GUWAHATI, July 1: After a series of "successful operations" against the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) the Army has decided to shift the focus of operation against the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), security sources said. This decision was taken in a high level meeting of Army officials held recently. Sources said that as per the new strategy evolved by the Army, efforts would be made to isolate the NDEB militants from their support bases. A concerted drive is being planned to smash the action groups of the NDFB, which are operating in different districts of the state. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 2, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 1: Though the relation between India and Bangladesh has improved, some senior officials of the Bangladesh government are still helping the militants taking shelter in that country and only recently the Chairman of the banned militant outfit National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) Ranjan Daimary was let off after he was picked up by Bangladesh police. Highly placed official sources said that Daimary was picked up by Bangladesh police last month from near Dhaka on charges of unlawful entry into the country but he was let off after intervention of some high officials of the Bangladesh government. Sources said that by the time the Government of India came to know about the incident, it was too late. According to information available with the government, Daimary is still in Bangladesh. Official sources said that senior leaders of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) including the chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, Commander-in-Chief Paresh Baruah, foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury and others are still in Bangladesh and are using Bangladeshi passports. According to information available with the government, the ULFA chairman visited Bhutan capital Thimphu from Thailand in April by using a Bangladeshi passport. In fact, the ULFA leaders are in possession of two or three Bangladeshi passports each and the ULFA is even maintaining a communication centre in Bangladesh from where they are controlling the operations. The government also has definite information of some of the shelter points of the ULFA in Bangladesh, sources added. Official sources said that the arrest of the ULFA general secretary by Bangladesh police on charges of unlawful entry into the country was only a face saving action by the Bangladesh government as despite pressures from the Government of India, the ULFA general secretary was not extradited to India. Giving details of the events leading to the arrest of the ULFA general secretary, official sources said that the Bangladesh government was forced to take action to show the world that it was taking action against the insurgents. Sources said that according to information available with the government, a four member delegation of the ULFA includng the chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, general secretary Anup Chetia and the foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury went to Geneva in 1997 to attend a meet of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO). But the permanent representative of India in the United Nations Arundhuti Ghosh objected to the presence of the ULFA leaders in the meet and raised the issue of the killing of social worker Sanjoy Ghosh by the ULFA. Sources said that finding themselves in a tight corner, the ULFA leaders were forced to leave Geneva and by the time the INTERPOL was alerted, they managed to escape. Sources said that according to information available with the government, the ULFA leaders went straight to the Bangladesh High Commission in Geneva from the venue of the meeting and some officials of the High Commission arranged for their return trip to Bangladesh. Sources pointed out that the High Commission officials had to protect the ULFA leaders from arrest by the INTERPOL as they were carrying Bangladeshi passports and the Bangladesh government could not have afforded their arrest with such documents. Sources said that the charges under which Anup Chetia was arrested, could have been used to arrest the other leaders of the ULFA taking shelter in Bangladesh but the Bangladesh government has not taken such steps, which give teeth to the speculation that the arrest of Chetia was a mere face saving measure. It may be mentioned here that apart from the ULFA, the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Islamic militant outfits are also using the Bangla soil to foment trouble in Assam and other states of the Northeastern region of the country. Official sources said that from the arrest of the ISI operatives and the activists of the Harkat ul Mujahideen, it became evident that the ISI was taking youths from Assam for training in Pakistan through Bangladesh. Sources said that one mosque in the Rajshahi area of Bangladesh was frequently used by the ISI agents and other Islamic militant outfits as a shelter point. Similarly, the Noorani Madrassa at Yatribari near Dhaka was also used frequently by the ISI agents and Islamic militant organisations, sources added. Though immediately after coming to power, the present government in Bangladesh initiated some steps against the ULFA and freezed the account of the outfit in the Sonali bank, which forced the ULFA to shift its headquarter to Bhutan, of late the government has not been able to take a strong stand against the militants mainly because of pressure from various corners and because of the link between some top government officials with the members of the militant groups. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 2, 2000)

GOLAGHAT, June 29: The Golaghat district jail, located in the heart of the town, is in a very bad shape. Though there have been repeated public demands for shifting this jail to Bogorizeng area, no action has been initiated by the authority concerned so far. The present condition of this jail is such that prisoners can easily escape, breaking the old damaged enclosures made of Bamboo decades ago. The Golaghat district jail has a capacity of accommodating about 90 prisoners but the jail authority has kept more than 200 prisoners. Besides, the prisoners have to live in unhygienic atmosphere due to lack of required space, clothes and other essential items. Even sufficient medical facilities have not been provided to the sick prisoners due to paucity of funds, reliable sources said. Previously, the chairman of Assam Human Rights Commission, Justice SN Bhargava had visited the jail and expressed his concern over the deplorable condition of the jail. During his visit to Golaghat he told the local newsmen that he would ask the government for immediate shifting of the jail. It may be mentioned that with the purpose of shifting the district jail to Bogorizeng area, about 3 km from here, the construction of a new district jail building was started during the previous AGP regime. The then Home Minister Bhrigu Kumar Phukan laid the foundation stone of the new jail in the month of July, 1987. Since then, 10 years have already elapsed and the construction of the new jail building has not been completed due to sheer negligence of the state government. According to reports, at the beginning the cost of construction of the jail building was estimated at Rs 57 lakh. In the first phase, about Rs 57 lakh was released by the government and also spent in construction of the new jail. In the second phase, Rs 8 lakh only was released by the government against the required amount of Rs 20 lakh. Reportedly the contractors are to get above Rs 10 lakh from the government as their dues for construction works. As a result, the construction work went on at a snail's pace due to irregular payment of the bills of the contractors. Now above Rs 45 lakh is required to complete the jail project. It is learnt at present, the incomplete jail building has been under occupation of CRPF personnel. Though Golaghat is a full-fledged district, the PWD (building division) office has not yet been established at the district headquarters. All big projects, including the construction works of the district jail are under the supervision of the Jorhat PWD (building division). It is also one of the reasons for the slow progress in the construction of new jail at Bogorizeng area, the public here alleged. However, the people of this district have demanded immediate shifting of the district jail from the heart of the Golaghat town to Bogorizeng. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 2, 2000)

