India urges Myanmar to evict separatist rebels

INDIA: New Delhi has urged neighbour Myanmar to evict anti-India insurgent groups operating out of bases there, a foreign ministry statement here said.

"While welcoming Myanmar's commitment not to allow its territory to be used for activities inimical to India, (India's foreign) minister sought their continued and sustained cooperation in this regard," the statement said.

The issue was discussed at meetings between India's visiting foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee and Myanmar leaders in Yangon, said the statement, issued at the end of Mukherjee's three-day visit.

Indian intelligence officials say at least half a dozen separatist rebel groups, including the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and a faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, operate out of bases in Myanmar's northern Sagaing division.

Yangon has repeatedly assured New Delhi that it will not let Indian rebels operate from its soil. Last month, Myanmar launched a military crackdown against the Naga rebels with heavy fighting reported between Myanmarese troops and the guerrillas.

Meanwhile separatist rebels have stepped up their attacks against minority migrant workers in India's restive northeast, killing three people and injuring more than 20 in a string of blasts at the weekend, police said.

Two explosions rocked Assam state on Sunday, including one in a small market in the town of Bohori Bazaar that killed one person and critically wounded three others, said A. Ali, a local police officer.

Earlier Sunday, explosives packed on a motorbike blew up outside a railway station in western Assam, wounding three construction workers, said I. Das, another police officer.

Two explosions late Saturday, including one in the heart of Assam's Tinsukhia town, killed two people and wounded at least 15, the majority of whom were migrants, police said.

New Delhi, Monday, AP,AFP