UPDS-Centre talks on July 10

Guwahati, July 5 (UNI) The United Peoples Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), a Karbi Anglong based militant group, will hold their sixth round of talks with the Centre on July 10 in New Delhi.

Official sources said as the first five rounds of negotiations remained inconclusive, the Union Home Ministry is likely to offer them some 'autonomy' in the line of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). The Asom government is also likely to take part in the talks.

The United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) was formed in March 1999 with the merger of two terrorist outfits in Asom's Karbi Anglong district, the Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) and Karbi People's Front (KPF).

The outfit has signed a cease-fire agreement for one year with the Union Government on May 23, 2002. However, this led to a split in the UPDS with one faction deciding to continue with its subversive activities while the other commenced negotiations with the Centre. Currently, there are two factions: pro-talks and anti-talks.

On May 16, 2004, the UPDS (Anti-Talks) rechristened itself as the Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) and its armed wing as the Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Resistance Force (KNPR). Kiri Rongphar was the founder 'chairman' of the outfit and Horen Singh was its 'supreme commander'. Both were arrested on October 22, 1999.

On August 22, 2002, UPDS 'commander-in-chief' Long Kumar Kiling died of injuries which he sustained during a feline attack in the forests of Karbi Anglong district. At present, two factions of the outfit operate under a different set of leadership.

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