| INCIDENT
2011
- March 4: Arunachal Indigenous Peoples Union (AIPU)
observes that 'Greater Nagalim' demand by the NSCN-IM
is a greater threat to Arunachal territorial integrity
compared to the oft-repeated Chinese claims over the
state. In a statement, the union viewed the Nagalim
issue seriously in the backdrop of the peace talks
going on at New Delhi between the Government of India
and NSCN-IM leaders.
- March 16: Concerned over the recent letter issued
by NSCN (K) to all the legislators of insurgency-hit
Tirap and Changlang districts in Arunachal Pradesh,
the Society for Promotion of Nocte Indigenous Culture
(SoPNIC) urges the State Government to start a dialogue
process with various rebel outfits operating in these
districts. The letter, reportedly signed by NSCN (K)
chief S S Khaplang, directed all the 12 MLAs to withdraw
support from the Dorjee Khandu Government or else
face dire consequences. The organization urged the
NSCN (K) to withdraw the letter and requested it to
resort to other democratic means to hammer out the
differences amicably.
- April 30: A helicopter with Arunachal Pradesh Chief
Minister Dorjee Khandu on board goes missing after
taking off from Tawang.
- May 1: The helicopter carrying Arunachal Pradesh
Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and four others remains
untraced for the second day as inclement weather hampered
a massive ground and aerial search involving Sukhoi
war planes, several choppers and satellite imagery.
- May 1: External Affairs Minister SM Krishna speaks
to Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Thinley seeking
assistance in the search operations.
- May 2: The helicopter carrying Arunachal Pradesh
Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, reported missing since
Saturday, remains untraced for the third day. Authorities
zeroed in on three probable locations to track down
the chopper, officials said. The three possible locations
where the helicopter might have landed or crashed
are - Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and Nagajen in
the State's West Kameng district, and the small village
of Mobi in Trashiyangtse district of Bhutan.
- May 3: A wave of strong resentment grips the civil
society in Arunachal Pradesh as the helicopter with
Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu and four others still
remains untraced for the fourth day.
- May 4: Family members reach the site of the helicopter
crash and identify the body of Arunachal Pradesh Chief
Minister Dorjee Khandu.
- June 26: Four Chinese nationals, including a woman,
are arrested from Pango village of Upper Siang district
for traveling without valid documents.
- August 17: A joint police team from Arunachal Pradesh
and Assam arrests four Maoists from Mahadevpur area
under Namsai circle of Lohit district.
- February 1: Over 40 guns are looted by a mob from
an arms shop in Arunachal Pradesh and a student was
injured during a clash between students and a CRPF
patrol. According to police, a CRPF personnel on patrol
duty had an altercation with a group of tribal students
and this snowballed into a clash with both sides exchanging
fire last evening. Forty-one Smooth Bore Breech Loading
guns were looted by the mob from an arms shop at Daporizo,
headquarters of Upper Subansiri district, during the
clash.
- February 2: “India is strengthening security
set-up in Arunachal Pradesh to enhance its deterrent
capability but there was no question of militarisation
of the North-eastern state”, Defence Minister
A K Antony. “...We are strengthening our security
set-up in all areas including Arunachal Pradesh because
it is a part of India ... integral part of India,”
Antony told.
- March 31: Twelve NSCN cadres including a woman
cadre, surrender before 19 Assam Rifles at Khonsa
in Tirap district.
- April 11: Arunachal Pradesh sounds a maximum security
alert following reports that cadres of an influential
Myanmarese guerrilla group have infiltrated into the
region to create a safe-corridor for Northeast India’s
separatist groups to set up bases in China. Arunachal
Pradesh Home Minister Tako Dabi tells the media that
there were definite intelligence inputs about ethnic
guerrillas of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) from
adjoining Myanmar infiltrating into the State’s
Changlang district in recent weeks. “It could
be possible that the KIA rebels are here to forge
links with various militant groups active in the Northeast
and then help create a corridor through Myanmar to
set up bases in China,” the Home Minister said.
The KIA is the military arm of the Kachin Independence
Organization (KIO), a political group of ethnic Kachins
in northern Myanmar and stretching up to Yunnan province
in China. The KIA formed in 1961 in response to a
military coup in Myanmar led by General Ne Win, who
attempted to consolidate Myanmarese control over regions
on the periphery of the state which were home to various
ethnic groups. Originally the KIA fought for independence,
but now the official KIO policy goal is for autonomy
within a federal union of Myanmar. The Home Minister
said the KIA controls large part of northern Myanmar
- a region where up to a half-a-dozen Indian separatist
groups from the restive Northeast have well entrenched
bases under KIA’s direct patronage. The Home
Minister said two of Assam’s main militant groups,
the NDFB and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA),
besides two other influential separatist groups from
adjoining Nagaland — the Isak-Muivah faction
and the SS Khaplang group of the National Socialist
Council of Nagaland — have presence in Arunachal
Pradesh.
