United Liberation Front of Asom
Encyclopedia
The United Liberation Front of Asom is a separatist group from Assam
, among many other such groups in North-East India
. It seeks to establish a sovereign Assam via an armed struggle in the Assam Conflict
. The Government of India banned the organization in 1990 and classifies it as a terrorist group, while the US State Department
lists it under "Other groups of concern".
ULFA claims to have been founded at the site of Rang Ghar
on April 7, 1979, a historic structure from the Ahom kingdom
. According to Sunil Nath
, the ULFA established its relationships with Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in 1983 and with KIA, operating in Burma, in 1987. It initiated major violent activities in 1990. Military operations against it by the Indian Army
that began in 1990 continue till present. In the past two decades some 18,000 people have died in the clash between the rebels and India. On December 5, 2009, the Chairman and the deputy commander-in-chief of ULFA fell into Indian custody.
There has recently been a large ULFA crackdown in Bangladesh
, which has significantly assisted the government of India
in bringing ULFA leaders to talks. In January 2010, ULFA softened its stand and dropped the demand for independence as a condition for talks with the Government of India.
Agreement Signed for Suspension of Operations against ULFA
A tripartite agreement for Suspension of Operations (SoO) against ULFA was signed on 03-September-2011. The Government of India was represented by the Joint Secretary (North-East), Ministry of Home Affairs, while Government of Assam was represented by the Home Commissioner, Shri Jishnu Barua and Addl. Director General of Police, Shri Khagen Sharma. ULFA was represented by Shri Shashadhar Chaudhuri, Shri Chitraban Hazarika and Shri Raju Barua.
ULFA had earlier agreed to abjure violence and find a solution to the problems as perceived by them through peaceful negotiations with the Government of India and Government of Assam
and its Publicity Secretary Uddipta Hazarika alias Rajen Sarma became household names and were considered by many as unrelenting forces fighting against the colonial rule of India. Both Mahanta and Hazarika died in alleged fake encounters carried out by the Indian Army
and the Police. Their execution was followed by widespread public anger against New Delhi and sympathy for the Ulfa which resulted in massive voluntary recruitment in the organization. Swadhinata Phukan alias Kabiranjan Saikia, also a poet, was another very popular Ulfa leader and played a very important role in reviving the Ulfa movement in the late 90's. He, too was allegedly killed in a fake encounter by the security forces in Jorhat
district of Upper Assam.
Recruiting for the front did not begin until 1983. Soon after it finished recruitment in 1984, it began to seek out training and arms procurement from other groups such as the Kachin Independence Army(KIA) and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland(NSCN). In 1986 it launched a fund raising “campaign” across India by way of extortion. It then began to set up camps in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh but was soon banned by New Delhi on November 7, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967.
In less than a decade of its formation, the Ulfa emerged as one of the most powerful and violent insurgent outfit in Southeast Asia, largely because of the immense popularity it enjoyed during the first decade of its struggle as well as its economic power which in turn helped it in bolstering its military capabilities. In the early 1990s, ULFA launched an aggressive campaign with victims such as security forces, political opponents, and blasting rail links. In July 1991 the front captured and held 14 people for ransom, included in the abductees was an engineer and a national of the Soviet Union. From the 1990s on the ULFA have continued to carry out terrorist attacks.
, independent
Assam. It does not consider itself a secession
ist organization
, as it claims that Assam was never a part of India and as a matter of fact the Treaty of Yandaboo was signed in 1826 by General Sir Archibald Campbell on the British side, and by Governor of Legaing Maha Min Hla Kyaw Htin from the Burmese side. With the British army at Yandabo village, only 50 miles from the capital Ava, the Burmese were forced to accept the British terms without discussion.
According to the treaty, the Burmese agreed to (1) cede to the British Assam, Manipur, Rakhine (Arakan), and Taninthayi (Tenasserim) coast south of Salween river, (2) cease all interference in Cachar and Jaintia, (3) pay an indemnity of one million pounds sterling in four installments, (4) allow for an exchange of diplomatic representatives between Ava and Calcutta, and (5) sign a commercial treaty in due course.
It claims that among the various problems that the people of Assam are confronting, the problem of national identity is the most basic, and therefore it seeks to represent "independent minded struggling peoples" irrespective of race, tribe
, caste
, religion
and nationality
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Yandabo
(GOI) has classified it as a terrorist
organization and had banned it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
in 1990. Concurrently, GOI started military offensives against it, named Operation Bajrang November 1990, Operation Rhino September 1991 , Operation All Clear December 2003 and Operation Rhino 2 led by the Indian Army
. The anti insurgency operations still continues at present under the Unified Command Structure.
The Government of India accuses ULFA of maintaining links with the Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI
) of Pakistan
and the DGFI
of Bangladesh, and waging a proxy war
on their behalf against India
.
and the beginning of Operation Bajrang.
On the ULFA’s Army Day on March 16, 2003, an IED explosion under a bus on National Highway No. 7 killed six civilians and wounded approximately 55 others.
In 1991 a Russia
n engineer, and national of the Soviet Union was kidnapped along with others and killed. In 1997, Sanjay Ghose
, a social activist and a relative of a high ranking Indian diplomat, was kidnapped and killed. The highest government officer assassinated by the group was local AGP
minister Nagen Sharma in 2000. An unsuccessful assassination attempt was made on AGP Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta
in 1997. A mass grave
, discovered at a destroyed ULFA camp in Lakhipathar forest, showed evidence of executions committed by ULFA.
