated with the cases of extortion and abduction along with trafficking of illicit drugs reported in the state [5].
The extent of law and order crisis may be understood from the analysis of some significant recent incidents involving abduction of various persons including employees of a construction company working on behalf of Border Roads Task Force (BRTF), two village chiefs, a Gaon Burha, and one other person from Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh by NSCN(K-YA) and NSCN(K) insurgent groups [5][6]. It has also been lately observed that multiple arrested individuals have an origin in Myanmar which suggests the lack of area domination of the India-Myanmar border passing through this region. Often the targets for such extortion activities are the government servants and businesses particularly, the managers of tea estates which are situated in this region [10].
Existing situation raises alarms for resurgence of insurgent outfits
Information developed jointly by the Border Management Division and Counter Terrorism Division of the Centre for Internal Security Analysis suggests that there exists an imminent threat of resurgence of various insurgent outfits which were either clamped down by the security forces over the time or weakened due to various factors including internal strife and financial crunch due to pandemic. The risk of resurgence comes from the fact that various insurgent outfits have activated their overground workers to intensify the campaigns for raising funds through extortion, trafficking of illicit drugs, trafficking of wildlife commodities, etc as well luring impressionable young minds for recruitment into the militant cadres. In fact, it is this reason suspected to be behind the evident series of arrests recorded in the region over the past few weeks involving overground workers of different insurgent outfits which are primarily responsible for logistics, recruitment and supply chain management of such insurgent outfits and since they operate by amalgamating with the rest of the society, their interception becomes extremely difficult and challenging.
The various networks of OGWs operating on behalf of different insurgent groups active in this region are employed for coordinating extortion, drug trafficking, recruitment or logistics and supply chain management related activities. It is therefore extremely important that such overground modules are identified at the earliest and neutralised to avoid the flow of money to such insurgent outfits [9]. Further, the situation becomes more complex if we observe the prevailing number of school dropouts along with debt ridden drug addicts in the region many of which are vulnerable to become overground workers and eventually end up joining the militant ranks due to having almost no certainty of the future while drug addiction forces them to explore any option possible for continued supply of illicit drugs. The threat alarm about rising school dropouts and drug addicts in this region has been a consistent concern since last few years and it is that active insurgent outfits are desperate to multiply their strength even by forceful recruitments turning young students into child soldiers.
Immediate measures needed to address the imminent threat
While the threat seems imminent, the response needed to address it is required to be imminent too in the form of policy changes and government as well as public initiatives. Certain government initiatives in this regard are praiseworthy and expected to be giving results in the mid to long term if executed well. For example, the District Administration of Changlang is engaged in motivating students by various means to not give up further education if failed and instead appear in supplementary examination by means of extra classes. Such initiatives are being taken from the perspective of not only improving the overall literacy rate in the region but also to avoid such young impressionable minds from falling prey to readily available illicit drugs which often leads them to join ranks of insurgent groups. Similarly, the District Administration, Changlang had recently made it compulsory for every public servant or resident to undergo drug test which serves as the deterrence for both the consumers and peddlers from undertaking such activities openly. Both these initiatives may be considered as mid term to long term solutions towards addressing the readily available overground workers for insurgent groups which is the basic infra of insurgent outfits for their money supply chain.
or luring such impressionable minds addicted in exchange for supply of illicit drugs which they eventually would require in absence of sufficient de-addiction programs.
Conclusion
The Government of India understands it well that in order to further the initiatives such as Act East Policy, a stable and peaceful Arunachal Pradesh is extremely important. It must be understood that various law and order problems in the mainland Arunachal Pradesh arise from the challenges to the internal security faced by the four aforesaid districts adjoining the India-Myanmar Border. The return of normalcy is also crucial because prolonged continuation of legislations such as Armed Forced Special Powers Act may end up adding to the internal security challenges in the region instead of addressing it as the armed forces are perceived merely as another policing instrument and thereby losing their edge.
The Assam Rifles is also organising campaigns to address the issue of consumption of narcotic substances on the demand side by addressing consumers instead of the common approach of only targeting the supplying side by targeting drug traffickers and cartels .
had been observed in the past that the insurgent groups active along the India-Myanmar International Border often raise their cadre strength as a required practise to exercise control over their operating region,
Views expressed are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Centre for Internal Security Analyses or any of the stakeholders associated with it. Readers discretion is strongly advised.
Notes
‘Centre extends AFSPA in parts of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh for another six months’, The Hindu, 27 September 2023, Online.
‘Ex Congress MLA Shot Dead Near Myanmar Border In Arunachal Pradesh’, NDTV, 16 December 2023, Online.
‘Arunachal: Active NSCN (K-YA) cadre, 2 overground workers apprehended by Assam Rifles’, India Today NE, 18 November 2023, Online.
‘One NSCN (K-YA) OGW from Myanmar arrested in Arunachal's Tirap district under UAPA Act’, Nagaland Tribune, 2 November 2023, Online.
‘Ang Mai faction of NSCN(K) abducts two persons from Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh’, The Telegraph, 30 November 2023, Online.
‘Militants abduct construction company employees in Longding’, The Arunachal Times, 18 November 2023, Online.
‘Assam Rifles apprehend two active Over Ground Workers of NSCN K (YA) in Arunachal Pradesh’, India Today NE, 17 April 2023, Online.
https://arunachaltimes.in/index.php/2023/05/09/dropout-rate-in-arunachal-pradesh-is-the-highest-in-the-country/
https://www.satp.org/other-data/india-insurgencynortheast-arunachalpradesh-changlang/arrest_2023
https://www.pratidintime.com/top-stories/two-nscn-im-overground-workers-nabbed-in-arunachal
https://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2023/jun/18/a-very-calculating-engineer-2586017.html
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