IMPHAL, July 2: Security forces should be given more powers to tackle insurgency in the Northeast region effectively, PD Shenoy, additional secretary in the Union Home Ministry said today, reports PTI. "Political intervention" in tackling insurgency would delay the solution to the problem, he told newsmen here. Shenoy, who is on a three-day visit to Manipur to review the situation, said insurgency activities in the state have been "contained to some extent" in the past two months by security and police forces. Citing the example of Mizoram getting Rs 180 crore from the Centre as 'peace bonus,' he said Manipur could also be a recipient to such a bonus for its development "if there was peace in the state." Shenoy said peace had returned to once trouble-torn Churachandpur district where seven BSF battalions had been deployed. He said the Centre was ready to help the state government set up a battalion of Indian Reserve Battalion to enable them counter insurgents more effectively. He said, adequate security could be provided to national highways by shifting forces from other parts of the state if the state was peaceful. Stating that insurgents who surrendered would be rehabilitated, he said about 1500 former insurgents who had surrendered were being rehabilitated by Assam government with Central assistance. (PTI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 3, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 2: Documentray evidence cited in media reports has once again raised a suspicion that the Bhutan government is secretly helping the ULFA and other rebel groups of Assam. A leading Guwahati-based newspaper in Saturday's edition not only published copies of several official letters written by Bhutanese officials to prove the kingdom's role in militancy in Assam, but also pointed the finger at Lyonpo Jigme Thinley, Foreign Minister of the Himalayan kingdom who is also in charge of the Prime Minister's office. The Sentinel has said the ULFA brought in a consignment of arms from Tibet to its hideouts inside Bhutan with the help of Brig V Namgyal, security in-charge and Military Advisor to the King of Bhutan, in April last year. The Bhutan government has always maintained that it isn't helping the ULFA or any other group in Assam. The newspaper said it has evidence to show that Takin Travel Services, the Thimphu-based official travel agency of the Bhutan government, facilitates the travel of Paresh Barua, self-styled commander-in-chief of ULFA. Barua, has a Bangladeshi passport under the name of Kamruzzaman Khan. With it, he can freely hop to places such as Bangkok, Dhaka, Singapore and Thimphu. ULFA leaders are allowed to move freely inside Bhutan with the Department of Immigration and Census, which is under the Bhutan Home Ministry, issuing special permits. The newspaper has said that the Bhutan government has specially assigned Wangchuk Dorji, a senior official in the Foreign Ministry, to help top ULFA leaders on fund collection and foreign travel. Dorji is stated to have received Nu 2,18,000 (Bhutanese currency) in three instalments from the ULFA during 1999, with which he even travelled to the United Kingdom. The report has said that Dorji used his official position as Diplomatic Mail Bag In-charge to help ULFA leaders in Bangkok and Dhaka ferry dollars and other documents through diplomatic mail into Bhutan. On May 17, Bhutanese Foreign Minister Thinley had announced in Dhaka that his government had warned it would expel ULFA rebels by force if they refused to withdraw peacefully. Thinley had said that the Bhutan government had held two meetings with senior ULFA leaders and asked them to fix a date for another meeting, probably the last, to fix a deadline for withdrawal. "We cannot wait indefinitely. We are getting ready to expel them by force if needed. Their (ULFA's) presence is a direct threat to our security and sovereignty," a PTI report had quoted Thinley as saying in Dhaka. (Samudra Gupta Kashyap; The Indian Express; New Delhi; July 3, 2000)

SILIGURI, July 2: The All Gorkha Students' Union (AGSU) has called a 24-hour strike in Darjeeling and the Dooars on July 28 in protest against the frequent killing of Nepali-speaking people by militants in Assam, reports our special correspondent. The AGSU's call comes in the wake of the killing of four Nepalis allegedly by Bodo militants in Nalbari on June 22. Earlier, 19 Nepalis were shot dead by extremists in Karbi Anglong and north Assam between April and May. AGSU joint-secretary Madhukar Tamang said: "Besides protesting the frequent massacre of Nepali-speaking people, we want the Centre to recognise them as a specially protected class in the Northeast." He added: "At the same time, we want to use the bandh to highlight our long-standing demand for the creation of a separate Gorkhaland, comprising Darjeeling and the Dooars, to protect the identity of the Nepali-speaking Indians." A joint delegation of the AGSU, an independent students' union, the All Bodo Students' Union and the All Jharkhand Students' Union will visit Delhi on July 19 to press for the formation of Gorkhaland, Jharkhand, Bodoland and other smaller states. (Special Correspondent; The Telegraph; Calcutta; July 3, 2000)

AGARTALA, July 2: Police yesterday rescued 26 people held captive by militants in a hideout in south Tripura's Lakshyapara village since May 21. Sources said the rescue operation was launched after one of the hostages, all from the Kuch community, slipped out of the hideout on Friday night and contacted legislator Kajal Das from Kalyanpur over phone. A team led by officer-incharge Gouranga Dev and Tripura state Rifles personnel raided the village yesterday morning and rescued all 26 hostages. Not a single bullet was fired during the raid, sources said. Militants of the National Liberation Front of Tripura had abducted the 26 non-tribals from the Kuch Colony under Kalyanpur police station. The mass abduction followed the massacre of over 30 Bengalis in Bagber, North Maharanipur and Durgapur villages. Nibaran Barma, the 63-year-old Kuch whose courage saved 26 lives, including his own, told the police today that the NLFT militants initially planned to kill all their hostages. However, they were dissuaded from doing so by village elders, who reasoned that the entire Kuch community could be wiped out together once those who had fled the area returned to their houses. Barma said the militants forced him and the other Kuch hostages to wear tribal attire and convert to Christianity. "They made us work hard and gave us something to eat only once in two days," he said. The Kuch elder said a "well-meaning tribal youth" from Lakshyapara village informed him on Friday that the militants were planning to kill him and his fellow-hostages. "He advised me to flee the hideout and inform the police latest by Saturday afternoon," he said. Putting his life at risk, Barma surreptitiously walked out of the village, found a PCOs and informed Kajal Das about the location of the militant hideout. He then came back to the village. An official said the police were "lightning quick" in responding to the legislator's request to launch a rescue operation. "Rescuing so many people from militant captivity is a major achievement. The police deserve a pat on their backs," he said. (Correspondent; The Telegraph; Calcutta; July 3, 2000)

