AGARTALA, April 16: Bangladesh has agreed to hand over two Indians kidnapped by a group of Bangladeshi smugglers from Rajnagar village in South Tripura district yesterday, the SP South, Anurag, today said. This was decided today at a two-day commandant-level flag meeting between the BSF and Bangladesh Rifles near Rajnagar which concluded today, he said. (PTI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 17, 2000)

UDALGURI, April 17: A secret letter alleged to have originated from RSS, and circulated by an unknown source, has created confusion and fear psychosis among the people here in BAC area. The xeroxed leaflets encoded as a secret circulation of RSS were circulated first in Bodo Sahitya Sabha session at Simborgaon in Kokrajhar district and then in other parts of BAC area. The letter suggested to intensify activities to gather firearms and ammunities against the Muslims and SC, ST and OBC people. It was mentioned as circulated by the district level Brahmin Samaj of Palakkad in Madhya Pradesh. The page numbers in this printed leaflet in English were given in Brahmiscript. The leaflet carried a certain numbers of objectionable points against the Muslims and SC, ST and OBC communities. The leaflet suggested the local leaders to encourage the SC, ST and OBC and Muslim women to practise prostitution arrange to damage the physical and mental development of the school-going children belonging to SC, ST, OBC and Muslim communities, specially the children of Ambedkarites by feeding them foods and other edible items mixed with poison with the help of teachers, volunteers and food vendors, expedite visitation of riots against these communities and during riots the women of those communities should be gang raped mercilessly etc. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 18, 2000)

NEW DELHI, April 18: The Supreme Court today dismissed a writ petition filed by Navin Kalita challenging his detention under the NSA for his alleged links with the outlawed ULFA. A two-member bench of the apex court comprising justice KT Thomas and justice Roma Pal dismissing the writ petition said that the court would not go into the validity of the detention as it has already been revoked by the state government. As for his charge that he was arrested with mala fide, the court advised him to raise it at an appropriate forum and according to due procedure of law. The court refused go into the question of mala fide and abuse of power according to writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, informed the state government counsel, Vijay Hansaria. Kalita had filed a writ petition charging that his detention was illegal and abuse of power and was filed with mala fide intentions as he had challenged the Governor's refusal of permission to the CBI to prosecute Mahanta in connection with the multi-crore rupees LoC scam. However, soon after his detention under the NSA, the advisory board had in September 22, last recommended revocation of his detention and accordingly on November 12, the state government revoked the detention orders. But some-time in October, Kalita moved the Supreme Court filing a write petition challenging the Assam government. In his petition, he had besides the state government named the Chief Minister among others as respondents. Although his writ petition was dismissed today, he has a special leave petition (SLP) pending before the apex court, through which he had challenged the state Governor's verdict on the LoC scam. The SLP which has since been admitted by the Supreme Court also has the Chief Minister as one of the respondents. He has since filed his reply before the apex court. (Staff Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 19, 2000)

NEW DELHI, April 19: The Supreme Court today rejected a plea by AGP legislator Dilip Saikia Sonowal to quash the CBI charge against him in the multi-crore LoC scam. Saikia's contention was that he was not a public servant when the CBI chargesheeted him and therefore the proceedings against him cannot be initiated. He also contended that proper sanction was not obtained to prosecute him under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Counsel Ravinder Bhatt representing Saikia further claimed that charges against his client were yet to be framed complying that the trial court is yet to take cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the CBI against Saikia. Saikia was charged under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act for criminal conspiracy. He was charged with conniving with the prime accused. An ice-cream parlour, bought in the name of his wife in Mumbai was also shown as the part of the pay-off from the scam money. With this the trial will now take place in the Special court at Guwahati. (Staff Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 20, 2000)

AIZAWL, April 20: Mizoram home minister Tawnluia today submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Zoramthanga owning moral responsibility for the recent spurt in abductions by insurgents in the state. However, the resignation was not accepted by the Chief Minister. Tawnluia said that he had submitted his resignation last night in the wake of the three incidents of abduction in which nine people were taken away by two militant groups from across the state borders. "However the Chief Minister asked me this morning that he had not accepted my resignation and asked me to continue as before," he said here today. (PTI; The Indian Express; New Delhi; April 21, 2000)

