The Far East still remains the main source of arms for assorted insurgent groups operating in Indias northeast and parts of Myanmar. Rangong island off the cost of Thailand is the resting point for arms that originate from Cambodia and take the sea route through the Andamans to the major receiving point at Coxs Bazar in Bangladeshs southern-most tip. The small town in Bangladesh is so strategically located that the arms coming in from the high seas can easily be transported overland into both Indias northeastern states and Myanmar. Indeed, the Arakan Army and its ally against the Myanmarese military junta, the Chin National Army (another ethnic insurgent group), continue to ship arms through this trusted and time-tested route even now, intelligence sources in the northeast say.
According to intelligence operatives, as recently as January, a large consignment of arms meant for the National Liberation Front of Tripura had reached the Chittagong hill tracts in Bangladesh but a timely tip-off prevented the arms from flowing into the northeast. Even in late 1999, at least two such shipments had come through the Andaman seas meant for the northeast insurgent groups. Although the cooperation between the Myanmarese military and the India army has increased of late, the lack of vigil on the seas following contradictory signals from the ministry of defence has meant that the arms reach Coxs Bazar without facing any hindrance. From thereon, it is easier to transport the arms in smaller caches to various destinations.
Although currently the security forces in the northeast are in an offensive mode and major insurgent groups like both factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland and the Bodo Liberation Tigers Force are observing a ceasefire with the government, the stockpile of arms in the region will continue to grow as long the sea route remains unplugged, army and intelligence officials point out. That the route needs to be closely monitored is accepted by everyone but whether the theory can actually be implemented in view of the confusion at the top remains to be seen.