SHILLONG, July 2: The People's Liberation Front, an underground militant outfit, has slapped extortion notices on some legislators, including two ministers, in Meghalaya. Sources at the MLAs hostel said the outfit has issued extortion notices to legislators from Garo Hills and threatened them with "dire consequences" if the payments were not made. The ministers include that of planning Lotsing A. Sangma and social welfare minister Admiral K. Sangma. However, they were not available for comments. Confirming the report, superintendent of police, East Khasi Hills, G.H.P. Raju said, "Some of the Garo MLAs have been served with extortion notices." Security has been beefed up at the MLA's hostel, he added. The extortionists have been identified as Alden Marak and Balkhos Marak. Raju said the police had recovered some extortion notes from the arrested PLF members. "The notes were signed by PLF commander-in-chief Vincent A. Sangma and finance secretary Nikseng Marak." The East Khasi Hills police have launched a massive search operation to flush out Sangma. "The two PLA cadre have confessed that Sangma is hiding in the city," the SP said. The PLA is an offshoot of the Achik Liberation Magrik Army (ALMA). Most of its cadre are "surrendered rebels," who returned underground after their rehabilitation scheme flopped. Sources said the legislators have sought "security" for their families. The administration had earlier strengthened "security cover" of some politicians to pre-empt "probable assassination attempts." In addition to stepped-up security, plainclothes policemen were also deputed to "protect" the VIPs. Another underground outfit, the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, has also expressed its "displeasure" with politicians. The HNLC militants had raided finance minister AH Scott Lyngdoh's house on June 6 and snatched nearly half-a-dozen revolvers and several rounds of ammunition from the guards. MLA hostel sources said the police today reviewed "security arrangement" at the VIP bungalows. "We cannot leave anything to chance," a police source told The Telegraph. Another Garo outfit, the Achik National Volunteers' Council, which is fighting for a "greater Garoland," is on a recruitment drive in the hills. "More than 50 boys have joined the outfit," a source said. This came to light following the arrest of a number of ANVC rebels over the past two weeks. The three ANVC cadre, who laid down arms at Resubelpara outpost in South Garo Hills on June 28, also confirmed the report, sources added. The ANVC had displayed its "strength" in West Khasi Hills when it seized more than 100 coal-laden trucks near Borsora on February 18. (Correspondent; The Telegraph; Calcutta; July 3, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 3: In what may be seen as another setback for the tea companies in Assam, the general officer commanding of 4 Corps, Lt Gen DB Shekatkar, said here on Sunday that tea majors are still paying money to the banned United Liberation Front of Asom. Disclosing that the ULFA's commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah was spotted in New York recently, Gen Shekatakar, who headed the unified command structure for about two years in Assam, said that the tea companies have made most of the payments abroad in foreign currency transferred through hawala. Although, he refused to name any such tea company, the outgoing general officer in command of 4 Corps apprehended that this may be an attempt to give a fresh lease of life to the outfit that has started losing its base among the people. Reiterating that most of the money extorted from the big companies has been used for the personal livelihood of the rebel leaders, Gen Shekatakar said that the ULFA is a spent force and extortion has become their "cottage industry." He said that Paresh Baruah's visit to New York might be aimed at to muster international support for the outfit. Gen Shekatakar claimed that at present serious dissension has been growing in the top hierarchy of the outfit that a section of them are in favour of talks while another is opposed to the idea. He claimed that ULFA's deputy foreign secretary Prashanta Bora's killing by the Army in an encounter was the fallout of infighting as a section of the ULFA leaders, opposed to the idea of talks, tipped off the troops about his hideout. Although, in security circles this is seen as the Army's cover up plan as in case of Prashanta Bora's killing, they believe, the banned ULFA managed to "use" the Army in eliminating their "target very intelligently." Prashanta Bora is believed to have developed differences with the leadership and his killing by their own men might have been embarrassing for the outfit. Gen Shekatakar's fresh charges against the tea companies is likely to have serious repercussions in the state as this is second time when tea companies in the state are alleged to have been abetting militancy. A number of Tata Tea officials were arrested by the Assam police for allegedly paying money to the outfit, besides providing shelter and medical help to ULFA leaders. (Manoj Anand; The Asian Age; New Delhi; July 4, 2000)

NEW DELHI, July 3: The Ministry of Home Affairs today admitted that the Northeast based militants were still operating training camps in Bangladesh asserting that the matter is being taken up with the government of the country. Reacting to reports about the outlawed ULFA sending funds through diplomatic bags of the Royal Government of Bhutan, a MHA spokesman said that the issue of outfit running camps in the Himalayan Kingdom was taken up through diplomatic channel and government of Bhutan was urged take steps to flush out the militants from the country. The latest incident has, however, caught the Centre here in a spot. Repeated attempts by newsmen to get MHA's reaction prompted the spokesman to repeat that all issues were taken up with the King of Bhutan. On Bangladesh, the spokesman said that though government has denied it, there are reports that the insurgents are still operating from out of the country. (Staff Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 4, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 3: A few top leaders of the political wing of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) may soon openly express their desire for coming forward for talks with the government for a political settlement of the problem, said the general officer commanding the 4 Corps of the Army, Lt Gen DB Shekatkar. However, he said that the difference of opinion among the top leaders are preventing those willing for talks, from coming out openly. Talking to The Assam Tribune at the Army base at Narengi this morning, Lt Gen DB Shekatkar said that as per the indications available, it was clear that some of the top political wing leaders of the ULFA are in favour of negotiations with the government. "Recently some middle level leaders of the outfit contacted us and we asked them whether their top leaders are aware of their action. Their reply was positive. I know that the ULFA would deny the reports but I am talking with full confidence," he said. Lt Gen Shekatkar said that the ULFA assistant foreign secretary Prasanta Bora, who was recently killed in the Nagaon-Karbi Anglong border, came to contact the Army to explore possibilities of joining the mainstream at the behest of the ULFA foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury. But somehow the ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah got the wind of that and the Armymen posted in the area were tipped off by the ULFA about the movement of the group headed by Prasanta. "We had information that Sasha Choudhury might send some people but only later we came to know that Prasanta was sent to meet us," he said. Lt Gen Shekatkar claimed that the difference of opinion among the top leaders of the ULFA has widened and the commander-in-chief of the outfit is totally against any move to come forward for talks with the government, maybe because he is too confident or may be because his ego does not permit him to come forward for talks. He also expressed the hope that some more important persons would soon come out of the organisation. On the links between the ULFA and the Pakistani Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), Lt Gen Shekatkar said that some of the top leaders were totally in the grip of the ISI. He said that the links between the ULFA and the ISI has led to difference of opinion among the ULFA cadres as a good number of them are opposed to such links. He said that the security agencies are closely monitoring the movement of the top leaders of the ULFA and most of them keep moving from their bases in Bangladesh to Thailand and Hong Kong. He said that Paresh Baruah was spotted in New York a couple of months back when he went there to gather international support for the outfit. (R Dutta Choudhury; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 4, 2000)

AGARTALA, July 3: NLFT rebels abducted the manager of North Tripura's Golokpur tea estate, Bipin Bihari Tandon, from his bungalow inside the garden last night. Tandon's abduction was a blow to the ailing estate, whose assistant manager CK Thakur and supervisor Bipad Bhanjan Das were abducted by NLFT in May. They are still in captivity. The militants broke into Tandon's residence by scaling the barbed wire fence at 11.30 pm. His wife Sanira, who resisted the militants, was shoved aside aside by the rebels. Police sources said the militants took Tandon to their hide-out in Bangladesh. The manager was beaten up by militants, who even ignored his wife's plea to "take her husband's medicine as he was a heart patient." Senior police officials rushed to the spot with reinforcements and launched combing operations. Sources said Tandon was abducted because the garden management refused to pay ransom for the assistant manager's release. The NLFT had initially demanded a ransom of Rs 30 lakh for the assistant manager's release but later scaled it down to Rs 6 lakh. But the garden management refused to comply. The NLFT abducted Tandon after the deadline set by the outfit expired yesterday. Altogether 13 tea executives have been abducted by militants so far. Earlier, Yogabrata Chakraborty died in Tiger Force custody in July 1996. Besides, 10 other officials including planter Mrinal Kanti Chowdhury and his son Anjan Chowdhury were also gunned down by rebels. Tea Association of India secretary PK Sarkar said militancy has hit the ailing tea industry. He said over the past year Tripura tea was unable to fetch "proper" prices at auction centres and unsold stock had piled up. Besides drought conditions and erratic rainfall were also affecting output. "Far from granting relief to the sick industry, the state government is unable to provide us even the basic security," Sarkar lamented. In separate incidents, militants released four hostages, including a 10-year-old girl from captivity yesterday. The girl, Rakhi Patwari, who was abducted by NLFT from Kalsi village under Baikhora police station in South Tripura on May 14 returned home last night, police said. Two passengers, abducted by NLFT from a bus at Hejacherra on Manu-Chhawmanu road in Dhalai district on June 15 were also released. The outfit yesterday released another person abducted from Sanicherra in North Tripura district on May 23. A tribal woman was injured when a CRPF jawan fired at her at Fisheryghat in South Tripura district yesterday, police said. The jawan fired in an inebriated condition following an altercation with the woman, police said. (Correspondent; The Telegraph; Calcutta; July 4, 2000)