GUWAHATI, April 20 - The Assam government has dissolved the interim Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) effective from April 17 last. The government notification in this regard has already been issued, informs the principal secretary of the autonomous council, L Rynjah. As per the notification, in absence of the interim council, a monitoring group comprising MLAs from BAC areas has been formed to monitor development works in the area under the autonomous council. The committee shall meet from time to time as may be required to make suggestions/recommendations in respect of development works. Rekha Rani Das Boro, MLA from Barama and the minister of social welfare will chair the meetings of the monitoring committee, official sources informed. Different Bodo groups including the ABSU, PDF had been demanding dissolution of the interim BAC Council alleging large-scale misuse of funds allocated to the Council. The Bodo leaders made this allegation even in the tripartite talks held with the Centre and the state government. The Union government had asked the state government to inquire into the allegation of misuse of funds by the interim Bodoland Autonomous Council. The dissolution of the interim BAC is a step forward for holding of election to the council in near future, it was informed by the Chief Minister, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta when contacted in New Delhi this evening. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 21, 2000)

GUWAHATI, April 21: Deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha Adhik Shirodkar entrusted yesterday Rajya Sabha MPs Arun Kumar Sarma and Shankar Roychowdhury to prepare a special note on the issue of entry of Bangladeshi nationals' names in the electoral rolls of Assam. The step from the Rajya Sabha deputy chairman came following the concern expressed by several members of the Upper House yesterday on the issue of large-scale entry of Bangladeshi citizens' names in the electoral rolls of the state. The discussion on the issue was initiated by Arun Kumar Sarma. Sarma was supported by Satish Chandra Sitaram Pradhan (Maharashtra), Eduardo Faleiro (Goa) and Shankar Roy Chowdhury (West Bengal). While initiating the discussion on the issue, Sarma drew attention of a newspaper report which referred to a Union home ministry finding about the majority status of the illegal migrants from Bangladesh in 36 legislative constituencies of the state. Sarma said that the situation is so alarming at present that the possibility of annexation Assam and other parts of the Northeast by Bangladesh as per the design of the ISI in the distant future can not be ruled out, if the issue is not dealt with in right earnest by the nation. It should not be left out as an emotional issue of the Assamese people, the AGP or the AASU, he said. The reality today is that one-third population of Assam, irrespective of their citizenship status, are migrants from Bangladesh. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 22, 2000)

GUWAHATI, April 21: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee is so far undecided over the recently tripartite move on the part of the Union government, state government and the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) to identify the indigenous people of the state taking the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the 1952 electoral rolls as the basic papers. Disclosing this at a press conference at the APCC headquarters at Rajiv Bhawan here this morning, APCC president Tarun Gogoi told newsmen that the Congress was not taken in to confidence by the parties concerned while arriving at an agreement on the issue. The Congress came to know about the agreement only from newspaper reports. However, the Congress is of the opinion that those people who 'accept Assamese language and culture as their own language and culture and Assam as their own land, should be treated as indigenous people of the state,' he said. But, when pointed out to the fact that the tripartite agreement favoured a cut-off year on the basis of the 1951 NRC and 1952 electoral rolls on the issue, he said, "We are not supporting the move to accept the 1951 NRC as a basic document for the purpose, as we were not consulted on the matter. The advocates of the move should have justified their grounds for accepting the document as the basic document on the issue before us to facilitate our exercises for a decision on it." When reminded that about a year back, he himself raised the demand, as the APCC president, that jobs etc should be reserved for the local people of the state, Gogoi said that he raised the demand in accordance with the statutory rules concerning the domiciles of the country. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 22, 2000)

SHILLONG, April 21: Elstone Kharkongor was administered the oath of office as parliamentary secretary here on Thursday. Meghalaya Chief Minister EK Mawlong administered the oath at a simple swearing-in function in the former's office chamber. The induction of Kharkongor, who belongs to the Peoples' Democratic Movement (PDM) which is again a part of the ruling coalition, came following the resignation of Methrona Marak from the post last week. (Special Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 22, 2000)

