TRIPURA REBELS USING WOMEN TO LURE YOUTH

September 3, 2004 - (IANS) Struck by mass desertions, an influential tribal separatist group in India's restive northeastern state of Tripura has been trying to recruit local youths through pretty women.

The outlawed All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) has of late come up with the ingenious ploy to lure young tribal youths into joining the outfit by distributing CDs in remote villages showing pretty girl cadres in their jungle bases.

"We have unearthed this recent modus operandi of the ATTF trying to recruit young boys from interior villages by flooding CDs showing young and lovely tribal girls frolicking in camps alongside their male cadres," said a senior police official in Tripura's state capital Agartala.

"The idea is to entice the youths into joining the outfit in the hope of unlimited fun and romance inside the jungles."

The ATTF, fighting for an independent tribal homeland, have suffered heavy reverses in recent months at the hands of counter-insurgency troops with their cadre strength depleting.

"During the past six to eight months, the ATTF has become disorganised with many cadres surrendering under pressure from security forces and quite a large number deserting due to differences in opinion with their leadership," the official said.

"The rebel leaders are now desperate to recruit fresh cadres and hence such sleazy ideas to woo young boys."

Another rebel group, the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) tried similar tactics last year to keep the male cadres in good humour by raising a women's army.

Unfortunately for the NLFT top brass, however, the move backfired with many male cadres falling in love with the women rebel soldiers, getting married and fleeing the camps or surrendering before authorities.

Plagued by desertions, the NLFT leadership was forced to read the riot act to its lovelorn members -- not to fall in love and strictly forbidding any physical relationships.

A faction of the NLFT has since entered into a ceasefire with New Delhi, although another splinter group remains in the jungles.

The ATTF and the NLFT operate from bases inside adjoining Bangladesh to carry out their hit-and-run guerrilla strikes on federal soldiers in Tripura.

More than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Tripura during the past two decades.

From: http://news.newkerala.com/india-news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=11318