SHILLONG, July 3: Meghalaya planning minister Lotsing A Sangma today said he has not received any extortion notice from underground outfits in the recent past. Denying media reports that the banned People's Liberation Front had demanded money from some MLAs and ministers, including the social welfare minister Admiral K. Sangma, the planning minister said, "No, it is not true. There was no such demand." Highly-placed sources, however, said the planning minister has indeed received an extortion note of Rs 30,000 from the PLF. A case in this connection has been registered at Sadar police station. Reacting to the report on militants serving extortion notices to ministers in The Telegraph today, leader of the Opposition D.D. Lapang said it was a "very bad signal" for the government. "This shows that even the ministers' lives are in danger," he said. He said the Meghalaya government should "stop making tall claims" about an improved law and order situation and try to gear up the machinery to "protect" lives and property of the people. "What security can the common men expect from the government when the even ministers' lives are insecure?" asked the former chief minister. The two arrested militants, Alden Marak and Balkhos Marak, revealed before the police that the outfit's self-styled commander-in-chief Vincent A. Sangma was "hiding" in Shillong. The duo was wanted in several criminal cases in East Khasi Hills district, the sources said. "Balkhos's elder brother, Markhos, is also a dreaded A'chik National Volunteer Council (ANVC) militant," an intelligence official said. The militants used a telephone in the MLA hostel to threaten one of the ministers, he added. The security forces have launched a hunt in the city to nab the PLF leader. (Correspondent; The Telegraph; Calcutta; July 4, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 5: What does a top ULFA leader like vice-chairman Pradip Gogoi get up to during his tenure in the supposedly high-security Guwahati District Jail? The answer is simple: he sets up his own fiefdom within the high walls of the prison, easily communicating with other leaders of the rebel group based even outside India. Gogoi has, in fact, been running his fiefdom for several years, engaging none other than District Jail employees who smuggle his letters to and from the jail. If that was not enough, the ULFA vice-chairman also allegedly used the telephone in the jail superintendent's office for hours at a time. If senior officials in the Kamrup district administration are to be believed, several people, including doctors and lawyers, regularly visit Gogoi and other ULFA detenues. They have managed to convince jail staff that they are doing nothing wrong by attending to the ULFA leaders' needs. While these activities have been going on for several years (Gogoi was arrested way back in 1995 and has since been lodged in Guwahati Jail), it was only last Thursday, when police arrested Soruram Saikia (41), that police got an inkling of what was going on. Saikia, who hails from Uriagaon in Nagaon district of Central Assam, was picked up from his residence, a rented house at Birubari in the city. After his confession, police arrested a Kiran Saikia (47), through whom Pradip Gogoi's letters were being regularly passed to the ULFA. The police, however, are yet to find out to whom exactly these letters were passed on, but have assured that some important leads have been found. Interestingly, the house which Soruram Saikia had taken on rent is the same house where dreaded ULFA cadre Babul Ingti was killed in an encounter with the police last year. While Pradip Gogoi's fiefdom thrived with the help of Soruram Saikia and a few other jail staff, the arrival of two ISI agents, Javed Waqar and Fasiullah Husseini, last year has further complicated the security situation within Guwahati Jail. A senior district administration official revealed that the 40-odd ULFA rebels lodged in the jail, soon made friends with the ISI agents. According to accounts in a local daily, Husseini and Waqar being massaged by ULFA cadres of lower ranks was a regular sight to behold. There have also been reports of how the ISI is contemplating "rescuing" Husseini and Waqar from the Guwahati jail. After seriously reviewing the situation following the arrest of Soruram Saikia and Kiran Saikia, the police have shifted Gogoi and the two ISI agents late Monday night out of Guwahati. While Pradip Gogoi has been shifted under heavy security cover to Silchar District Jail in Southern Assam, the two ISI agents have been transferred to the Jorhat District Jail in Upper Assam. (Express News Service; The Indian Express; New Delhi; July 5, 2000)

IMPHAL, July 4: In an impressive function, a total of 18 underground activists belonging to different underground outfits laid down their arms before the state Chief Minister Whengbam Nipamacha Singh this morning. Those who surrendered along with their arms and ammunition include five KYKL (O), four PULF, four KCP, two INF, one PLA, one UNLF and one KYKL (T) activists. They surrendered with three .303 rifles, one G-2 rifle, one M-21 rifle with five different magazines incluidng 403 live rounds and a a walkie-talkie set. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 5, 2000)

NEW DELHI, July 3: The Union Home Ministry has decided to resume supply of sophisticated weapons to Manipur Police Force under the modernisation of police force scheme, even as it directed deployment of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in the Loktak Hydro Electric Project site in the state. The major decisions came following a two-day long visit of the Additional Secretary (Northeast) in the MHA, PD Shenoy to review the situation in the state. During his tour to the state he called on the Chief Minister held meetings with his cabinet colleagues, top police and civil officials, chiefs of the para-military forces. The situation in the state is returning to normalcy and maintenance of law and order should be stepped up and gains achieved should be consolidated, was how Shenoy described the situation, briefing newsmen here today. The schemes for modernisation of police force will be resumed and Manipur state Police force will be supplied with vehicles, arms and ammunition, high-powered communication sets. The scheme was suspended in the state after the government lost hundreds of weapons to the insurgents. (Staff Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 5, 2000)

AIZAWL, July 5: Mizoram government would take action against Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) militants who had "perpetrated criminal acts against the state government and the people," state Home Minister Tawnluia said here on Tuesday, reports PTI. The state government had already begun action against Bru militants who had ambushed a vehicle on Friday killing seven state policemen, Tawnluia said. Reiterating the government's stand on creation of separate autonomous district council for Brus in Mizoram, the Home Minister said the "balkanisation" of Mizoram would never be allowed and the government would "never accede land to people other than bonafide permanent residents." The recent violence perpetrated by BNLF would upset the efforts made by the Ministry of Home Affairs on repatriation of Brus from Tripura, he said. Tawnluia, who returned from Chennai Monday, convened a meeting of the Committee of Working Group of Security which discussed ways to counter BNLF's activities. He urged the Centre to expedite process of full implementation of modernisation of police force as sought earlier by the government. Tawnluia also visited Aizawl Civil Hospital where three policemen, injured in last Friday's ambush, were being treated and visited the houses of those killed in ambush. (PTI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 6, 2000)

