Rebels accuse Indian intelligence

Many rebels have been imprisoned in a Port Blair jail

Thirty-four Burmese separatists facing trial in India on gun-running charges have accused Indian military intelligence of double-crossing them.

The Burmese - all members of the National Unity Party of Arakan (NUPA) - have submitted signed judicial statements in support of their case.

The statements say that six NUPA leaders were shot in the remote Andamans islands in 1998.

They allege that the the men were killed after being framed.

The Indian military says that the rebels were in fact arrested for gun-running and some of their leaders were killed in a clash with the security forces.

The rebels say that Indian intelligence maintained close relations with them until Delhi's relations with the military government in Burma began to improve.

"All the rebels have signed statements giving graphic details about working for Indian military intelligence for nearly 10 years, after which were asked to come to Landfall islands in the Andamans and then framed on false charges of gun-running, while six of their leaders were killed in cold blood by the Indian army," said Siddharth Agarwal, one of the defence lawyers for the rebels.

The rebels say that they went to Landfall islands after an intelligence official promised NUPA leaders a sanctuary and training facilities in their fight against the Burmese military government.

They said that on reaching the islands, six of their leaders including their "Commander-in-Chief" Khaing Raza were blindfolded and taken away by the Indian soldiers. The remainder were imprisoned.