TAMIL TIGERS ARE HELPING ULFA TO SEPARATE ASSAM
FROM REST OF INDIA SAYS RESEARCH PAPER

(By Walter Jayawardhana)
The United Liberation Front of Asom, an insurgent movement attempting to separate the North Eastern Indian Province of Assam is being helped by Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in various ways reveals a research paper published in Thomas Paine's Corner in Kansas United States.
Thomas Paine's Corner ,published by the American Civil Libertarian's Party carried the research paper in its November 27 issue.
Written by Isha khan , a researcher on South Asian matters the article said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was actually introduced to the United Liberation Front of Asom insurgent group by the Pakistani Intelliegence Service, ISI(Inter Services Intelligence).
The research paper said that the LTTE, merchant navy transported large hauls of weapons from South East Asia and delivered them to the Assamese insurgents who are constantly working to free Assam from the rest of India.
Isa Khan said, 'The ISI has also trained ULFA terrorists in counter intelligence, disinformation and use of sophisticated weapons and explosives. Pakistan has facilitated the visits of Paresh Baruah and other ULFA leaders to Singapore , Thailand and other countries, and a channel for the transfer of funds and arms has been created. The ISI largesse enabled ULFA to buy arms in Cambodia, paying for these in hard currency routed through Nepal . The ISI also 'introduced' ULFA to LTTE transporters who, for a fee, undertook to transport arms from Southeast Asia into Myanmar. In April 1996, Bangladesh seized more than 500 AK-47 rifles, 80 machineguns, 50 rocket launchers and 2,000 grenades from two ships off Cox's Bazaar. Four Tamils were among those arrested.'
The LTTE is not only transporting weapons into India by its large merchant navy but also uses the same ships to supply weapons ammunition and explosives to bring those supplies to their own armies in Sri Lanka.
The Sri lankan Prime Minister now touring Vietnam, and from there to Laos and Cambodia is expected to use diplomacy to curb the LTTE's arms procurements in the region. Before this he did the same mission to Indonesia and requested the support of the jakarta government to apply restrictions on suspected arms dealers in the country.
Isha Khan's research paper revealed, that the Sri Lankan terrorists also trained the anti-Indian insurgents in explosive handling. It said, ''The group, '', had a rendezvous with a Chinese ship on the high seas in March 1995 during which a weapons' consignment was transferred to them. A further consignment ultimately landed up in Bhutan in 1999, though it was actually acquired in 1997. ULFA also runs profitable narcotics business in Myanmar and Thailand. A close nexus between ULFA and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had also been reported. The LTTE is reported to have trained various ULFA cadres in explosives handling.' (EOM)