JORHAT, July 5: In a case of hunters becoming the hunted, two ULFA extortionists landed up in police lock-up on Tuesday as exasperated Adhar Satra villagers at Rangdoi off Jorhat city beat them black and blue before finally handing them over to the men in uniform. The incident took place under Bhogdoi Police Station. According to the local police, the two ULFA cadres Mrigen Bora alias Akash and Nripen Mahanta alias Dwijen Talukdar had been demanding Rs 50,000 from an aged homoeopathic practitioner of the locality since the last one-and-a-half months in lieu of his only son joining the outfit. As the doctor stoutly refused to entertain their demands-either coughing up the money demanded or letting his son join the militant organisation, the extortionists lowered their demand to Rs 10,000 and had come to collect the amount on Tuesday at 6 am. As the ULFA men heckled over the demanded amount, exasperated family members raised a hue and cry following which neighbours and local villagers went physical while venting their ire on the duo. A foreign-made revolver and a hand grenade were recovered from the ULFA cadres. Police here claim that the banned outfit has lately been facing a severe fund crunch, hence cases of abrupt lowering of demands have been frequently reported in recent times. The incident derives significance in the wake of Lt Gen DB Shekatkar claiming before The Assam Tribune in Guwahati on Monday that the extremist organisation had gone on an extortion spree throughout the state, especially targeting people from the business community and moderate to big agency houses. (Staff Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 6, 2000)

AGARTALA, July 5: The Left Front government in Tripura appears to be losing grip on the administration with the spurt in militancy. For the first time, the treasury bench will not be able to present the Budget on the opening day of the Assembly session slated to begin on Friday. This came to light during a business advisory committee (BAC) meeting yesterday much to the embarrassment of the Left Front chief whip Keshab Mazumder. Official sources here said the Budget, initially scheduled to be tabled on the opening day, had to be deferred till July 20 because the proposals were yet to be finalised. Sources said the delay in preparing the Budget has prompted the state government to prolong the session. Congress legislator Ratanlal Nath, a BAC member, criticised the state government for its failure to prepare the budget on schedule. He said a number of Bills, including the Tripura Public Demand Recovery Bill, 2000, the Tripura Security Ordinance Bill, 2000 and Sales Tax Bill, 2000 had to be passed in the session. Nath said treasury bench members present at yesterday's meeting tried to cut short the session, but Opposition members scuttled the move. Besides, the state government has not been able to control functioning of security forces over the past six months, Nath alleged. He quoted police intelligence reports, which cited numerous instances of CRPF inaction in interior areas. According to reports, there have been occasions when CRPF jawans avoided going on the offensive against militants. In Khowai subdivision, the CRPF resorted to a lathicharge on a peaceful demonstration of Bengali women in trouble-torn Chebri area. Highly-placed sources alleged that "had the CRPF discharged its duties effectively in the Kalyanpur and Teliamura riots in May, the death toll would have been less." But the state government is yet to react to the charge, Nath alleged. Besides, the state government has not taken any step to check the growing communal polarisation among people regarding deployment of security forces. Tribals in most areas clamour for deployment of the CRPF because of their alleged bias against non-tribals. Non-tribals, on the other hand, demand deployment of Tripura state Rifles (TSR) jawans. The Killa police station in South Tripura's Udaipur sub-division has been under siege by irate tribals for the past four days. On July 1, the Killa police arrested three collaborators of NLFT following which a tribal mob raided the outpost and picketed there. The police have not been able to disperse the picketers. (Correspondent; The Telegraph; Calcutta; July 6, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 6: The central government has not been able to put pressure on the governments of the neighbouring countries to convince them to take action against the insurgents camping in those countries, alleged the Chief Minister, PK Mahanta. Talking to The Assam Tribune here today, Mahanta said that the central government must realise the fact that insurgency in the Northeast is not a regional problem. He said that as the insurgents are taking shelter in the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar, the Centre must accept insurgency as a national problem and deal with it accordingly. Some Central leaders do not have proper perspective of the region and few of them, it seems, think that the eastern boundary of the country ends at Calcutta, he said. Sharply reacting to Bhutan government's statement that only two junior officers of the protocol department were helping the ultras, Mahanta said, "As the ULFA was using the diplomatic bags of the government of Bhutan, some senior officers of the government must be helping the militants. What steps have been taken by the government of Bhutan to evict the camps of the insurgents from the territory of Bhutan?" The Chief Minister said that the Bangladesh Prime Minister is keen to throw the insurgents out of the country. But some senior officers, Army officers, para-military forces etc. of the Bangladesh government as well as the opposition leaders are actively supporting the militants. He revealed that according to information available with the government, the ULFA still has some small camps in Bangladesh. Mahanta said that though the overall law and order situation in the state is under control, it would be impossible to find a permanent solution to the problem till the insurgents continue to receive shelter in the neighbouring countries. He alleged that the top leaders of the ULFA are in the grip of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and it would be difficult for them to come forward for talks. "According to information available with us, the ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa is in favour of talks but other senior leaders like the 'Commander-in-Chief Paresh Baruah, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Raju Baruah and others are totally against talks and under the circumstances Rajkhowa cannot come forward," Mahanta said. Autonomy: Commenting on the ongoing controversy regarding the demand for more autonomy to the states, Mahanta reiterated his demand that more powers should be given to the states. He pointed out that the state government has already made its stand clear that apart from defence, external affairs, currency and communication, all other powers should be handed over to the states. At this moment, the functioning of the states affected due to the centralisation of power at Delhi and the states have to depend on the Centre for the clearance of the development projects, he pointed out. Mahanta pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir had demanded pre-1953 status, which might not be feasible under the present circumstances. Reacting to the Congress opposition to the demand for more powers to the states, Mahanta said that the Congress has no right to oppose the demands. He said that during the freedom movement, Mahatma Gandhi had advocated decentralisation of power to the grassroot level and even Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi had demanded more power to the states. On the allegation that the state government, which is seeking more power to the state, is not interested in decentralisation of power to the grassroot level, the Chief Minister said that the government has initiated steps for the decentralisation of powers and asserted that the panchayat polls would be held within this year. 'The Congress has been criticising the government for the delay in holding the Panchayat polls, but in private many Congress legislators have been requesting us not to hold the polls," he claimed. On the controversy over the 'Quit India' notices, Mahanta said that the government has directed the concerned agencies not to harass genuine Indian citizens while issuing 'Quit India' notices. He alleged that the Congress and the state unit of the BJP were trying to gain political mileage out of the issue. The Chief Minister said that the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act is an insult to the Indian minorities and 'We have already requested the Centre to repeal the Act.' He said that the Foreigners Act should be amended if necessary and there should be a common law for the whole country. (R Dutta Choudhury; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 7, 2000)