ULFA continues to attempt ambushes and sporadic attacks on government security forces.
In 2003,the ULFA was accused of killing labourers from Bihar
in response to an alleged molestation of a Mizo girl in a train passing through Bihar. This incident sparked off anti-Bihari sentiment in Assam, and ULFA saw it as an opportunity to regain its lost ground. The ULFA killed civilians of Bihari origin who had been in Assam for generations, and had been assimilated in the greater Assamese society.
MORE FACT ABOUT THE ANTI-BIHARI KILLINGS BY ULFA
In 2003, during a Railways Recruitment Board Examination for Group(D)posts conducted by North Frontier Rail(a wing of Indian Railways), a good number of candidates from Bihar and other states were beaten up and stopped from taking exam by some elements who were seeking 100 percent reservation for the Assamese non-employed long ahead of the date of the said test.
In resentment, some hoodlums misbehaved randomly with train passengers from North Eastern States passing through some of the stations like Katihar, Jamalpur, Kishanganj in Bihar.
During that period ULFA was already loosing it popularity and ground across many pockets in Assam where it had strong holds.
However, ULFA took this situation as an opportunity to fan an opposition against 'India' among people in Assam.
They started killing innocent Hindi speaking people(mostly having origin in Bihar) just to show own presence in the State.
On August 15, 2004, an explosion occurred in Assam
in which 10-15 people died, including some school children. This explosion was carried out by ULFA. The ULFA has obliquely accepted responsibility for the blast. This appears to be the first instance of ULFA admitting to public killings with an incendiary device.
In January 2007, the ULFA once again struck in Assam killing approximately 62 Hindi-speaking migrant workers mostly from Bihar. ULFA notoriety as a directionless and unpopular organization increased, as the bomb blast victims also included several ethnic Assamese people. The Central Government made a tough response, forcing a dreaded group of ULFA - 28 Battlaian - to unilaterally bow down and seek asylum from the government. This particular one-sided ceasefire broke the backbone of ULFA.
On March 15, 2007, ULFA triggered a blast in Guwahati, injuring six persons as it celebrated its 'army day'.
s, freight train
s and government buildings, including the 7 August 2005 attack.
ULFA carried out a bombing and destruction of a five million liter pretrol reservoir at Digboi refinery in Tinsukia with an estimated property loss of Rs 200million. On the same day they also damaged a gas pipeline in the oil district of Tinsukia
hailed from a place which is just a few kilometers from the state capital Guwahati. However, with the Assamese urban middle class becoming increasingly skeptical of Ulfa's method of functioning, the Ulfa targeted the remote villages and the tribal areas for recruitment. According to intelligence sources, the Paresh Baruah faction of the Ulfa, which have been continuously raising its voice against the ongoing peace process being initiated by the Arabinda Rajkhowa faction, is engaged in a massive recruitment drive in the rural areas of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sibsagar, Lakhimpur and Nalbari districts of Assam.
It has continued a public discourse of sorts through the local media (newspapers), occasionally publishing its position on political issues centred around the nationality question. It has participated in public debates with public personalities from Assam. During the last two local elections the ULFA had called for boycott
s, though media reports suggest that it had intimidated activists of the then ruling parties (Congress
and AGP respectively).
during its initial stages. Now it is widely reported to extort
businessmen, bureaucrats and politicians for collecting funds. In 1997, the Chief Minister of Assam accused Tata Tea
of paying the medical bills of the ULFA cultural secretary Pranati Deka
at a Mumbai
hospital.
, which were destroyed by the Royal Bhutan Army
aided by the Special Frontier Force
in December, 2003. These camps housed combatants and non-combatant families of ULFA members.
The ULFA maintains close relationships with other separatist organisations like NDFB
, KLO
and NSCN(Khaplang). The Indian Army notes that
has attempted to wean away members of the ULFA. This occurred due to the death of the ULFA's deputy Commander in chief Heerak Jyoti Mahanta
on December 31, 1991. Mr. Mahanta strongly stood against any kind of surrendering, but after his death it nevertheless happened. In 1992 a large section of second rung leaders and members surrendered to government authorities. These former members were allowed to retain their weapons to defend themselves against their former colleagues and were offered bank loans without any liabilities. This loose group, now called SULFA, has become an important element in the armed politics and business of Assam
. However there have been cases of surrenderings being staged for political and economical reasons by local and national governments.
The total number of ULFA cadres to have laid down arms has gone up to 8,718. 4,993 cadres surrendered between 1991 and 1998. 3,435 surrendered between 1998 and 2005 when a new policy to deal with the ULFA was unveiled.
leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta
, a number of family members of ULFA leaders were assassinated by unidentified gunmen. With the fall of this government following elections in 2001, the secret killings stopped. Investigations into the killings culminated in the report of the "Saika Commission", presented to the Assam Assembly November 15, 2007. The report provides details about the killings, which were organized by Prafulla Mahanta in his role as the Assam Home Minister, and executed by the police, with cooperation from the Indian Army. The actual killers were surrendered elements of the ULFA, who would approach their targets at home, at night, knocking on the door and calling out in Assamese to allay suspicion. When the victims answered the door, they were shot or kidnapped to be shot elsewhere.
Even the elder brother of Paresh barua,Dinesh Barua was picked up at night from his house by unidentified assamese boys along with army with weapons,and later his body was found lying near a cremation centre in Chabua. Ulfa's Publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary is the worst victim of the secret killing episode losing five members of his family.