GUWAHATI, April 22: It seems that the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) is for accepting all those who crossed over to the Indian territory of Assam prior to March 25, 1971 as indigenous people of the state even as it is apparently taking recourse to some ambiguous statements. Though the APCC is yet to speak out its mind on the recent controversy over the definition of the indigenous people of the state, sparked off by the tripartite agreement among the representatives of the Union government, state government and the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) on the issue, APCC chief Tarun Gogoi was diplomatic when he said here yesterday at a press conference, that his party considers all those who are domiciles of Indian territory in Assam as locals. The term domicile has been defined by Article 5 in Part-II of the Indian Constitution as those people who are born in the territory of India, or, either of whose parents was born in the territory of India, or, who has been ordinarily resident in the territory of India for not less than five years immediately preceding such commencements (i.e. adoption of the Indian Constitution on July 19, 1948). Such persons shall be citizens of India, this Article of the Constitution said. The Article 6 in the same Part of the Indian Constitution also laid down certain conditions for those who migrated to India from Pakistan for acquiring Indian citizenship. Sub-clause (b) (ii) of the above article said : "In case where such a person so migrated on or after the 19th day of July, 1948, he has been registered as a citizen of India by an officer (usually the deputy commissioner of a district) appointed in that behalf by the government of the Dominion of India on an application made by him therefor to such officer before the commencement of this Constitution in the form and manner prescribed by that government (shall be deemed to be a citizen of India at the commencement of this Constitution); "Provided that no person shall be so registered unless he has been resident in the territory of India for at least six months immediately preceding the date of his application". But, significantly, those who fled the territory of Pakistan following communal riots before and after the partition of the country, were not subjected to any provision of making any application to the authorities mentioned above. Registers were prepared to enlist the inmates of the refugee camps, sheltering such riot victims, and they were automatically considered as Indian domiciles. This process continued for quite a long time. A mere certificate issued by those who ran such refugee camps enabled a good number of people to become Indian citizens. For the state of Assam, Article 11 of the Part-II of the Indian Constitution has a special significance. This Article authorised the Country's Parliament to regulate the right of citizenship by law. It states : "Nothing in foregoing provisions of this part (Part-II) shall derogate from the power of the Parliament to make any provision with respect to the acquisition and termination of citizenship and all other matters relating to citizenship". Under this provision of the Indian Constitution the Parliament of the country amended the Indian Citizenship Act in accordance with the provisions of the 1985 Assam Accord, taking March 25, 1971 as the cut-off year for detection and deportation of the illegal migrants staying in Assam. Perhaps, Tarun Gogoi and his party's stand on the locals and, more specifically, the indigenous people, of the state needs no more elaboration. (Ajit Patowary; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 23, 2000)

GUWAHATI, April 23: The foreigners' issue in Assam took a new turn with former All Assam Students Union leader Sarbananda Sonowal filing a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the controversial Illegal Migration (Determination by Tribunal) Act. The Supreme Court bench, headed by chief justice AS Anand and justice M Srinivasan and N Santosh Hegde, has fixed May 1 for the hearing on the petition. Disclosing this here on Sunday, the petitioner, Sonowal, who is also a member of the ruling AGP told reporters that cutting across party lines he decided to file this petition to protect the rights of Indian citizens in India. Regretting the increasing population of illegal migrants in Assam, he said that Parliament had noticed this menace in 1950 itself when a law, the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act 1950, was enacted. Citing instances, Sonowal pointed out that in 1949 then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had put a condition before then Prime Minister of Assam Gopi Nath Bordoloi for Central assistance to Assam. It was a settlement for East Pakistanis in the state, he added justifying his contention that the problem was there since Independence. Describing the act as discriminatory, the former students' leader said that the preamble of the act says that it was applicable throughout India but it was practised only in Assam. He said that it makes it more difficult for Bangladeshi migrants to be expelled from Assam. The migration that has almost engulfed the economy of the region, is posing a serious threat to the very existence of Assamese nationality. He said the very motive of the Act to identify and deport the foreigners from Assam was defeated as the onus is on the applicant to prove that the person concerned is an illegal migrant. "The magnitude of the problem of migration will be evident from a comparison of the population growth in Assam against the national average," Sonowal said who failed justify the reason for filing the petition with individual capacity rather than taking his party in confidence. (Manoj Anand; The Asian Age; New Delhi; April 24, 2000)