AGARTALA, July 6: National Liberation Front of Tripura released the assistant manager of Golakpur tea estate CK Thakur and garden supervisor BB Das on Wednesday night. The two were kidnapped at gun-point by the militants in May last from Golakpur tea garden at Kailasahar in North Tripura. However, the manager of the garden BB Tandon, kidnapped by the same outfit on July 2 last, is still in captivity of the militants. It is learnt that the militants had kidnapped Tandon as the Golakpur TE management declined to fork out ransom money to the tune of lakhs of rupees for safe release of Thakur and Das. Sources said after abduction of the manager, the garden authority agreed to pay the ransom for the three kidnapped tea executives. But evidently to exert pressure for more money the NLFT held Tandon as hostage but released Thakur and Das. Meanwhile, reports from Fatikroy in North Tripura district said the situation there is still tense despite adequate security arrangements. Police recovered body of a Bengali woman from the ethnic strife-torn Fatikroy. With this two persons were killed in recent sport of violence at Fatikroy. The 36-hour curfew clamped in view of communal riots was however relayed today. In all likelihood the civil administration will clamp curfew once again from tonight for 12 hours, sources said. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 7, 2000)

IMPHAL, July 6: The Union government has not released any funds for the rehabilitation of the victims of the Kuki-Naga clashes, the Manipur Chief Minister W Nipamacha Singh informed the state Assembly here on Wednesday. Replying to former Chief Minister Rishang Keishing, Nipamacha Singh said the state government had given a reminder to the Centre in April last year in this connection. He said a total 800 persons were killed during the clashes while 480 others sustained injuries. Over 6000 houses were destroyed during the clashes. Nipamacha Singh said the state government was trying to locate funds for providing relief assistance to those who have not been rehabilitated so far. He said a non-government organisation and Union Ministry of Rural Employment and Poverty Alleviation had earlier prepared a scheme for construction of 6000 houses for the victims of the clashes for which the Centre had promised funds. (PTI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 7, 2000)

AGARTALA, July 8: The Tripura government has withdrawn the Tripura Voluntary Village Defence Parties Bill, 2000, reports UNI. The Bill was introduced in the state Assembly in February to constitute village defence parties to curb militancy in the state. Submitting the select committee report in the state Assembly on Friday, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said it was unanimously decided by the select committee that the object and purpose of the Bill could be achieved under the existing Police Act, 1861 and through administrative orders. The Bill had generated a lot of controversy when it was placed in the Assembly. A select committee, headed by the Chief Minister, was formed to carefully examine the Bill. The members of the select committee, comprising representatives of all political parties, visited Punjab and Assam in order to make an on-the-spot study and ascertain as to how these states dealt with insurgency at the village level, the select committee report said. The report said both the state governments of Punjab and Assam while dealing with insurgency acted according to the provisions of the Police Act and also by means of administrative orders passed from time to time. No legislation for that purpose was enacted in those states. In Punjab, a village defence scheme was taken-up and village defence committees were formed, the report said. In Assam also village defence organisations were established under which village defence parties were set up. The Assam Village Defence Organisation Act, 1966 was not enacted for dealing with insurgency. However, in Assam the village defence organisation was helping the police and other paramilitary forces by giving information on the activities and the movement of insurgents. The members of the organisation also helped the police by supplying information on prevention and detection of other offences in their respective villages. The Opposition parties had criticised the government for formulating the Bill without thinking about the 'unnecessary' expenditure it would entail. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 9, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 9: Karbi National Volunteer (KNV), a militant outfit, has been reportedly collecting funds from non-Karbi people in various parts of Karbi Anglong district despite strict vigil by the security forces. The militant group, which was constituted along the line of National Socialist Council of Nagaland NSCN(IM) has started collecting funds particularly, in Hamreng, Dhansiri, Bokalia and bordering areas of Golaghat district causing a fear psychosis among the people. Official sources informed that KNV has already collected crores of rupees during the past several months from the non-Karbis living in these areas at the behest of NSCN(IM). "According to information, the KNV members have also served extortion notes to timber merchants ranging from Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 10,00,000 and most of them have complied with the demand," sources said, adding the militants are creating fear psychosis among the people so that they can collect funds from them without any hindrance. During the last three months KNV had killed over 200 people in various parts of the district. They also informed that most of the funds are spent for providing training to the cadres who are in different NSCN(IM) camps. Giving the rationale behind the spurt in activities of the outfit, sources stated that several Karbi youths who used to work for ULFA, now have joined KNV inspired by the activities of the organisation and as a result of which it (KNV) has received a shot in the arm. "In spite of it, ULFA maintains cordial relation with KNV," sources said adding whenever any adverse situation develops due to ongoing unified command operations, ULFA members are provided shelter by KNV. Throwing more light on the stepped up activities of the outfit, they observed that encroachment of several bighas of land by non-Karbis has irked the militant group. Commenting on the arsenal power of the insurgent group, sources informed that the militant group does not have weapons compared to the other militant groups of the Northeast, but it is trying to collect AK series rifles through NSCN(IM). (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 10, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 10: K Padmanabhiah, Government of India's negotiator in peace-talks with the NSCN(IM), said the Government of India was for extending the ceasefire with the Naga insurgent groups even as the truce agreed upon on August 1, 1997, expires on July 31 next. However, he said to extend the ceasefire, there should be a mutual agreement between the government and the NSCN. He also said that public opinion in Nagaland was growing in favour of extending the ceasefire. The government is eagerly awaiting the response of the NSCN(IM) in this regard. It was informed that no meeting between NSCN(IM) and the government had taken place since November, 1999 following the arrest of NSCN(IM) general secretary T Muivah in Thailand. Padmanabhiah admitted that Muivah's arrest had resulted a deadlock of the peace talks. However, he hoped that the present stalmate was a temporary set-back. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 11, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 10: Chairman of the Committee on Police Reforms and the former Union Home Secretary, K Padmanabhiah has underlined the need for greater co-ordination among the state police forces in the insurgency-hit Northeastern region. Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, following his meeting with state police officials on police reforms, Padmanabhiah expressed concern over absence of an adequate mechanism to share intelligence, especially about militants movements, among the Northeastern state police forces. He said absence of co-ordination among police forces of different states helped militants to move around in the region freely which is a matter of very serious concern. Padmanabhiah informed that considering the challenges of policing the insurgency-hit Northeastern states, the Committee on Police Reforms would probe what should be done to make police forces of the region capable of handling insurgents on their own. The Committee is trying to identify areas to be addressed for strengthening of police forces in the region. Padmanabhiah said there were lots to be done to improve the facilities enjoyed by the policemen. "In a state-like Assam, which is plagued by insurgency, there should have been a cadre of prosecutors. But here prosecution is a weak link in the state police," he observed. The Chairman of the Police Reforms Committee feels that while discharging their duty even in adverse circumstances, policemen should show respect for basic human rights of the people which is the key to building public confidence in the force. The Committee of Police Reforms, which was constituted by the Government of India in January, 2000, will submit its recommendations to the government by August next. The objective of constituting the Committee is to draw up a strategy to form a modern people-friendly police force for the next millennium. The Committee has already travelled all over the country to discuss the issue of police reforms with police officials, NGOs and various national-level organisations. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 11, 2000)