- May 15: There is no trace of high-ranking Maharashtra
forest officer Vijay S Bardekar who was allegedly
kidnapped by suspected Bodo militants in Arunachal
Pradesh, where he was on a vacation, a minister said.
"Chief Minister Ashok Chavan is in regular touch
with his counterparts in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
So far we have no information on the whereabouts of
the missing officer," Forest Minister Patangrao
Kadam said. He said efforts are being made by the
state governments and security agencies of Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh to track down Bardekar, who was
allegedly kidnapped on May 10. Bardekar, in his early
50s, is an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of
the 1984 batch and is currently posted as joint director
(administration) in the Social Forestry Directorate
in Pune.
- May 24: A Chinese national, who infiltrated into
Arunachal Pradesh from across the border, is arrested
by the police suspecting him to be a spy and remanded
him in custody at Tezu police station. Sleuths from
the RAW, SIB and Army intelligence have come to interrogate
him. Identified as Guan Liang (28), the Chinese national
was arrested by local police on May 18 at 28th Mile,
a few km from Tezu, headquarters of Lohit district.
The Chinese was reportedly on his way to Sadiya in
Assam when he was arrested. DSP Manik Gogoi said that
Liang had been arrested under Section 14 of the Foreigners
Act for travelling without any passport and valid
documents. “Though Liang is a Chinese (Han),
he speaks fluent English. Besides, he knows map reading,”
said Gogoi, and added: “He is highly suspected
to be a Chinese spy.” Talking to The Sentinel
at the Tezu police station, a tired-looking Guan,
however, denied that he was a Chinese spy. He claimed
that he escaped from his hometown because he did not
agree to the policies of the Chinese Government. Stating
himself as a strong supporter of Linzhao, he urged
this correspondent to go through the history of Linzhao
(1932-1968).
- May 25: Keeping up with the relentless drive against
the undergrounds operating in Tirap in Arunachal Pradesh
19 Assam Rifles and the district police apprehend
3 hardcore cadres of NSCN (IM) and four OGWs in a
daring operation in Khonsa. The apprehended cadres
include SS Sgt Maj Athot; the area commander of Khonsa.
His interrogation led to another search operation
and two hardcore overground workers were apprehended.
Roshanlal Meena, a local businessman, was the major
conduit for the cadres as he collected tax on behalf
of NSCN (IM). A large number of mobile phones were
recovered from the cadres and the OGWs including Roshanlal
Meena.
- May 25: Guan Liang, the Chinese national who is
under Tezu police station seeks political asylum from
the Indian government. The 28-year-old Chinese, who
was arrested yesterday suspecting to be a Chinese
spy, does not want to go back to China fearing persecution.
- May 28: The NDFB militant Khageswar Basumtary alias
Rahul Brahma, accused of involvement in an explosion
in Guwahati in 2008, is handed over to a joint team
of CBI and Assam Police by the Arunachal Pradesh police.
The six-member team came to the Lower Subansiri district
headquarter to take custody of the 25-year-old militant,
who allegedly parked an explosive-laden car at Panbazar
in Guwahati. The blast killed eight persons and injured
30 others on October 30, 2008. Basumatary, along with
his wife were arrested at Ziro on May 27.
- March 31: Twelve NSCN cadres including a woman
cadre, surrender before 19 Assam Rifles at Khonsa
in Tirap district.
- April 11: Reports say that cadres of an influential
Myanmarese guerrilla group have infiltrated into the
region to create a safe-corridor for Northeast India’s
separatist groups to set up bases in China. Arunachal
Pradesh Home Minister Tako Dabi tells the media that
there were definite intelligence inputs about ethnic
guerrillas of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) from
adjoining Myanmar infiltrating into the State’s
Changlang district in recent weeks. “It could
be possible that the KIA rebels are here to forge
links with various militant groups active in the Northeast
and then help create a corridor through Myanmar to
set up bases in China,” the Home Minister said.
