Author: Subir Bhaumik
Publication: BBC News
Date: January 7, 2010
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8444889.stm
The leading separatist group in India's north-eastern
state of Assam has threatened to attack "illegal migrants" from
Bangladesh.
The announcement by the United Liberation
Front of Assam (Ulfa) came days after its top leaders were detained in Dhaka
and handed to India.
Ulfa rebels have attacked settlers of Bengali
origin, including leaders of minority groups, in the past.
They have fought for a separate Assamese homeland
since 1979.
"I appeal to the people of Assam to free
all our lands occupied by the illegal migrants from Bangladesh, Nepal and
Bhutan. If these illegals resist, they will be attacked," said Paresh
Barua, the military wing chief of Ulfa in an e-mailed message to the media.
Mr Barua warned of a series of attacks on
vital installations and security forces all across Assam, and said that those
who kill Ulfa members will face "dire consequences".
Ulfa was born out of popular discontent in
Assam about illegal migration from Bangladesh between 1979 and 1985.
But after it found shelter in Bangladesh in
the early 1990s, the group stopped attacking Bengali settlers, although it
continued to attack Hindi-speaking settlers who have come to live in Assam
from other parts of India.
Now that Bangladesh's Awami League-led government
has cracked down on Ulfa rebels and handed over several of its top leaders
to India, the rebel outfit is once again threatening to target migrants from
Bangladesh.
Analysts say this stance against illegal migration
- a perennially important issue in Assam - may also be a move on the part
of the rebels to regain popularity.