AGARTALA, July 10: Suspected National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants backed by the Church torched Ratanmoni Sevashram school and the students hostel run by Vanabasi Kalyan Ashram, an offshoot of the RSS, at Ananda Bazar in North Tripura's Kanchanpur sub-division. The school run exclusively for tribal students was set on fire by militants at 1 am today. One of the inmates spotted the flames and woke up others and took shelter in an adjoining Assam Rifles camp. All the 40 boarders and hostel staff survived the fire but the school and its furniture were destroyed. Addressing newspersons, state general-secretary of the Vanabasi Kalyan Ashram Balaram Santra said tribal militants backed by the Church had been systematically targeting non-Christian school, including government schools. He said the ashram had initially planned to set up 90 schools for tribals this year in the state. "But it will be difficult now", he added. Over the past four years, Church-backed militants have attacked religio-cultural institutions in Tripura but the state government failed to take any action. The involvement of Church in militancy came to light in April last year when a pastor of the Baptist church, M. Gumnam Halam, was arrested by the police from Bagpasha under Dharma nagar sub-division following seizure of explosives from his residence. He has been booked under National Security Act. The state government for the first time admitted that Christian missionaries were converting people in interior areas. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar corroborated the charge in reply to a query by Congress legislator Prakash Das in the Assembly. (Correspondent; The Telegraph; Guwahati; July 11, 2000)

DHAKA, July 11: A Bangladesh court has fixed July 20 as the date for hearing a case filed against Anup Chetia, a top leader of separatist ULFA, and his two associates. The assistant metropolitan sessions judge's acting court adjourned proceedings in the case as presiding judge Humayun Kabir was on leave. Chetia and his associated were produced before the court on Monday. Chetia, who was the general secretary of the United Liberation Front of Assam, and his two associates, Babul Sharma and Laxmi Prasad Goswami, were arrested from a house in Dhaka on December 21, 1997 for staying illegally in Bangladesh. Chetia was also charged with illegally possessing the currency of 16 countries and a satellite telephone set. The ULFA leader and ideologue was sentenced to six years' rigorous imprisonment and fined $120 by the chief metropolitan magistrate's court in Dhaka, in October 1998, for illegally staying in Bangladesh. The ULFA, which has been spearheading a violent campaign for the secession of Assam from the Indian Union, reportedly has several camps within Bangladesh. New Delhi has taken up this matter several times with Dhaka and the ruling Awami League has assured India that it would not allow Bangladeshi territory to be used by insurgent groups from the Northeast. (Ershadul Haq, India Abroad News Service; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 12, 2000)

AGARTALA, July 11: Underground tribal guerrillas killed 875 people and kidnapped 1687 others during the past seven years till April last in Tripura. Stating this, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who holds the home portfolio, told the Tripura Assembly that during this period altogether 2009 people were murdered and 2014 people were abducted by the militants or otherwise. At least 531 cases of rape, 704 cases of arson and 658 cases of dacoity were also reported during this period, the Chief Minister said, adding that police registered 981 cases of atrocities on women in the same period. Sarkar said during the past two years outlawed militants also killed 72 security personnel, including 19 Tripura state Rifles (TSR) and 14 each of CRPF and BSF jawans. (UNI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 12, 2000)

SHILLONG, July 11: The underground Peoples' Liberation Front has claimed that it had not served any "extortion" notice to ministers and MLAs but sought their "help" in the form of "donations". On July 3, the underground Garo outfit, which is fighting for an "unknown" cause, had served extortion notices to some MLAs, including two ministers, from the Garo Hills. The politicians had informed the police about this and two youth were arrested in this connection. The youth, identified as Alden Marak and Balkhos Marak, had confessed that they were involved in the extortion racket being organised by the self-styled "commander-in-chief" of the outfit, Vincent A. Sangma. The PLF circulated a statement in Tura last evening, saying they had never tried to extort money from the ministers. The statement, which was signed by DM Sangma, a senior leader of the outfit, alleged that the political leaders had "unnecessarily" informed the police to "tarnish" their image. Lambasting the Garo leaders, the underground outfit demanded that the ministers should give an "unconditional" apology for filing a formal complaint with the police and tarnishing its image among the masses. It also accused the elected leaders of totally failing to work for the poor people in the three Garo Hills districts. Senior police officials from the West Garo Hills also confirmed from Tura that they have come across reports about the circulation of the statement by the underground outfit. Planning and programme implementation minister Lotsing A Sangma, who was also served with an extortion demand of Rs 30,000 by the PLF rebels, told The Telegraph that the question of "apology" does not arise. "Why should I apologise?" the minister asked this correspondent in his chamber in the state secretariat this morning. Earlier, Sangma had denied that he had been slapped with an extortion note by the PLF militants. The minister expressed doubts about whether the statement was at all issued by the outfit or not. "Some forces are going all out to tarnish the image of our party," he said. Sangma is a senior member of the Nationalist Congress Party. (Correspondent; The Telegraph; Calcutta; July 12, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 12: The Army gunned down at least 12 NSCN militants in an encounter on Tuesday at Bholapunji, located in the Jiribam area of North Cachar Hills on the Assam-Manipur border. Defence sources here said on Wednesday the incident took place when troops acting on a tipoff raided Bholapunji village on Tuesday morning. The heavily-armed Naga guerrillas, who were hiding in a house, opened fired at the Army patrol. Retaliation by the troops resulted in a fierce gun battle. At least 12 militants holed up inside the house were killed. The Army recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition, including two AK-56 assault rifles, three SLRs, a 9mm carbine, two .303 rifles, two grenades and 742 rounds of live ammunition. A large amount of incriminating documents, photographs and extortion notes were also recovered from the spot. However, a defence press release said here on Wednesday that the identity of the militants was yet to be established. The militants' bodies were handed over to the Assam police on Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, state police sources said the slain militants belonged to the NSCN(IM) faction. The police team has reached the spot and is trying to establish the identity of the rebels. Preliminary reports here said the ultras belonged to a breakaway faction of the NSCN(IM) led by Maj. Akhan Tangkhul. The incident took place in a remote border area of Assam, police sources said, adding that it was very difficult to establish communication lines with the police team on the spot. (Manoj Anand; The Asian Age; New Delhi; July 13, 2000)