- May 24: A Chinese national, who infiltrated into
Arunachal Pradesh from across the border, is arrested
by the police suspecting him to be a spy and remanded
him in custody at Tezu police station. Sleuths from
the RAW, SIB and Army intelligence have come to interrogate
him. Identified as Guan Liang (28), the Chinese national
was arrested by local police on May 18 at 28th Mile,
a few km from Tezu, headquarters of Lohit district.
The Chinese was reportedly on his way to Sadiya in
Assam when he was arrested. DSP Manik Gogoi said that
Liang had been arrested under Section 14 of the Foreigners
Act for travelling without any passport and valid
documents.
- May 25: 19 Assam Rifles and the district police
apprehend 3 hardcore cadres of NSCN (IM) and four
OGWs in a daring operation in Khonsa. The apprehended
cadres include SS Sgt Maj Athot; the area commander
of Khonsa. His interrogation led to another search
operation and two hardcore overground workers were
apprehended. Roshanlal Meena, a local businessman,
was the major conduit for the cadres as he collected
tax on behalf of NSCN (IM).
- May 25: Guan Liang, the Chinese national who is
under Tezu police station seeks political asylum from
the Indian government. The 28-year-old Chinese, who
was arrested yesterday suspecting to be a Chinese
spy, does not want to go back to China fearing persecution.
- May 28: The NDFB militant Khageswar Basumtary alias
Rahul Brahma, accused of involvement in an explosion
in Guwahati in 2008, is handed over to a joint team
of CBI and Assam Police by the Arunachal Pradesh police.
The six-member team came to the Lower Subansiri district
headquarter to take custody of the 25-year-old militant,
who allegedly parked an explosive-laden car at Panbazar
in Guwahati. Basumatary, along with his wife were
arrested at Ziro on May 27.
- August 2: Thirty-seven militants of different outfits
surrender before the 25 Sector units of Assam Rifles
of the Dah Division in Tirap in Arunachal Pradesh.
The cadres – 23 from NSCN (K), 7 from NSCN (IM)
and 7 from ANLA – surrender with 21 pistols,
one M-16 assault rifle, one .22 Chinese rifle, one
9mm carbine, one revolver, seven grenades and 5 SBBL
guns, a press release stated.
- August 9: At least 30 people are injured in an ambush
laid by Chakma refugees at Diyun as they were returning
after attending a claims and objection hearing pertaining
to entry of refugees in the Electoral rolls. Allegedly,
several Chakmas waiting on the road between Diyun
and Namsai attacked the two buses in which the local
residents were traveling.
- August 9: The All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union
(AAPSU) declares a 12-hours state wide bandh in its
first phase of protest on August 15, the Independence
Day. It has demanded immediate deportation of the
refugees or else threatened to go on an indefinite
protest all over the state until the refugees are
deported.
- August 22: The Centre initiates steps for augmenting
security measures along the international border with
China and additional troops are being moved into the
bordering areas, while, a battalion of the Arunachal
Scouts has also been sanctioned. Talking to The Assam
Tribune, Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh,
Sanjoy Takam said that he, along with Arunachal Pradesh
Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu met Prime Minister and
the Defence Minister recently and discussed the situation
on the ground. He said that the Government of India
has sanctioned two additional divisions of the Army
to be deployed in Arunachal Pradesh for improving
vigil along the international border with China. One
division of the Army consists of around 10,000 to
12,000 personnel.
- August 23: Indefinite economic blockade against
Arunachal Pradesh enforced by the Naharkotiya regional
unit of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU)
and 11 other organizations at Joypore-Deomali Road
in Dibrugarh district enters the third day.
- August 23: The Dibrugarh district unit of Asom
Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) enforces
an economic blockade at Joypore Tiniali in protest
against the reported diktat from NSCN militants that
all Assamese living in Arunachal Pradesh should leave
Tirap district within 48 hours. However, there is
no official confirmation of the diktat of the militant
group.
- October 3: Arunachal Pradesh lodge a strong protest
with the Central Government over US-based Apple’s
latest iPhone4 containing maps depicting Arunachal
Pradesh as part of Chinese territory. According to
reports, the latest smartphone launched in China contains
maps showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of China. “This
is yet another attempt at painting a wrong picture
on the territorial integrity of Arunachal Pradesh
and we strongly protest this nefarious design,” Takam
Sanjay, Congress party MP in the Lok Sabha from Arunachal
Pradesh, told IANS.