According to some reports in the print media,the Prafulla Mahanta government carried out these killings under pressure from L.K. Advani ( the then Home Minister of India in the BJP led NDA government) who became furious at Mahanta for failing to curb the growing popularity of Ulfa among the middle class and the student populations. Critics often claims that, fearing the imposition of President's rule by the center due to the degrading law and order situation in the state , Mr. Pafulla Mahanta had little option other than accepting L.K. Advani's ultimatum on going on an all out war against the Ulfa and its sympathizers.
In 2004, the ULFA dropped the first two preconditions and offered to talk with the government. The Government of India was not ready to negotiate on the issue of sovereignty. Still some progress was made when the ULFA formed a "People's Consultative Group
" in September 2005 to prepare the grounds for an eventual negotiation between the government and ULFA, which the government has welcomed. In a sustained operation launched by Indian Army inside a National Park in Dibru Saikhowa, ULFA lost its hides and camps, important leaders and cadres. The group came to the negotiating table in 2005.
According to the India Times, talks were first held in December 2005 at the residence of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh
.
There were three rounds of peace talks with the 11-member People's Consultative Group
(PCG), headed by noted Assamese writer Indira Goswami
, leading to a temporary truce in August 2006. However the truce broke down by September 23 of the same year as ULFA continued with its violent activities against civil population mainly tea estates and oil pipelines. It also violated ceasefire as it lobbed grenades on Army columns during the ceasefire period..
Ceasefire by a portion of 28 Battalion of ULFA
Some leaders & cadres of the A and C companies of ULFA declared unilateral ceasefire on 24 Jun'2008 at a press meet held at Amarpur in Tinsukia district. The declared the ceasefire in order to pressurise the top brass of ULFA to sit on negotiation table with the Government of India. But the top brass of ULFA expelled the leaders of 28 Battalion led by Mrinal Hazarika
and Jiten Dutta ( who had managed to escape from the cordon of Indian Army in Dibru Saikhowa National Park). The group later renamed as ULFA ( Pro-talk ).
Currently the 28th Battalion is under commandership of Lt Bijoy Chinese alias Bijoy Das. All the battalions have now been disbanded and only part of 27 battalion renamed as Kapili Gut remains. There are no commanders other than Paresh Baruah. All the others have been downgraded to staff and workers.
According to the Indian Army sources, the total strength of ULFA is around 3,000, while various other sources put the figure ranging from 4,000 to 6,000. A military wing of the ULFA, the Sanjukta Mukti Fouj (SMF) was formed on 16 March 1996. SMF has three full-fledged battalions: the 7th, 8th and the 709th. The remaining battalions exist only on paper at best they have strengths of a company or so. Their allocated spheres of operation are as follows:
7th Bn (HQ-Sukhini) is responsible for defence of General Head Quarter (GHQ).
8th Bn - Nagaon, Morigaon, Karbi Anglong
9th Bn Golaghat, Jorhat, Sibsagar
11th Bn Kamrup, Nalbari
27th Bn Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Kokrajar
28th Bn Tinsukia, Dibrugarh
709th Bn Kalikhola
In the past decade nearly 2,5000 (approximate) militants, including about 200 women cadres have surrendered to the government.
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, among many other such groups in North-East India
North-East India
Northeast India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, Sikkim, and parts of North Bengal...
. It seeks to establish a sovereign Assam via an armed struggle in the Assam Conflict
Assam conflict
The Assam conflict is an insurgency in the Assam state of India.The conflict started in the 1970s. It stems from tension between Assamese and alleged neglect and internal colonisation by the Indian government with its federal centre in Delhi. Additionally, the state is rich in oil resources...
. The Government of India banned the organization in 1990 and classifies it as a terrorist group, while the US State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
lists it under "Other groups of concern".
ULFA claims to have been founded at the site of Rang Ghar
Rang Ghar
Rang Ghar is a two-storied building, which was the royal sports-pavilion from which the Ahom kings and nobles witnessed games like buffalo fights and other sports at the Rupahi Pathar specially during Rangali Bihu festival in the Ahom capital, Rangpur...
on April 7, 1979, a historic structure from the Ahom kingdom
Ahom kingdom
The Ahom Kingdom was a medieval kingdom in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam that maintained its sovereignty for nearly 600 years and successfully resisted Mughal expansion in North-East India...
. According to Sunil Nath
Sunil Nath
Sunil Nath , alias Siddhartha Phukan, was the former Central Publicity Secretary and spokesman of ULFA, the banned terrorist outfit of Assam. He had been holding the post from 1985 to 1992 when the ULFA was at its peak. The charge was later taken over by Mithinga Daimary...
, the ULFA established its relationships with Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in 1983 and with KIA, operating in Burma, in 1987. It initiated major violent activities in 1990. Military operations against it by the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
that began in 1990 continue till present. In the past two decades some 18,000 people have died in the clash between the rebels and India. On December 5, 2009, the Chairman and the deputy commander-in-chief of ULFA fell into Indian custody.
There has recently been a large ULFA crackdown in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, which has significantly assisted the government of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in bringing ULFA leaders to talks. In January 2010, ULFA softened its stand and dropped the demand for independence as a condition for talks with the Government of India.
Agreement Signed for Suspension of Operations against ULFA
A tripartite agreement for Suspension of Operations (SoO) against ULFA was signed on 03-September-2011. The Government of India was represented by the Joint Secretary (North-East), Ministry of Home Affairs, while Government of Assam was represented by the Home Commissioner, Shri Jishnu Barua and Addl. Director General of Police, Shri Khagen Sharma. ULFA was represented by Shri Shashadhar Chaudhuri, Shri Chitraban Hazarika and Shri Raju Barua.
