China will give only arms, Nagas told

Kohima: The Naga rebels have been told by China that while it would render them all possible assistance in arms and military training, they would have to do the fighting themselves whenever hostilities break out, according to a reliable source here.

This was one of the important messages China conveyed to the underground leadership when Thinu Selie returned earlier this year with some of the members of the group he had led to China about 15 months ago.

China has undertaken to train the rebels in all the tactics and strategy of modern guerrilla campaigns and also equip them with modern weapons suited to the terrain.

The training would be so comprehensive as to include details such as map reading, assembling and repairing of weapons, and planning of different phases of guerrilla campaign, the source added.

China has also agreed to share with the Nagas the experience of its fightings with the Indian Army during the 1962 aggression and also all the details it had gathered through the interrogation of prisoners of war.

To cover its reluctance to get personally embroiled in conflicts on Indian soil, China has explained to the rebel leaders that a guerrilla war never succeeded unless it was completely a native uprising.

It is learnt that in the light of the advice given by China, the underground set up has decided to send as many men as it can in small groups.