- October 7: The AR had apprehend a cadre of NSCN(IM)
Kamung Janti in Tirap district. He was involved in
extortion activities besides providing logistic support
and mobilising a group of 10-15 heavily armed cadres
in the circle. October 10: The All Assam Students'
Union (AASU) and the All Arunachal Pradesh Students'
Union (AAPSU) decide to jointly move the Government
of India as well as the governments of Assam and Arunachal
Pradesh to take effective steps for permanent solution
of the inter-state boundary disputes.
- October 11: Self-styled NSCN(IM) corporal Chingang
Lowang is apprehended by Assam Rifles in Tirap district
with two Chinese grenades and a diary.
- October 23: Three NSCN(IM) militants are apprehended
by security forces in insurgency-hit Tirap district
of Arunachal Pradesh. The 19 Assam Rifles (AR) stationed
at Khonsa, the district headquarters, in a joint operation
with State police nab one hardcore rebel of the outfit
from Deomali. At Longkhong village, a search operation
was launched after cordoning the area and self-styled
corporal Rockey alias Kiran Thapa was arrested.
- October 23: An online mapping service launched by
China to rival 'Google Earth' shows Arunachal Pradesh
and Aksai Chin as part China. The 'Map World' displayed
on the Internet in Chinese language, which is already
being used in I-phone and by mobile and Internet users
in Beijing, shows Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing
claims as "southern Tibet", as part of China.
The map makes no specific mention of southern Tibet
but its borders cover up to Arunachal Pradesh, said
the Indian officials in Beijing who studied the map.
- November 22: An NSCN-K cadre is arrested by Assam
Rifles from Chinsa village in Changlang district of
Arunachal Pradesh. Choyong Pangmi (21), who hails
from Lahon village in Myanmar is apprehended by personnel
of 25 Assam Rifles under Dah division. Five kilogram
of kani (opium) has also been seized from the possession
of the cadre. On being interrogated, the cadre revealed
that he was carrying the opium, grown in Myanmar,
to Changlang town for further distribution among local
drug peddlers. This is the tenth arrest of NSCN-K
cadre by security forces in the district in the past
10 months, the report said.
- Aug 7: Twenty-eight militants of various outfits
surrender before the Assam Rifles at Lekhapani near
Khonsa in Arunachal Pradesh. The surrendered militants
include 9 ULFA cadres, 8 AANLA cadres, 3 NSCN-IM,
6 NSCN-K and 2 NSCN-U cadres.
- September 21: According to sources, security forces
in Arunachal Pradesh are planning a massive anti-insurgency
operation to free Tirap district from the clutches
of the two NSCN factions.
- September 21: Twenty eight militants of different
militant groups surrender at the Assam Rifles Battalions
headquarters at Khonsa.
- October 12: Suspected NSCN (IM) militants abduct
16 Congress activists from Tirap district.
- October 15: Security forces and civil administration
in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh nabbed two
hardcore NSCN cadres on the Arunachal Pradesh polling
day on Tuesday. The 19 Assam Rifles had already arrested
five active cadres and four overground workers of
the NSCN in the last month, as part of the proactive
approach to ensure free and secure environment in
the district in the run-up to the Assembly polls in
that State.
- October 19: A delegation from Arunachal Pradesh,
led by Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, meets Prime Minister
Dr Manmohan Singh at New Delhi and categorically places
its objections to the reported dam proposed by the
Chinese on the Tsangpo river, known as Brahmaputra
in India, before the Prime Minister and called upon
the Union Government to take up the matter seriously
with Beijing. Though the delegation said it did not
mind a Run-of-the-River project on the Brahmaputra,
it expressed serious concerns on the reported dam
construction that would divert the entire river to
drier regions of China.
- October 20: China formally clarifies to India that
it is not building a dam over the Brahmaputra river
on its side, according to Arunachal Pradesh Chief
Minister Dorjee Khandu. "The prime minister assured
us that there was no dam being constructed over the
Brahmaputra by China. In fact, Beijing had formally
communicated this to the Indian government," Khandu
said on telephone from New Delhi.
- October 20: Arrest of five youths by West Siang
district police. Thearrest exposes the sinister designs
of NSCN (IM) to rejuvenate the almost dead National
Liberation Council of Taniland (NLCT) by supplying
arms to trained youths from Arunachal Pradesh. Highly
placed sources informed The Sentinel Arunachal that
one of the arrested youths in the manhunt at Aalo,
Tayum Ruti, is a trained ultra of the erstwhile NLCT.
He underwent a rigorous training of 3 months 26 days
at Mnt Glit in Nagaland, about 40 kms from Dimapur,
under the NSCN (IM) and passed out in January this
year.
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