India: Maoists Manufacturing AK Rifles

This article was published in Times of India on January 18, 2010.

Maoists develop tech to clone AK series rifles

NEW DELHI: Maoists may have been dependent on weapons looted from armouries but now they have developed the expertise to clone sophisticated weapons, including assault rifles of AK series, in a development that should worry security agencies as they brace for the offensive against the ultras.

Security agencies came across the Maoists’ innovative skills last week when a CRPF team busted an arms manufacturing unit in forests close to Gobardaha village in Chatra district in Jharkhand and recovered a number of ‘duplicate’ AK-47 and AK-57 rifles of “high standard”.

The CRPF also seized as many as 59 different types of instruments, which were used to manufacture and assemble these rifles and various types of pistols. An official said, “Around 100 personnel of the CRPF’s 190th Battalion conducted the operation and arrested one Maoist. Though the rest of the ultras fled away, they left behind the instruments used in making not only duplicate AK series rifles but also pistols of different makes.”

Nepal Army Takes Aim at the Young Communist League

This article was published on Nepal News on January 17, 2010.

YCL more dangerous for peace process than combatants in cantonments: NA

Nepal Army (NA) has concluded, the Unified CPN (Maoist) has not renounced its military character and that its youth wing, the Young Communist League (YCL) is more dangerous to the ongoing peace process than the combatants staying in cantonments, Kantipur daily reported.  NA top brass reached such conclusion after analysing reports collected from various places by its intelligence wing and the recent remarks of some Maoist leaders.

‘The activities going on at local level is in line with Maoist chairman’s recent expression that the party’s final goal is to capture state power by people’s revolt,’ said a Major General present at the meeting. ‘This can be a threat to the peace process.’

According to information collected by Department of Military Intelligence (DMI), there are about 6000 full-time cadres, most of them former combatants, in YCL and they have about 1000 guns with them.  Altogether, there are 100,000 members throughout the nation with 30,000 of them active.

DMI had collected the information by mobilising its local units in some places including Udaypur, where YCL had decided to transform itself to a para-military squad and formed platoons of 45 members.  An army officer said, ‘Going by the recent activities of the YCL, they are more dangerous to the peace process than the combatants in the cantonments.

According to the source, CoAS Gurung has already informed the Prime Minister and the defense minister about this. The report says, NA has also informed Joint Monitoring and Coordination Committee on arms and army, which comprises representatives of the government, the Maoists and the UN.

Nepal Army Runs 80 Truckloads of Indian Arms Across the Border

This article was published by Nepal News on January 16, 2010.

UCPN (Maoist) claims NA imported arms; NA refutes

The Unified CPN (Maoist) has claimed Nepal Army (NA) brought a large quantity of arms and ammunition from India through the Sunauli border Thursday night. NA has refuted the Maoist claim saying the vehicles, brought with Indian support, were empty.

Bam Dev Chhetri, UCPN (Maoist) central committee member and sub-incharge its Awadh Madhes Rajya Samiti, organised a press conference in Butwal, Friday and accused the government of breaching the Comprehensive Peace Agreement by importing the arms.

Chhetri said 30 trucks loaded with INSAS Rifles and bullets, 50 trucks and eight Jeeps with green (allocated for tourism related industry) unmarked number plates, four Mahindra Jeeps, two ambulances, one fire brigade and one crane have entered Nepal  through Sunauli border Thursday night and are kept at the no. 22 Brigade of Nepal Army in Butwal.

Army officers have said, they received the vehicles from India as part of military aid, but none of them contained guns and bullets. We had already informed the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC) on arms and army about the vehicles, said Major Ashok Gurung of NA’s Public Relations Department. 
The JMCC also includes representative from the Maoists.

[The question remains:  Why would the Nepal Army run a convoy of 80 empty trucks from India to Nepal?]