Militant outfits in the northeast — the Manipur People’s Liberation Front (MPLF), the National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT), the Tripura People’s Democratic Front (TPDF), and the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB anti-talk faction) — on Wednesday said the people of the region engaged in “liberation struggle” felt “betrayed” by Bangladesh’s handing over of ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and other leaders to India.
In a joint statement e-mailed to local media, the outfits said: “It may be recalled that our region served as the much-needed rear base of the Bangladesh liberation war. The people of Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura provided generous shelters to hundreds of thousands of Bangladesh’s freedom fighters and now our region provides shelter for livelihood of hundreds of thousands of migrant Bangladeshis. It is, therefore, only natural that people of our region now engaged in liberation struggle feel betrayed in their hour of need by this act of the Bangladesh government.”
They, however, said they would not “in any way react in sentimental vengeance.” They expressed the hope that “the people of Bangladesh will have sympathy and support for our liberation struggle transcending their government’s contrary policies.”
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