GUWAHATI, April 23 - The manager of the Borghora tea estate where four employees were gunned down by security personnel was sent to judicial custody following his arrest yesterday after the incident. SP of Darrang district when contacted over telephone informed this evening that the manager, OP Singh Siwal ordered his PSOs to open fire at a mob of employees in front of his office while they were demanding withdrawal of suspension order of Bijay Tanti, head of the local unit of Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha. The employees as well as the management of the tea estate lodged two cases against each other. Meanwhile the district administration has already ordered a magisterial enquiry into the incident and awarded an ex gratia of Rs 5,000 to next of kin of each of the deceased. The estate belongs to Nitai and Gaur company of Jalpaiguri which also has a few gardens in other districts of the state. So far the garden management has not offered any compensation to the families of the deceased. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 24, 2000)

IMPHAL, April 23: The Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) a major partner of the ruling United Front attained absolute majority with 32 members in its fold in a House of 60. The change in the House was possible following recognition of merger of five political groups with a total strength of nine MLAs a notice from Assembly secretariat said. All these groups are breakaway factions of various political parties which chose to form separate parties after parting company with their parent organisations. The breakup of legislators belonging to the breakaway groups is as follows: three from Manipur People Party (K) one from RJD (H) three from NCP (O) and one each from Nationalist Congress Party (D) and Janata Dal (Z). (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 24, 2000)

GUWAHATI, April 26 - All the ethnic groups of Assam must fight together for protecting the interests of the indigenous people of the state, said the president of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU), Prabin Boro. Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, Boro said that certain organisations have been trying to create a rift between tribals and non-tribals on the issue of reservation of seats in Assembly, Parliament and local bodies to the indigenous people of the state under the provisions of Clause VI of the Assam Accord. He called upon the people of all the ethnic groups not to be misled by the false propaganda of the vested interest circles. 'No outsider should be allowed to rule Assam and we must ensure that only the indigenous people of the state rule the state," he added. Boro clarified that no one can question whether the sons of the soil including the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled tribes, Other Backward Classes, More Other Backward Classes and the tea tribes are indigenous people of Assam or not. He said that the sons of the soil must get the first priority in matters of reservation of seats for indigenous people of the state. The AASU president pointed out that "certain political forces, who are out to support the cause of the Bangladeshi nationals, have been trying to communalise the issue of reservation of seats for indigenous people." He pointed out that reservation for indigenous people is not a Hindu-Muslim question and warned all the political parties and organisations not to communalise the issue for their own political gain. Boro said that the main political parties including the Congress and the AGP have not made their stand clear on the issue of reservation for indigenous people. 'It is the best and last chance for the political parties to gain the support of the indigenous people by extending their support to the issue,' he added. Reacting to the stand adopted by the state unit of the CPI(M), Boro said, "being a tribal youth myself, I can only say that the CPM is an anti-tribal party." The AASU president said that the tribal belts and blocks as well as the reserve forests are the worst affected because of the unabated influx of foreign nationals into Assam. He said that reservation for indigenous people is also necessary to protect the tribal belts and blocks. He demanded that the government should use the Army, it necessary, to evict the Bangladeshi encroachers from the tribal belts and blocks and to hand over the land to the rightful owners, that is, to the sons of the soil. 'The sons of the soil must take the lead to put pressure on the government to evict the Bangladeshi encroachers from the tribal belts and blocks and the AASU would extend its full support to them in this regard." The AASU is also demanding the introduction of the inner-line permit system in Assam to prevent outsiders from grabbing land in Assam. The AASU president said that they met the leaders of the students' unions representing different ethnic groups including the Tea Tribes Students' Federation before submitting the proposal for the reservation for the indigenous people. He said that the AASU leaders would meet the leaders of the organisations representing different ethnic groups soon to remove any misunderstanding. He said that he had informal talks with the general secretary of the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU), Nathuram Boro on the issue of reservation for indigenous people. " Nathuram Boro also admitted that if unabated influx is allowed to continue, the condition of the indigenous people of Assam would be like the condition of the Tripuris, who have been reduced to minorities in their own land." He also said that they had discussions with the Bodo Sahitya Sabha president, Bineswar Brahma, who also admitted the need for reservation for indigenous people. The AASU president revealed that they would hold discussions with other organisations representing ethnic groups in a phased manner, as 'time has come for all the ethnic groups to fight together for the protection of the rights of the indigenous people." Boro said that the next meeting on the reservation for indigenous people would be held next month. He said that as the Assam Accord was passed in the Parliament, it should not be difficult for the government to pass necessary Bill for reservation of seats under the provisions of Clause VI of the Accord. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 27, 2000)

