Chinese arms from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu

give Kerala Naxals a boost

Written by: OneIndia Contributor-Wednesday,

December 10, 2014
The Naxalites appear to have raised their ugly head and this time the
concern is Kerala. The problem came to light when an incident in which
exchange of fire was reported by the police and Naxals at the Vellamunda
police limits at Waynad two days back.
The Naxals at Kerala have been lying low for some time and now there
appears to be a sustained effort on on their part to announce their return.
While Kerala has been successful in the past in combating this menace, it
appears that the Naxals have returned and are operating out of the forests
in Northern Kerala.

Writing on the wall

After the Naxals were beaten down in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, there
were warnings issued that there is a possibility of them moving into Kerala.
A large part of the command of the Naxals has in fact moved into Kerala
with an intention of strengthening the movement.
Kerala is already facing a problem of Islamic terror and now that the Naxals
have decided to raise their ugly head yet again it appears that the Kerala
police will have more issues on hand to deal with.
Huge supply of arms
As per several reports of the both the police and the Intelligence Bureau
available with Oneindia, it is clear that the Naxals have access to very
sophisticated arms and ammunition. There is no dearth of arms and they
have a free supply of the same thanks to unmanned ports in Tamil Nadu
from where the material is pushed in.

The Q branch in Tamil Nadu had in its report pointed towards smuggling
activity along the shores and had even pin pointed to one particular fishing
port in Koddikarrai from where most of the arms were being pushed in.
Arms come in major chunks and are then moved into the forests of Kerala
where it is picked up by Islamic terrorists and also Naxals, the police had
stated.
The Chinese connection
It has been noted in Intelligence files that some Chinese smugglers who
have set up their base in Sri Lanka are behind the supply of arms. These
smugglers are connected to two political families in both countries who
have ensured that no action is taken.
The Koddikarrai fishing port is one of the safest dens for smugglers to push
their arms. This port has witnessed smuggling since the pre-independence
era where smugglers from Sri Lanka would land at this port with opium and
take back beedis in exchange.
Today it has gone beyond beedis and opium and huge chunks of arms are
being smuggled in. Once it lands at this port it is then smuggled into Kerala
and dumped in the forests of Waynad.
Monetary gains
Earlier one would witness naxals using guns stolen from police stations to
carry out attacks. Today the arms have become extremely sophisticated and
they are capable of launching a sustained attack on the police force.
Officials says that the smugglers from Sri Lanka are running a full fledged
racket. The arms are not just used by the Naxals but they also earn major
chunks of money by sending them to different parts of the country.
Political patronage
While several decades back the Kerala government had took pride in itself
for putting an end to the Naxal movement, today there appears to be a slip

up which many would say is deliberate.

Naxals like the Islamic terrorists in Kerala have become political tools. In a
recent incident some naxals had put up a sticker which read CPI(M).
Although the veracity of this is being ascertained Intelligence Buerau
officials say that like in the case of Islamic terror, even the naxals are being
used for political gains.
Investigations have founded that political murders especially targeting the
RSS have been supported by grass root level political workers at the behest
of their masters on top.
Political patronage has not just led to the rise of the Naxal movement, but
has also ensured that Kerala became a hub of hooliganism, black money,
drug trafficking. However the worst precedent that was set in all this was
extreme levels of radicalism
Modus operandi
The Kerala government has now ordered massive combing operations in the
forests areas of Northern Kerala. Kerala has a special force known as the
Thunderbolt which carries out such operations with the assistance of the
local police.
The manner in which the Naxals are carrying out attacks would suggest that
the intention is to send a message rather than carry out a major attack
resulting in the loss of lives. This is just a start for them and if not curbed it
could get worse an officer informed.
Their presence is largely found in Mallapuram, Kannur, Attappadi and
Kozhikode. Ironically this is the same belt from where Islamic terror too has
been reported. The Naxals form gangs of five and tap villagers. During these
meetings the five members would brain wash villagers into joining them.
They would in turn tell the villagers to provide them with intelligence in case
of a police build up. They would also use threatening tactics to put forth
their point. It is the intelligence that they get from the ground level is what is

helping them dodge the police.

Most wanted
There is a list of 40 persons that has been put out by the police. These 40
persons who are all locals of Kerala are operating in various areas. They
ensure that they operate as a group of five only.
Among the top leadership are N Subramanium, P Pauran and Boby Thomas.
Home Minister's assurance
Ramesh Chennithala the home minister of Kerala assured the people that
the police were on the job. He said that the force is well equipped to combat
the problem. They are currently focusing in the forest regions and these
areas connect to both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu very easily. He also urged
the police of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to assist them in ending the
problem and pointed out that cooperation was the need of the hour.
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Topics: naxal, kerala, south india, karnataka, andhra pradesh, arms,
ammunition, violence Story first published: Tuesday, December 9, 2014,
10:44 [IST] Other articles published on Dec 9, 2014
Read more at: http://www.oneindia.com/feature/naxal-movement-in-keralaa-matter-of-concern-1586162.html