The Northeastern rebels are now on the hunt for top quality branded weapons. They have also increased the extortion rate by 20 to 30% to fund purchase of such weapons. For more than four decades, Northeastern militants belonging to different outfits have been relying on Chinese copies of firearms such as Kalashnikovs. These are suitable for their hit and run operations. But a new crop of rebels has come up who would rather use the branded stuff. While the AK series assault rifles are still popular because of their easy availability, their sales graph has gone down in the past few months. In Meghalaya, the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) is reported to be replacing AK 47s with German and Austrian rifles. The police in Guwahati have arrested people with a consignment of German and Italian weapons. These weapons were bought in Dimapur after being smuggled from Myanmar. It is obvious that Naga rebels have them. The rebels are also into gun-running for Maoists and other criminals beyond the Northeast. The ULFA under Paresh Barua plays a big role in the game in South Asia.
Along with this is the rise in extortion rates. Guns have to be bought with huge sums of money. Estate owners, businessmen, petty traders and even politicians have to feel the pinch. Earlier this month, the ULFA collected Rs. 30 lakh from Debabrata Saikia, son of former Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia. The peace prospects in the Northeast are growing increasingly gloomy. The mounting instability in New Delhi has dampened hopes for successful negotiations between the Centre and the rebel bodies in the Northeast.