ULFA had earlier agreed to abjure violence and find a solution to the problems as perceived by them through peaceful negotiations with the Government of India and Government of Assam
Top leaders
The major leaders of the organisation are:- Paresh BaruahParesh BaruahParesh Barua is a rebel leader, born in 1957 at Jeraichakali Bhariagaon, Assam, India. He is the Acting Vice Chairman and Commander-in-Chief of the rebel group ULFA....
(Self Styled (SS)Commander-in-Chief)(Presently in Myanmar, shuttling between Myanmar and China(Yunnan province) - Arabinda RajkhowaArabinda RajkhowaArabinda Rajkhowa , , alias Mijanur Rahman Choudhury is the Chaiman of the banned outfit ULFA. He is one of the founder members of the outfit. He was also the Vice-President of the Indo-Burma Revolutionary Front...
(SS Chairman) (released from Government of Assam custody on January 1, 2011) - Pradip GogoiPradip GogoiPradip Gogoi is the Vice-Chairman of the outlawed outfit ULFA in Assam. He is also one of the founder members of the outfit. He was arrested in Kolkata by West Bengal Police on April 8, 1998 and put in judicial custody at Guwahati. A former electricity board employee Gogoi hails from Sibsagar...
(SS Vice-Chairman) (released on bail from Government of Assam custody) - Anup ChetiaAnup ChetiaAnup Chetia is the General Secretary of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom in Assam. He is also one of the founder leaders of the group...
(SS General Secretary) (in Government of BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
custody) - Raju Barua (SS Deputy Commander-in-Chief) (Released on bail
- Mithinga DaimaryMithinga DaimaryMithinga Daimary was the Central Publicity Secretary of the banned outfit ULFA since the previous publicity secretary Siddhartha Phukan's surrender in 1992. He was born in Barama village in Nalbari district of Assam on May 17, 1967 with the birth name Jatin Das.-Education:Daimary joined B Barooah...
(SS Publicity Secretay) (Released on Bail) - Chitraban Hazarika (SS Finance Secretary) (Released on bail)
- Pranati DekaPranati DekaPranati Deka is the Cultural Secretary of the outlawed outfit ULFA in Assam. She hails from Nalbari district of Assam. She is also the wife of the outfit’s finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika.-Arrest:...
(SS Cultural Secretary) (released on bail) - Bhimkanta Borgohain@ Mama (SS Political Ideologue) (released on bail) from Government of Assam custody )
- Sashadhar CoudhurySashadhar ChoudhurySashadhar Choudhury or Sasha Choudhury is the Foreign Secretary of the outlawed outfit ULFA, Assam His predecessor was Javed Bora. He hails from Helosa gaon in Nalbari district of Assam...
(Foreign Secretary) Released on bail custody of Government of Assam)
Popular Leaders of the early years & Parallel Government
In the late 80's and the early 90's , some Ulfa leaders (most of whom were in their teen or early twenties) were worshiped as heroes in the villages as well as in the urban middle class households. Ulfa's Deputy C-in-C Heerak Jyoti MahantaHeerak Jyoti Mahanta
Heerak Jyoti Mahanta was the deputy C-in-C of ULFA, the banned terrorist outfit of Assam. He was killed by the Army on Dec 31, 1991. He was said to be one of the hardcore cadre of the outfit. He strongly opposed any kind of surrendering and it never happened within the outfit till his death...
and its Publicity Secretary Uddipta Hazarika alias Rajen Sarma became household names and were considered by many as unrelenting forces fighting against the colonial rule of India. Both Mahanta and Hazarika died in alleged fake encounters carried out by the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
and the Police. Their execution was followed by widespread public anger against New Delhi and sympathy for the Ulfa which resulted in massive voluntary recruitment in the organization. Swadhinata Phukan alias Kabiranjan Saikia, also a poet, was another very popular Ulfa leader and played a very important role in reviving the Ulfa movement in the late 90's. He, too was allegedly killed in a fake encounter by the security forces in Jorhat
Jorhat
Jorhat is a city of Assam in India. Jorhat was established as a new capital in the closing years of the 18th century by the declining Tunkhungia Ahom Dynasty. Jorhat, as the name signifies, was just a couple of markets . Two parallel markets namely, Chowkihat and Macharhat, lay on the eastern...
district of Upper Assam.
History
The ULFA was started when the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) reached a high for its xenophobia of all foreigners in 1979. The founders included Paresh Baruah, Arabinda Rajkhowa, Anup Chetia, Pradip Gogoi, Bhadreshwar Gohain and Budheswar Gogoi on 7 April 1979. It was formed at the Ahom King in Sibsagar to ensue upon an armed struggle to form a Socialist Assam.Recruiting for the front did not begin until 1983. Soon after it finished recruitment in 1984, it began to seek out training and arms procurement from other groups such as the Kachin Independence Army(KIA) and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland(NSCN). In 1986 it launched a fund raising “campaign” across India by way of extortion. It then began to set up camps in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh but was soon banned by New Delhi on November 7, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967.
