A scene after a military convoy was attacked by an unidentified insurgent outfit first with a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killing at least 20 army personnel and injuring 11 others in Manipur’s Chandel district on June 4. (Source: PTI Photo) A scene after a military convoy was attacked by an unidentified insurgent outfit first with a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) killing at least 20 army personnel and injuring 11 others in Manipur’s Chandel district on June 4. (Source: PTI Photo)

Days after the deadly attack in Manipur’s Chandel district, it is now emerging that India gave Myanmar phone intercepts and location details of at least two officials from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), who were reportedly in touch with the top leadership of insurgent group, NSCN-Khaplang, suspected to be behind the killing of 18 Armymen.

Officials said the information was shared two months ago, and that the matter would be taken up with Myanmar again.

According to a senior government official, the insurgent group, which abrogated its ceasefire pact with the Centre in March this year, did so following instructions from the PLA.

The meeting was held in New Delhi on April 10-11. It was attended by Ministry of External Affairs, Union Home Ministry and officials from Myanmar.

“We held a meeting with our Myanmar counterparts in April this year and handed over intercepts of phone conversations between two PLA officials and Khaplang, the leader of the insurgent group. In the said intercept, the Chinese PLA official asks SS Khaplang about his health, tells him to relax and asks him to learn Chinese language,” a senior government official said.

Sources said that officials also took up the issue of “opium cultivation and trade” being done by insurgent groups like NSCN-Khaplang, ULFA and KLO in Myanmar’s Kachin province.

“The insurgent groups are running transport business and opium trade in Myanmar and we have even handed over their photographs,” the official said, quoting intelligence inputs and adding that leader of the hardline faction of ULFA, Paresh Baruah, also convinced Khaplang to snap the ceasefire agreement with Centre. He further claimed that Baruah, too, was acting on instructions from some senior officials of PLA.

Khaplang and Baruah are believed to often shuttle between Taga (Myanmar) and Ruili and Kunming — both in China’s Yunnan province — and are reportedly in regular touch with Chinese officials.

Intelligence inputs also suggested that a former officer of PLA has set up a factory of assault rifles in Myanmar’s Kachin province and a majority of the arms produced there are being supplied to militants of the Northeast, including NSCN-Khaplang.

The official said that the arms manufacturing unit is located at Pangwa, along the Sino-Myanmarese border, and has been set up by a former PLA officer, Muk Yan Pau Huan, along with former leader of Burmese Communist Party, Tin Ying.

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