IMPHAL, April 27: In a significant political development former Chief Minister and BJP legislature party leader RK Dorendra Singh and Union minister of state for sports and working president of the ruling Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) T Chaoba Singh have reportedly come to a tacit understanding to topple the shaky Nipamacha Singh ministry in May or June, a highly placed source told The Assam Tribune on Wednesday. The source said that RK Dorendra, who has not been able to rock the Nipamacha Singh ministry, seems to be in an undue haste to topple the ministry which has become very unpopular for its various acts of commission and omission. It is also learnt that Union minister Chaoba Singh is understood to have prevailed upon Dorendra Singh to delay the matter for at least one month. His argument is that presently the state coffer is empty resulting in the crisis that the government has been unable to pay the salaries and pension since the month of February this year. Sources further revealed that in such an eventuality, the Manipur government will get at least Rs 110 million from the Eleventh Finance Commission. Though small, this assistance will be of some help in overcoming the overdraft. In any case, the state government will have to take up some steps to overcome the overdraft since other Central funds will be withheld. The Union minister of state for Sports is understood to have told RK Dorendra that by the beginning of June, a split of the MSCP will be possible as the restive ministers, who have been demanding a reshuffle of the portfolios, will not wait till the end of May for the shake-up. Going by the present trend, almost all of the ministers will be amenable to the suggestion for a split with the promise of portfolios of their choice. Indications are that Dorendra has agreed to this suggestion. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 28, 2000)

NEW DELHI, April 27: The Assam government had turned down an offer by the Centre to mediate in resolving the inter-state border dispute with neighbouring Meghalaya. This was disclosed by the minister of state for Home Affairs ID Swami here today. The government of India has decided to convene a meeting between the governments of Assam and Meghalaya on the issue. However, the government of Assam informed that there was no major boundary dispute between Assam and Meghalaya and that the problems arising here and there could be sorted out through mutual discussions between the two states at official or political level. Swami said, adding that the meeting has since been cancelled. Regarding boundary disputes between Assam and Nagaland, the minister said that stalemate continues as the Central recommendation that the verdict of the Boundary Dispute Commission would be final has been rejected by both Assam and Nagaland governments. Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha, in a written reply to a question tabled by Khagen Das, the Union minister of state for Home, ID Swami conceding that the ISI and other foreign countries were assisting the North-east-based underground rebels in procuring arms and ammunition revealed that the governments of Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladeh have been sensitised about the problem. (Staff Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 29, 2000)

DIMAPUR, April 28: The BJP in Nagaland on Thursday received a major boost when the former Nagaland Chief Minister and president of the Nationalist Democratic Movement, Hokishe Sema, along with his 26 followers formally joined it at a simple function here, reports PTI. The BJP's Northeast in-charge, PB Acharya, said that this will strengthen the BJP as an alternative to the ruling Congress in Nagaland. The former Nagaland chief secretary and planning minister, Z Obed, also joined the BJP. Obed was a minister in SC Jamir's Cabinet during 1993-98. Among the prominent NDM leader who joined the BJP are former MP, Chingwang Konyak, former minister Tiameren Aier, I K Sema and Rothrong. (PTI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 29, 2000)

SHILLONG, April 29: The Election Commission has notified the schedule for the by-elections to fill two vacant seats in the Lok Sabha and ten vacant seats in the Legislative Assemblies including five in the north-eastern states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Assam. According to an EC press note issued here recently, the elections would be held simultaneously on May 26. The election notification will be issued on May 2 while the last date for filing of nominations will be May 9. The scrutiny of nominations is slated for May 10 and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is fixed for May 12. The counting of votes will be taken up on May 29 and the elections completed before June 12. The five Assembly seats in the north-eastern states facing the by-elections are Mairang (ST) in Meghalaya, Tyai (ST) in Nagaland and Karimganj North, Nalbari and Bhabanipur in Assam (all general seats). Besides, two Assembly seats in Bhar and one each in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are also going to the polls on May 26 next. Meanwhile, the model code of conduct had come into effect in the Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies from April 25. The EC press note said electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used only in those states where EVMs have already been introduced. Accordingly, EVMs will be used only in the two Lok Sabha constituencies and Assembly constituencies in AP, MP and UP. (Special Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; April 30, 2000)