In less than a decade of its formation, the Ulfa emerged as one of the most powerful and violent insurgent outfit in Southeast Asia, largely because of the immense popularity it enjoyed during the first decade of its struggle as well as its economic power which in turn helped it in bolstering its military capabilities. In the early 1990s, ULFA launched an aggressive campaign with victims such as security forces, political opponents, and blasting rail links. In July 1991 the front captured and held 14 people for ransom, included in the abductees was an engineer and a national of the Soviet Union. From the 1990s on the ULFA have continued to carry out terrorist attacks.
ULFA according to itself
The ULFA is a "revolutionary political organization" engaged in a "liberation struggle" against state terrorism and economic exploitation by India for the establishment of a sovereignSovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, independent
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
Assam. It does not consider itself a secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
ist organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
, as it claims that Assam was never a part of India and as a matter of fact the Treaty of Yandaboo was signed in 1826 by General Sir Archibald Campbell on the British side, and by Governor of Legaing Maha Min Hla Kyaw Htin from the Burmese side. With the British army at Yandabo village, only 50 miles from the capital Ava, the Burmese were forced to accept the British terms without discussion.
According to the treaty, the Burmese agreed to (1) cede to the British Assam, Manipur, Rakhine (Arakan), and Taninthayi (Tenasserim) coast south of Salween river, (2) cease all interference in Cachar and Jaintia, (3) pay an indemnity of one million pounds sterling in four installments, (4) allow for an exchange of diplomatic representatives between Ava and Calcutta, and (5) sign a commercial treaty in due course.
It claims that among the various problems that the people of Assam are confronting, the problem of national identity is the most basic, and therefore it seeks to represent "independent minded struggling peoples" irrespective of race, tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
, caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
, religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and nationality
Nationality
Nationality is membership of a nation or sovereign state, usually determined by their citizenship, but sometimes by ethnicity or place of residence, or based on their sense of national identity....
.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Yandabo
ULFA according to Government of India
The Government of IndiaGovernment of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
(GOI) has classified it as a terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
organization and had banned it under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
Unlawful Activities Act is Indian law aimed at effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India.The National Integration Council appointed a Committee on National Integration and Regionalisation to look into, inter alia, the aspect of putting reasonable restrictions in the...
in 1990. Concurrently, GOI started military offensives against it, named Operation Bajrang November 1990, Operation Rhino September 1991 , Operation All Clear December 2003 and Operation Rhino 2 led by the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
. The anti insurgency operations still continues at present under the Unified Command Structure.
The Government of India accuses ULFA of maintaining links with the Inter-Services Intelligence
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
(ISI
Inter-Services Intelligence
The Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence , is Pakistan's premier intelligence agency, responsible for providing critical national security intelligence assessment to the Government of Pakistan...
) of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and the DGFI
Directorate General of Forces Intelligence
The Directorate General of Forces Intelligence is the main Military Intelligence agency of Bangladesh. Along with the National Security Intelligence and Special Branch , these three agencies are presumably the main components of the country's intelligence community.-History:It was reformed by...
of Bangladesh, and waging a proxy war
Proxy war
A proxy war or proxy warfare is a war that results when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly. While powers have sometimes used governments as proxies, violent non-state actors, mercenaries, or other third parties are more often employed...
on their behalf against India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Links to China
The outlawed group has been using China for shelter following mounting pressure from both Burma and Bangladesh, in turn pressured by India. The outfit’s top commander, Paresh Baruah, is living near the Sino-Burmese border looking for an alternative position for a hideout. There are 50 ULFA militants holed up in China’s Yunnan Province led by the group's Lt. Partha Jyoti Gogoi.Assassinations
Some of the major assassinations by ULFA include that of Surendra Paul in May 1990, the brother of businessman Lord Swraj Paul, that precipitated a situation leading to the sacking of the Government of Assam under Prafulla Kumar MahantaPrafulla Kumar Mahanta
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was the leader of the Assam Movement, a former Chief Minister of Assam and belongs to the Asom Gana Parishad , a major political party in the Indian state of Assam...
and the beginning of Operation Bajrang.
On the ULFA’s Army Day on March 16, 2003, an IED explosion under a bus on National Highway No. 7 killed six civilians and wounded approximately 55 others.
In 1991 a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n engineer, and national of the Soviet Union was kidnapped along with others and killed. In 1997, Sanjay Ghose
Sanjay Ghose
Sanjoy Ghose was an Indian rural development activist known for his pioneering contributions to community health and development media...
, a social activist and a relative of a high ranking Indian diplomat, was kidnapped and killed. The highest government officer assassinated by the group was local AGP
Asom Gana Parishad
Asom Gana Parishad is a state political party in Assam, India. The AGP was formed after the historic Assam Accord of 1985 when Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was elected as the youngest chief minister of the country...
minister Nagen Sharma in 2000. An unsuccessful assassination attempt was made on AGP Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was the leader of the Assam Movement, a former Chief Minister of Assam and belongs to the Asom Gana Parishad , a major political party in the Indian state of Assam...
in 1997. A mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
, discovered at a destroyed ULFA camp in Lakhipathar forest, showed evidence of executions committed by ULFA.
ULFA continues to attempt ambushes and sporadic attacks on government security forces.
In 2003,the ULFA was accused of killing labourers from Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
in response to an alleged molestation of a Mizo girl in a train passing through Bihar. This incident sparked off anti-Bihari sentiment in Assam, and ULFA saw it as an opportunity to regain its lost ground. The ULFA killed civilians of Bihari origin who had been in Assam for generations, and had been assimilated in the greater Assamese society.
