IMPHAL, April 17: Four cadres of the UPPK outfit have `surrendered` after 45 cadres including top cadres of the outlawed underground organization “United People Party of Kangleipak” (UPPK) crossing from Myanmar into Moreh surrendered to Manipur police commandos and 9 AR posted there on February 4 for the first time.
According to a source, commando officials and the authority of 9 AR posted at Moreh received the information that 6 cadres of UPPK would surrender to state security forces by crossing from their camps in Myanmar into the Indo-Mynmar border town from the evening yesterday.
Receiving the information, a team of police commando and 9 AR had been on the alert since yesterday. In the meantime, out of the six cadres of UPPK crossing into Indo-Myanmar border, four surrendered` to commando personnel who were waiting to `rescue` them.
The source continued that six cadres of UPPK hiding at different places of Myanmar came to surrender but two cadre stayed back along the way for treatment as they were ill. The four cadres came out along with a large wooden box when they crossed into the Moreh along the Indo-Myanmar border town. The box covered with a combat cloth contained AK series Rifles and M-16 rifles along with ammunition even as officials have refused to disclose the exact numbers of guns and ammunition brought along by the cadres. The names and other particulars of the four cadres have not been revealed yet.
Officials of 27 AR at Kakching Lamkhaiunder,28 sector AR and some leaders of the UG group who had already surrendered and who are housed at this said post are said to have participated when four UPPK cadres surrendered in the second phase.
According to the source, the total number of UPPK cadres who had been taking shelter in various places of Myanmar is 76. Of the total number, 45 cadres surrendered on February 4 and 31 cadres remained. Of the 31, four cadres surrendered today and there are now only 27 cadres staying in Myanmar.
It may be mentioned that UPPK was also a member of the CORCOM comprising Prepark, Prepark (Pro), KCP, KYKL, UNLF and RPF but CORCOM expelled UPPK following its move to go ahead with a peace process with the Manipur government and its surrender from November 2012.
45 cadres surrendered for the first time on February 4, a day after UPPK announced that it would not join the peace process by releasing a statement on February 3.