Guwahati, Sept. 23: Ulfa, with the help of Kachin rebels, has shifted its bases and training camps from Bangladesh to Kachin in eastern Myanmar.

Army intelligence sources said there was credible information that Ulfa had set up camps in Kachin jointly with militant groups of Manipur like the People’s Liberation Army and the United National Liberation Front.

Ulfa has made the move with the help of Kachin rebels, mainly the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which is in ceasefire with the military junta in Myanmar, they added.

“It is back to square one for Ulfa. During its initial days, the outfit had its training camps in Kachin but later shifted to Bangladesh. Now, the outfit is back to Kachin, which is indeed disturbing news for us,” a source said.

Reports of the shift came amid information of Ulfa making occasional forays into Bhutan for temporary shelter.

There are nearly3,000 Ulfa cadres and their family members in the Myanmar camps. Of these, 1,200 to 1,500 are trained cadres. Sources said these camps were located deep inside Myanmarese territory.

The source said the People’s Liberation Army of China is suspected to have facilitated the move by Ulfa to set up camps in Kachin. China is believed to have considerable influence on the Kachin rebels. “It is widely believed that China had played a role in brokering the ceasefire between Myanmar’s (military) junta and KIA and that’s how China exercises influence over the KIA.”

The source said since the KIA was in ceasefire, the possibility of the Indian Army and Myanmar’s military launching a joint offensive to flush out Northeast rebels was almost ruled out.

“Another major camp run by Ulfa and Manipur insurgent groups is located at Bokkun in Myanmar (on the other side of the international border adjacent to Ukhrul district of Manipur),” he added.

The source said Ulfa had a two-pronged strategy behind shifting its bases from Bangladesh. “One, the present government in Bangladesh is viewed as pro-India. Another reason is that Ulfa is trying to move closer to China in a bid to pile pressure on India to sit for talks with sovereignty as a core issue,” he added. “There is only a handful of Ulfa cadres in Bangladesh. All their top leaders have moved out of that country.”

Ulfa is said to be using the camps of the NSCN’s Khaplang group in Sagaing division of Myanmar for transit and logistical support.

“We have information about some top Ulfa leaders visiting Kunming in China’s Yunnan province from Bangladesh in the guise of traders under the cover of Bangladesh-China trade treaty,” the source said.

“They have travelled to China mainly to seal arms deals as Ulfa is procuring cheap Chinese-made arms and ammunition. We do not have any evidence of Chinese government directly aiding Ulfa but the possibility of some Chinese army officers at the divisional level extending help to Ulfa can’t be ruled out,” he added.