MORE FACT ABOUT THE ANTI-BIHARI KILLINGS BY ULFA
In 2003, during a Railways Recruitment Board Examination for Group(D)posts conducted by North Frontier Rail(a wing of Indian Railways), a good number of candidates from Bihar and other states were beaten up and stopped from taking exam by some elements who were seeking 100 percent reservation for the Assamese non-employed long ahead of the date of the said test.
In resentment, some hoodlums misbehaved randomly with train passengers from North Eastern States passing through some of the stations like Katihar, Jamalpur, Kishanganj in Bihar.
During that period ULFA was already loosing it popularity and ground across many pockets in Assam where it had strong holds.
However, ULFA took this situation as an opportunity to fan an opposition against 'India' among people in Assam.
They started killing innocent Hindi speaking people(mostly having origin in Bihar) just to show own presence in the State.
On August 15, 2004, an explosion occurred in Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
in which 10-15 people died, including some school children. This explosion was carried out by ULFA. The ULFA has obliquely accepted responsibility for the blast. This appears to be the first instance of ULFA admitting to public killings with an incendiary device.
In January 2007, the ULFA once again struck in Assam killing approximately 62 Hindi-speaking migrant workers mostly from Bihar. ULFA notoriety as a directionless and unpopular organization increased, as the bomb blast victims also included several ethnic Assamese people. The Central Government made a tough response, forcing a dreaded group of ULFA - 28 Battlaian - to unilaterally bow down and seek asylum from the government. This particular one-sided ceasefire broke the backbone of ULFA.
On March 15, 2007, ULFA triggered a blast in Guwahati, injuring six persons as it celebrated its 'army day'.
Economic subversion
The ULFA has claimed responsibility for bombings of economic targets like crude oil pipelinePipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
s, freight train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s and government buildings, including the 7 August 2005 attack.
ULFA carried out a bombing and destruction of a five million liter pretrol reservoir at Digboi refinery in Tinsukia with an estimated property loss of Rs 200million. On the same day they also damaged a gas pipeline in the oil district of Tinsukia
Recruitment
In the initial years of the Ulfa movement (when it used to enjoy widespread public support in both urban and rural areas of Assam), cadres were recruited from rural areas as well as from many towns in Upper and middle Assam districts. One of the most popular Ulfa leader of all time, the late Heerak Jyoti MahantaHeerak Jyoti Mahanta
Heerak Jyoti Mahanta was the deputy C-in-C of ULFA, the banned terrorist outfit of Assam. He was killed by the Army on Dec 31, 1991. He was said to be one of the hardcore cadre of the outfit. He strongly opposed any kind of surrendering and it never happened within the outfit till his death...
hailed from a place which is just a few kilometers from the state capital Guwahati. However, with the Assamese urban middle class becoming increasingly skeptical of Ulfa's method of functioning, the Ulfa targeted the remote villages and the tribal areas for recruitment. According to intelligence sources, the Paresh Baruah faction of the Ulfa, which have been continuously raising its voice against the ongoing peace process being initiated by the Arabinda Rajkhowa faction, is engaged in a massive recruitment drive in the rural areas of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sibsagar, Lakhimpur and Nalbari districts of Assam.
Political activities
After 1985 and before it was banned in 1990, ULFA was credited in the media with many public activities.It has continued a public discourse of sorts through the local media (newspapers), occasionally publishing its position on political issues centred around the nationality question. It has participated in public debates with public personalities from Assam. During the last two local elections the ULFA had called for boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
s, though media reports suggest that it had intimidated activists of the then ruling parties (Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
and AGP respectively).
Extortion
The ULFA is credited with some bank robberiesBank robbery
Bank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of...
during its initial stages. Now it is widely reported to extort
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
businessmen, bureaucrats and politicians for collecting funds. In 1997, the Chief Minister of Assam accused Tata Tea
Tata Tea
Tata Tea Limited, also known as Tata-Tetley, is the world's second largest manufacturer and distributor of tea. Owned by India's Tata Group, the Tata Tea Limited markets tea under the major brands Tata Tea, Tetley, Good Earth Teas and JEMČA...
of paying the medical bills of the ULFA cultural secretary Pranati Deka
Pranati Deka
Pranati Deka is the Cultural Secretary of the outlawed outfit ULFA in Assam. She hails from Nalbari district of Assam. She is also the wife of the outfit’s finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika.-Arrest:...
at a Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
hospital.
Other activities
The ULFA is reported to maintain a number of camps in Bangladesh, where members are trained and sheltered away from Indian security forces. Until recently, they had maintained camps in BhutanBhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, which were destroyed by the Royal Bhutan Army
Royal Bhutan Army
The Royal Bhutan Army , or RBA, is a branch of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Bhutan responsible for maintaining the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty against security threats. The King of Bhutan is the Supreme Commander in Chief of the RBA...
aided by the Special Frontier Force
Special Frontier Force
The Special Frontier Force is a paramilitary unit of India. It was conceived in the post Sino-Indian war period as a guerrilla force composed mainly of Tibetan refugees whose main goal was to conduct covert operations behind Chinese lines in case of another war between the People's Republic of...
in December, 2003. These camps housed combatants and non-combatant families of ULFA members.
The ULFA maintains close relationships with other separatist organisations like NDFB
National Democratic Front of Bodoland
The National Democratic Front of Bodoland, also known as NDFB or the Bodo Security Force, is a terrorist outfit which seeks to obtain a sovereign Bodoland for the Bodo people in Assam, India. The founder of the organization, Ransaigra Nabla Daimary, alias Ranjan Daimary has been arrested and...
