‘For their relentless and resolute struggle for our revolution these men will be remembered in the history of our revolution. We honour them and recognize them now’, KNU Central Committee member Pado Saw Ah Toe said during the ceremony.

Ten of the rebels were KNU members and 24 were from National United Party of Arakan (NUPA).

One of the ethnic Rakhine rebels, Khai Soe Naung, said, ‘No prison is good. I hope people will work for the release of political prisoners languishing in Burmese prisons as they did for us’.

During the ceremony, organized by Burmese pro-democracy forces in India, Chief of Mission for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Monserrat Feixas Vihe said, ‘The mission of the UNHCR is to protect and provide help to refugees, and we did that in helping these individuals by securing their release and their safe arrival here’.

The Indian Navy arrested the 36 freedom fighters on February 11, 1998. Two escaped from custody and their whereabouts are not known. Thirty-one of the remaining 34 were released from Kolkata Prison on May 19, 2011. Three will be released soon.

Indian officers lured the rebels to Landfall Island in the Andaman Islands more than 13 years ago. Six revolutionaries were murdered in cold blood and the remaining 36 languished behind bars.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charged them with illegal entry into Indian maritime territory and possession of arms and explosives, claiming that the arms and explosives were destined for insurgents in Northeast India.

‘The main culprit in this conspiracy was Lieutenant Colonel Grewal. I don’t want to put blame on either the Indian government or the entire Indian intelligence apparatus for the conspiracy’, said National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma Information Minister Dr. Tint Swe.

The 31 former rebels are currently living in New Delhi as refugees under the protection of the UNHCR.