Foreign Mercenaries Using Assam as Transit to Myanmar for Rebel Training
Foreigners Exploit Assam for Access to Myanmar
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Guwahati, April 2: In the North East region, certain states are designated as protected areas, requiring foreigners to obtain special permissions for entry. Reports indicate that foreign mercenaries are utilizing Assam as a transit point to access these regions before heading to Myanmar for training rebel forces.
Recently, authorities apprehended an American citizen along with six Ukrainians who had returned from Myanmar, where they were reportedly training rebel groups.
According to security officials, during the 1990s, nearly all states in the region, including Assam, were classified as protected areas. However, due to improvements in law and order, only Arunachal Pradesh remains under such restrictions, primarily due to its proximity to China.
In 2024, a British national was detained at Aizawl airport with ammunition, leading to revelations that foreign mercenaries were traveling to Myanmar. Consequently, Mizoram and Nagaland were reinstated as protected areas.
The recent arrests have confirmed that foreign mercenaries continue to access Myanmar via India. To evade detection, they opted not to fly directly to Mizoram but instead landed at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, where special permissions are no longer required for foreigners visiting Assam.
From Guwahati, the detained individuals traveled by car to Mizoram and subsequently crossed into Myanmar, taking advantage of the porous border. They were arrested for unlawfully entering a protected area without the necessary permissions.
During their interrogation, the detainees acknowledged their purpose in Myanmar was to provide training to rebel factions. They specifically trained members of the Kachin Independent Army (KIA) in drone warfare. It has been noted that foreign entities have been supporting Myanmar's rebel forces, but their use of Indian territory for access had gone unnoticed.
"While what occurred in Myanmar may not be India's direct concern, it is alarming that foreigners are exploiting the North East as a transit route. Additionally, they have breached laws by entering protected areas without valid permissions," sources stated.