, KLO
KLO
KLO is a news/talk radio station broadcasting out of Ogden, Utah to the Salt Lake City area. The stations airs syndicated conservative talk shows, including Bill Bennett, Laura Ingraham, Michael Medved, and Dennis Prager. When startup 97.5 FM Talk changed its format in late 2006, KLO added Michael...
and NSCN(Khaplang). The Indian Army notes that
Surrenders
Beginning in 1990, the Government of IndiaGovernment of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
has attempted to wean away members of the ULFA. This occurred due to the death of the ULFA's deputy Commander in chief Heerak Jyoti Mahanta
Heerak Jyoti Mahanta
Heerak Jyoti Mahanta was the deputy C-in-C of ULFA, the banned terrorist outfit of Assam. He was killed by the Army on Dec 31, 1991. He was said to be one of the hardcore cadre of the outfit. He strongly opposed any kind of surrendering and it never happened within the outfit till his death...
on December 31, 1991. Mr. Mahanta strongly stood against any kind of surrendering, but after his death it nevertheless happened. In 1992 a large section of second rung leaders and members surrendered to government authorities. These former members were allowed to retain their weapons to defend themselves against their former colleagues and were offered bank loans without any liabilities. This loose group, now called SULFA, has become an important element in the armed politics and business of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. However there have been cases of surrenderings being staged for political and economical reasons by local and national governments.
The total number of ULFA cadres to have laid down arms has gone up to 8,718. 4,993 cadres surrendered between 1991 and 1998. 3,435 surrendered between 1998 and 2005 when a new policy to deal with the ULFA was unveiled.
Secret killings of ULFA family members
During the government of AGPAsom Gana Parishad
Asom Gana Parishad is a state political party in Assam, India. The AGP was formed after the historic Assam Accord of 1985 when Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was elected as the youngest chief minister of the country...
leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta
Prafulla Kumar Mahanta was the leader of the Assam Movement, a former Chief Minister of Assam and belongs to the Asom Gana Parishad , a major political party in the Indian state of Assam...
, a number of family members of ULFA leaders were assassinated by unidentified gunmen. With the fall of this government following elections in 2001, the secret killings stopped. Investigations into the killings culminated in the report of the "Saika Commission", presented to the Assam Assembly November 15, 2007. The report provides details about the killings, which were organized by Prafulla Mahanta in his role as the Assam Home Minister, and executed by the police, with cooperation from the Indian Army. The actual killers were surrendered elements of the ULFA, who would approach their targets at home, at night, knocking on the door and calling out in Assamese to allay suspicion. When the victims answered the door, they were shot or kidnapped to be shot elsewhere.
Even the elder brother of Paresh barua,Dinesh Barua was picked up at night from his house by unidentified assamese boys along with army with weapons,and later his body was found lying near a cremation centre in Chabua. Ulfa's Publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary is the worst victim of the secret killing episode losing five members of his family.
According to some reports in the print media,the Prafulla Mahanta government carried out these killings under pressure from L.K. Advani ( the then Home Minister of India in the BJP led NDA government) who became furious at Mahanta for failing to curb the growing popularity of Ulfa among the middle class and the student populations. Critics often claims that, fearing the imposition of President's rule by the center due to the degrading law and order situation in the state , Mr. Pafulla Mahanta had little option other than accepting L.K. Advani's ultimatum on going on an all out war against the Ulfa and its sympathizers.
Negotiations/talks
The ULFA has put forward a set of three preconditions for talks and negotiations with the Indian government. The government has rejected these preconditions. The preconditions are:- The talks should be held in a third country.
- The talks should be held under United Nations supervision.
- The agenda of the talks should include the sovereignty of Assam.
In 2004, the ULFA dropped the first two preconditions and offered to talk with the government. The Government of India was not ready to negotiate on the issue of sovereignty. Still some progress was made when the ULFA formed a "People's Consultative Group
People's Consultative Group
The People’s Consultative Group was a citizen’s group in Assam constituted by ULFA to initiate the talk process as mediator between the central government and the outfit itself. It was constituted on September 8, 2005 with 11 members in it.It was dissolved by ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa on the...
" in September 2005 to prepare the grounds for an eventual negotiation between the government and ULFA, which the government has welcomed. In a sustained operation launched by Indian Army inside a National Park in Dibru Saikhowa, ULFA lost its hides and camps, important leaders and cadres. The group came to the negotiating table in 2005.
According to the India Times, talks were first held in December 2005 at the residence of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
.
There were three rounds of peace talks with the 11-member People's Consultative Group
People's Consultative Group
The People’s Consultative Group was a citizen’s group in Assam constituted by ULFA to initiate the talk process as mediator between the central government and the outfit itself. It was constituted on September 8, 2005 with 11 members in it.It was dissolved by ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa on the...
(PCG), headed by noted Assamese writer Indira Goswami
Mamoni Raisom Goswami
Indira Goswami , known by her pen name Mamoni Raisom Goswami and popularly as Mamoni Baideo, was an Assamese editor, poet, professor, scholar and writer....
, leading to a temporary truce in August 2006. However the truce broke down by September 23 of the same year as ULFA continued with its violent activities against civil population mainly tea estates and oil pipelines. It also violated ceasefire as it lobbed grenades on Army columns during the ceasefire period..
