On March 27, the Druk Air flight from Delhi to Paro had a high-profile passenger. National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra was going to Thimpu to meet Bhutan's King Jigme Singhye Wangchuk. While the Ministry of External Affairs insists the visit was routine, there was an unmistakable urgency about Mishra's trip. He was carrying an unusually strong message for the king: the ULFA and Bodo camps based in south Bhutan had to go and soon. The next day, in a statement that went largely unnoticed, the Bhutanese Government announced its resolve to remove the insurgents' camps by June. The king, however, asked India for an undertaking that Bhutanese citizens would be protected from any backlash if the militants were forcibly evicted from Bhutan.

CATCH 22: King Wangchuk (top) is finding it difficult to get the heavily armed ULFA cardes (above) to leave Bhutan

Mishra's prod to the Bhutan Government assumes greater significance because if there is one neighbour with which India has excellent relations, it is Bhutan. The Indian Government is loath to mar the good ties in any way. So far, it has lived with the fact that ULFA and Bodo militants are using Bhutan's territory for indulging in anti-India activities. Every time the king has promised to evict the militants from his country, the Indian Government has taken him at his word.

The problem started in 1990 when the king invited ULFA to set up camps in Bhutan, largely to help him terrorise and evict Nepalese refugees, called the Lhotshampas. But it seems the king bit off more than he could chew when ULFA set up more than 33 camps in the dense forests of south Bhutan. Worse, Bodo and Naga militants also established camps in Bhutan.

To be fair, the king has been asking ULFA and Bodo leaders camped in southern Bhutan to leave without the kingdom having to resort to violence. The Bhutan National Assembly, the Tshogdu, had even threatened military action if the militants did not leave by December 31, 2001. ULFA responded half-heartedly by shutting down four camps last year. The king also visited the ULFA camps and met ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa in 2002. Recently, the Tshogdu asked the Government to hold one more round of talks with ULFA to ensure its exit. Nothing happened.

GENESIS OF THE PROBLEM

In 1990, the king invited ULFA to set up camps in Bhutan.

ULFA set up more than 33 camps. Bodos and Nagas followed.

India protested and Bhutan promised to evict the insurgents.

On March 27, India repeated its demand that camps be closed.

Bhutan has now promised to remove the militants by June.

In fact, there are indications that more camps are being set up. ULFA has reportedly opened a new camp on a mountain ridge above the Samdrup-Jongkar-Tashigang highway. Also, it is not clear whether they actually dismantled four camps last year or merely merged them with others. Evicting the heavily armed ULFA cadres is easier said than done and there are doubts whether the Royal Bhutan Army and the country's police, though trained by India, are up to the task. Both countries are hesitant to use the joint operations route, but India now believes there might be no alternative.

ULFA cadres regularly escape to Bhutan after carrying out terrorist attacks in Assam. They have also been receiving arms from southeast Asia through Bangladesh. These arms could spread instability in the region. Besides, jehadi groups that have set up shop in parts of Assam bordering Bhutan have stepped up their activities.

India's security interests are clearly at stake, which is why the Indian Government felt that a meeting between Mishra and the king would clear the air. There is no appetite in Delhi for a Big Brother approach towards Bhutan. Instead, India is likely to continue treating Bhutan with kid gloves lest it pushes a friendly neighbour closer to China. Although Bhutan and China do not have diplomatic ties, Bhutanese legislators recently alarmed Delhi by suggesting that Bhutan take Chinese help to evict the insurgents. It seems Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee will have a lot to talk about with the Bhutanese king during his forthcoming visit to the Himalayan Kingdom.

-Indrani Bagchi.