This is the first time that the Myanmar government has acted on the Indian government’s request and handed over Indian rebels who were based in their country

The Myanmar government on Friday handed over 22 rebels belonging to six different outfits in Manipur and Assam to the Indian authorities, in a first move of its kind.

This is the first time that the Myanmar government has acted on the Indian government’s request and handed over Indian rebels who were based in their country.

The rebels, who were apprehended by the Myanmar Army in the Sagaing region of the neighbouring country in separate operations during the past months, are being brought back to India by a special plane.

“The information about the handing over of rebels is true. But I can’t give details of who these insurgents are and other descriptions of the operation,” a senior Assam Police official said.

“As per the standing orders of the government and the current Covid-19 pandemic, they will be kept under strict quarantine. I won’t be able to disclose where they are being kept,” he added.

According to reports, those deported include 12 rebels from four insurgent groups in Manipur—United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Kanglei Yawol Kunna Lup (KYKL), Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak-Progressive (PREPAK-PRO) and Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA-Manipur).

The 10 other rebels are from Assam’s National Democratic Front of Bodoland-Saoraigwra (NDFB-S) and Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO).

The special plane is expected to first land in Manipur’s capital Imphal where the rebels from that state will de-board before it flies to Guwahati.

The rebels include self-styled home secretary of NDFB-S Rajen Daimary, Sanatouba Ningthoujam of UNLF and Pashuram Laishram of PREPAK-PRO.

Most of the active insurgent outfits in the Northeast including the United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) have their bases in Myanmar where they conduct training of their cadres.