Ceasefire by a portion of 28 Battalion of ULFA
Some leaders & cadres of the A and C companies of ULFA declared unilateral ceasefire on 24 Jun'2008 at a press meet held at Amarpur in Tinsukia district. The declared the ceasefire in order to pressurise the top brass of ULFA to sit on negotiation table with the Government of India. But the top brass of ULFA expelled the leaders of 28 Battalion led by Mrinal Hazarika
Mrinal Hazarika
Mrinal Hazarika is the ex-commander of the 28th Battalion of ULFA, the banned revolutionary organisation of Assam. He was instrumental in leading the ‘A’ and ‘C’ company of the battalion to announce a ceasefire....
and Jiten Dutta ( who had managed to escape from the cordon of Indian Army in Dibru Saikhowa National Park). The group later renamed as ULFA ( Pro-talk ).
Currently the 28th Battalion is under commandership of Lt Bijoy Chinese alias Bijoy Das. All the battalions have now been disbanded and only part of 27 battalion renamed as Kapili Gut remains. There are no commanders other than Paresh Baruah. All the others have been downgraded to staff and workers.
Renewed Peace Initiative
With the arrest and deportation of top Ulfa leaders by the Bangladesh government to India, the once stalled peace process received a boost when the jailed Ulfa leaders took the initiative in forming a "Citizen Forum" comprising intellectuals, writers,journalists, sympathizers and professionals from various other fields that would act as a catalyst in bringing the Government of India and the rebel Ulfa to the negotiating table. In a sate level convention held in Guwahati on 24th of April 2010,the forum passed a set of resolutions to expedite the peace process between Government and the ULFA. These resolution include sending an 11-member team to Delhi to put pressure on the Centre to hold talk with ULFA at an earlier date. The convention resolved to urge both government and ULFA to come forward for talk without any condition. Moreover, the convention in a resolution demanded immediate release of ULFA leaders for from jail.According to the Indian Army sources, the total strength of ULFA is around 3,000, while various other sources put the figure ranging from 4,000 to 6,000. A military wing of the ULFA, the Sanjukta Mukti Fouj (SMF) was formed on 16 March 1996. SMF has three full-fledged battalions: the 7th, 8th and the 709th. The remaining battalions exist only on paper at best they have strengths of a company or so. Their allocated spheres of operation are as follows:
7th Bn (HQ-Sukhini) is responsible for defence of General Head Quarter (GHQ).
8th Bn - Nagaon, Morigaon, Karbi Anglong
9th Bn Golaghat, Jorhat, Sibsagar
11th Bn Kamrup, Nalbari
27th Bn Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Kokrajar
28th Bn Tinsukia, Dibrugarh
709th Bn Kalikhola
In the past decade nearly 2,5000 (approximate) militants, including about 200 women cadres have surrendered to the government.
See also
- SULFASULFASULFA, short for Surrendered ULFA, i.e. members of the United Liberation Front of Asom that surrendered to the government.Beginning with 1990, the Government of India has attempted to wean away members of ULFA. In 1992 a large section of second rank leaders and members surrendered to government...
- Sanjukta Mukti FoujSanjukta Mukti FoujSanjukta Mukti Fouj is the military wing of the banned outfit ULFA in Assam, India. It was formed on March 16, 1996. It has three full-fledged battalions – the 7th, 28th and 709th with allocated spheres of operation in HQ- Sukhni, Tinsukia/Dibrugarh and Kalikhota respectively...
- Enigma ForceEnigma ForceEnigma Force or Enigma Group is an exclusive and near autonomous striking group of the banned outfit ULFA. It is known to a few top leaders of the outfit and the cadres were isolated from the others. It was designed for hit and run type of operations...
- People's Consultative GroupPeople's Consultative GroupThe People’s Consultative Group was a citizen’s group in Assam constituted by ULFA to initiate the talk process as mediator between the central government and the outfit itself. It was constituted on September 8, 2005 with 11 members in it.It was dissolved by ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa on the...
- List of top leaders of ULFA
- List of terrorist organisations in India
- DULFA
- Bhomita TalukdarBhomita TalukdarBhomita Talukdar alias Deepali was the organizational secretary of the Women’s Wing of ULFA, the outlawed terrorist outfit of Assam. She is also the wife of Arun Mahanta, a hardcore ULFA militant of Barpeta. She was arrested on Aug. 7, 2003, by the troops of Red Horns Division from the village...
External links
- Bloody Tea - Program on Aljazeera telecast beginning May 30, 2007. On YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
: Part 1, Part 2. Retrieved 2007-12-29. - http://sandhikhyan.org/
- Report on the most recent ULFA attack on poor migrant workers, January 2007
- ULFA home page
- "ULFA cadres went to Pak via Bangla for training in explosives, say Assam cops" - article in Yahoo! India News dated June 15, 2006
- "Media gag must go, journalists tell ULFA" - article in Yahoo! India News dated June 15, 2006
- "'Respect right to freedom of expression':Media to ULFA" - article in Yahoo! India News dated June 15, 2006
- "Assam on Red Alert following fresh ULFA strike" - article in Yahoo! India News dated June 12, 2006
- "Market blast kills at least 4 in Indian northeast" - article in Yahoo! India News dated June 12, 2006
- Assam: GlobalSecurity.org
- ULFA - Terrorist Group from Assam from South Asia Terrorism Portal
- "Bomb kills 10 at India Independence Parade" - article in New York Times dated August 15, 2004
- http://pti.news.ueltv.org/2009/12/03/National/ULFA-RAJKHOWA/Delhi
- United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) - Terrorist Group of Assam - South Asia Terrorism Portal