SILIGURI, April 30: The deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh, M Humayun Kabir, on Sunday said there was no infiltration from his country into India. While refuting the allegation of Indian government in this regard, Kabir told a press conference here that his country would never allow any militant organisation from India to use Bangladesh land to destabilise peace in India. He was reacting to recent comments by Union home minister LK Advani in this regard. Advani said on April 23 during his visit to Tin Bigha in Cooch Behar district that some militant groups active in northeastern region had bases in Bangladesh. He stated infiltration was one of the major issues with Bangladesh. Regarding Tin Bigha, Kabir said Bangladesh was in favour of keeping the Tin Bigha corridor open round-the-clock as against six alternate hours during day time. "We have accordingly requested the government of India to consider the proposal," he said.Kabir also urged the Indian business community, traders from West Bengal in particular, to increase trade. (PTI; The Northeast Daily; Guwahati; May 1, 2000)

GUWAHATI, April 30: The North-East Students' Organisation (NESO), the apex body of the students' unions of the Northeast states, has decided to send telegrams to the Prime Minister and the Union home minister demanding immediate steps to prevent infiltration of foreign nationals into the region. The decision to send telegrams to the Prime Minister and the Union home minister was taken in the first meeting of the new executive of the NESO, held here yesterday. Talking to The Assam Tribune, the newly elected president of the NESO, Samujjal Bhattacharya said that yesterday's meeting was attended by representatives of the Khasi Students' Union, Garo Students' Union, Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union, and the Mizo Students' Union. Bhattacharya said that the meeting expressed serious concern over the unabated influx of foreign nationals to Assam and the other states of the region and expressed fear that if the influx is not stopped, the foreigners would pose a serious threat to the identity of the indigenous people. The meeting observed that the indigenous people of Tripura have already become minorities in their own land and the people of Assam would face the same situation soon. The students' organisations of the Northeast states demanded that immediate steps should be taken by the Union government to seal the international border to prevent the influx of foreigners into the region. The NESO yesterday decided that the students' unions of each state would discuss the issue with the experts of their respective states and prepare papers on the problem of infiltration of foreigners. Bhattacharya said that the NESO would compile the papers prepared by the respective students' unions and prepare an approach paper on the problem of infiltration of foreigners into the region. He said that a delegation of the NESO may go to New Delhi to put pressure on the Union government to take immediate action to prevent entry of illegal migrants to the region. The NESO executive also discussed the problems faced by the students of the region and demanded that the government should provide the best possible facilities to the students of the region to enable them to compete with the students from the rest of the country. The meeting observed that despite having adequate natural resources, the states of the region are lagging behind. The NESO demanded that steps should be taken to ensure proper implementation of the natural resources. The NESO also called upon the Union government to take effective steps for the economic development of all states of the region. The NESO also decided to launch an awareness campaign against the move to impose "Super TADA". (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; May 1, 2000)

KOKAJHAR, April 30: The ruling AGP government received a major jolt when all the eight Bodo legislators, who were recently nominated as members to the newly-constituted Bodoland Autonomous Council advisory board, decided to quit en masse from the board by May 2. In a joint political convention of the All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) and the People's Democratic Front (PDF) held at Rangia on Saturday, the Bodo MLAs rejected the advisory board and decided to resign en masse by May 2."The unanimous decision to quit from this advisory board was taken as this arrangement was not practical. "The government did not consult us before our inclusion. We want a separate Bodoland state and this advisory board cannot fulfill our demands and so, we all had no other alternative but to resign," Pramila Rani Brahma of the Bodo State Movement Council (BSMC) said on Sunday. The Assam government, on April 17, dissolved the interim BAC headed by Kanakeshwar Narzary and constituted an advisory board with minister for social and plain tribes and backward classes' welfare, Rekha Rani Das Boro, as its chairman. The proposal of the Bodo MLAs to quit from the board was moved by the PDF at the Rangia convention. "We had already been opposing the BAC and so the question of us accepting the advisory board does not arise. We are not going to compromise on anything less than a separate Bodoland state," ABSU general secretary Nathuram Boro said. The Bodo leaders, at the convention, urged the government to entrust the respective DCs in the BAC areas with full powers and authority to implement all development works. "There is no need for any political party leader and instead, the principle secretary to the BAC should be made the programme implementing authority as far as development works are concerned. This advisory board does not seem good enough," Brahma said. (Achinta Borah; The Northeast Daily; Guwahati; May 1, 2000)