The Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) is a small insurgent group in Manipur, India.  One of many separatist groups in the region, the KLA claims to be fighting for an independent Kuki state, but it is better known for a series of high-profile kidnappings for ransom money. <P><br /><br />With over 30 tribes native to the area, Manipur is one of India's most culturally diverse states.  Unfortunately, this diversity has led to decades of conflict which have cost the lives of thousands of people.  Since Manipur was incorporated into the Indian Union in 1949, a hodgepodge of ethnic Meiteis, Paites, Nagas, and Kukis have all waged war against the Indian government for separate independent states.  In addition, the various tribes have fought ferocious internecine battles amongst each other.  For their part, the Kuki inhabit the hill-country of Manipur as well as small areas of Bangladesh and Burma.  There are over a dozen separate Kuki insurgent groups in Manipur alone, with the goal of all these groups being an independent "Kukiland" state covering parts of Manipur and Burma.  <P><br /><br />Very little is known about the Kuki Liberation Army's history, structure, and capabilities.  Although significant enough to be banned by the Indian government, the KLA is relatively small compared to other Kuki insurgent groups.  The KLA is thought to be a splinter faction of the larger Kuki National Army (KNA), but the group's founding date and reasons for formation remain unknown.  <P><br /><br />Unlike most Manipuri insurgent groups, the KLA is not known for mounting substantial operations against Indian security forces.  Instead, the KLA has gained notoriety for several kidnappings, most notably the March 2003 abduction of Heinrich Wolfgang, a German NGO worker.  The KLA held Wolfgang for several weeks and demanded a ransom of 10 million rupees ($220,000).  The sum was never paid, but Wolfgang was released after a large amount of pressure from the general public, human rights groups, and even some other militant outfits.  The KLA denied that Wolfgang was being held for ransom, and publicly stated that they had kidnapped him to "draw the attention of some NGOs who were discriminating against Kukis in the distribution of funds."  At the time, numerous NGOs were operating in Manipur to aid civilians caught up in a vicious Kuki-Naga conflict.   <P><br /><br />Despite this claim, the KLA has been responsible for several other kidnappings where large ransoms were paid, targeting three engineers from a water supply company, the deputy director of a telecommunications company, and the young son of a Chief Minister.  These incidents and the apparent lack of operations against actual security personnel, suggest that the KLA are more concerned with the financial aspects of their operations than their fight for an independent state.<br />