Passports of their choice

The two NSCN leaders travelled to Geneva on Bangladeshi passports. The relative ease with which the NSCN cadres have been able to travel around Europe has always baffled the Government. Even for the official talks the IB had offered to “facilitate the passage” but it was scorned by the NSCN leaders who take great pride in their `Robinhood-like movement’.

Earlier, several NSCN members used Thai travel papers but now, it seems as if Bangladesh is the country of choice. The matter has been taken up by the Government at the highest levels and it seems that Bangladesh has agreed to examine the

matter of passports.IB officials, who are in regular touch with the NSCN, say that this uncanny ability to move across borders virtually at will is peculiar to the NSCN amongst all the militant movements in India. NSCN cadres are present all over Europe. On earlier occasions the IB `helped’ in the movement of some of the NSCN leaders but the nudge-and- wink policy seems to have come to end now. Predictably, the end of the policy has not resulted in the discomfiture of the NSCN leaders who have acquired great expertise in crossing the border.