TURA, July 12: A Garo militant group, the People's Liberation Front, Meghalaya, has gone all out against the state Planning Minister, Lotsing A Sangma, claiming that the FIR lodged by the Garo ministers at the Shillong police station against the outfit a week back was his brainchild. The outfit which is at present in its infant stage has issued releases to the local press terming the entire episode as a 'misunderstood' one. Claiming that they had not extorted any money from the NCP Garo ministers but had merely asked for a donation, the outfit has flayed the ministers calling them 'uneducated' for not realising the difference between a request for a donation and a demand note. The outfit has called upon the Planning Minister to tender an apology in all the local newspapers failing which the would be forced to take stern action against him. It has also called upon the present ministers to desist from contesting elections in the future as no development worth has been done for the Garo Hills, and to make way for better educated Garos. The PLF-M, though relatively junior to the ANVC, is slowly making its presence felt through extortions, snatching of arms, recruitment of cadres, and is demanding a separate state for the Garos. The outfit's presence is noticed mainly around Dainadubi, Williamnagar, in East Garo Hills, and Dalu in West Garo Hills. Recently, the Border Security Force (BSF) stationed at Dalu had apprehended a border wing Home Guard personnel at Chaipani for being a member of the said outfit while crossing from Bangladesh. But mysteriously the ultra escaped from the custody of the BSF by jumping out of a back room window. Meanwhile, Meghalaya Planning Minister Lotsing A Sangma has said he will not apologise as demanded by the People's Liberation Front (Meghalaya). In a release issued here, the Minister said the question of giving 'unconditional apology' did not arise since he felt that the outfit 'in question' was trying to shy away from the truth. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 13, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 13: Militant outfits - United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) will come under tremendous pressure if the Bhutan really implements the resolution of the National Assembly to launch Army operation against the militants, security sources said here. Sources said that the striking power of the militant outfits would come down considerably if they lose their bases in Bhutan. Sources pointed out that if the ULFA is forced to shift camps from Bhutan, one option for them is to shift to Bangladesh again, but it is doubtful whether the Bangladesh government would allow them to set up big camps at this moment. Sources revealed that as security in West Bengal is not very tight, the ULFA might try to go to Bangladesh through the North Bengal corridor. However, it would be difficult for the ULFA to control operations in Assam from Bangladesh, sources pointed out. Security sources said that it would be easier for the ULFA to go to the West Kameng area of Arunachal Pradesh but at the same time, it would be difficult for the ULFA to set up strong bases in that area because of heavy Army presence. The ULFA may also try to shift to the Tirap and Changleng districts of Arunachal Pradesh. But the ULFA would not be able to control the lower Assam districts, considered to be the strongholds of the outfit, from the area and the striking power of the outfit would be reduced considerably. Sources pointed out that at present, the ULFA was running camps along with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Khaplang faction) in Myanmar, but there too, the outfit recently suffered set backs after the Army of Myanmar launched an operation. Moreover, as the NSCN(K) has already expressed its desire to come into a ceasefire agreement, it would be tough for the ULFA to maintain camps in Myanmar, sources pointed out. Sources said that if the Bhutan government starts using the Army to evict the militants, the situation would be even worse for the NDFB as they would be totally isolated from their strongholds in the lower Assam districts. Sources revealed that the state government has already alerted the police and security forces posted in the districts bordering Bhutan as the militants may sneak into Assam from the camps in Bhutan. Though the chief operations officer of the Royal Bhutan Army Goongloen Gongma Lam Dorji recently told the Bhutanese National Assembly that if operations needed to be launched to evict the insurgents, "the officers and men of the three service forces pledge to carry out the important task with total commitment," sources here expressed doubts on whether the Bhutanese Army is strong enough to carry out the task. It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta recently favoured joint operations by Indian and Bhutanese Army and called upon the central government to hold talks with the Bhutanese government in this regard. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 14, 2000)

DEOMALI (Arunachal Pradesh), July 13: Gone are the days when infantry jawans would cordon and search remote villages to seek out terrorists and militants. Cordon and search they still do, but only after the Army is sure of the presence of militants in a particular area. To arrive at such conclusions, Global Positioning by Satellite System (GPSS), high resolution satellite imagery and aerial reconnaissance are increasingly being resorted to. Thanks to such hi-tech gadgetry, troops of the 181 Mountain Brigade, operating under the Second Mountain Division, on Tuesday night busted an ULFA camp near Deomali in the Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh. The place is marked as "Point 1160" in the maps, being the highest place in the vicinity. On an area measuring roughly 300 metres by 50 metres, a group of about six ULFA militants, with hired help from local Nocte tribesmen, were building up an elaborate camp, well camouflaged in every aspect. Except, that the camouflage was not good enough to deceive the satellite imagery. The camp was located at a steep incline, impossible to detect from the ground. The camp's outer boundaries had elaborate sentry points with bunkers and trenching, to enable escape in times of a crisis. Another three hundred steps and one could see the main camp site, complete with officers' quarters and residing place for other ranks. In all, the camp could accommodate about 60 persons. There were two kitchens, one major and other to prepare tea, a volleyball court, and a hall-type structure. Army sources said the camp was built to train up recruits. The earthwork and the structures proved that the whole camp area was built hardly six to seven days ago. This could be the reason why no militant was present at the time when the security personnel approached the camp on Tuesday evening. However, seeing the clothes and accessories, it is assumed that al teast six persons were there, before they escaped the security dragnet. The seizures included two 9mm carbines, a huge stock of medicines, rations, two improvised explosive devices, a long range Sony FM telephone, blankets, mosquito nets, hurricane lamps, a copy of the banned outfits mouthpiece Swadhinata (publication date: February 7, 2000), audio cassettes and microcassettes, a microcassette recorder, various clothing materials, etc. The polythene sheets, used to cover the structures and make partitions at the camp and rations were all distributed among the citizens of Turet village, at the foothill of Point 1160. The village is 45 minutes' of uphill trek away from the camp site. To reach Turet itself is an hour's drive by Gypsy from the nearest township of Soha, which is the end of the metalled road from Deomali. With Army tracker dogs trying to trace out the fleeing militants of the ULFA camp, a manhunt is on to nab the youths. This morning, a police-CRPF team arrested five ULFA militants at Borgaon, near Makum, in Tinsukia district. The militants have been identified as Tulsi Gogoi (30), Debajit Gohain (28), Dibya Gohain (22), Diganta Dohotia (23) and Dhiren Chetia (20). It is yet to be ascertained whether these five youths are among the six who escaped from the Point 1160 camp day before yesterday. Brigadier VK Datta, commander of the 181 Mountain Brigade, who personally led the operation to destroy the camp, said the entire exercise was meticulously planned, once the information was confirmed that a militants' camp is existing near the Turet village. "My boys had to suffer leech and mosquito bites for two nights in dense rainforests," he said, while talking of the treacherous terrain. For, after all, technology has helped to only identify the place. The follow up had to be done by soldiers of flesh and blood. The militants are not our enemies: they are misguided youths from our society. Our task is to bring them back to society, for the good of all, the Brigadier emphasised. But whatever, the security forces are surely making rapid strides in their job, by keeping the militants at bay and making sure that they do not get any shelter in the country, as long as they are militants. (Ron Duarah; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 14, 2000)

AIZAWL, July 13: The Centre on Thursday issued an order for establishment of the second battalion of India Reserve Police, state Home department officials said here. The officials said the order was sent to Chief Minister Zoramthanga by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The Centre sanctioned Rs 15 crore for the establishment of the battalion which would be equipped with sophisticated weapons and other necessary equipment including ambulances and other vehicles, the officials said. Mizoram government had been pressurising the Centre to establish the battalion to ensure maintenance of peace in the state surrounded by insurgency-torn states and which shares 700 km international border with Myanmar and Bangladesh. The ruling MNF on Thursday lauded the decision of the Centre to raise an additional battalion of the Indian Reserve Police. (The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 14, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 14: Even as the three-year-long ceasefire with the NSCN(IM) expires on July 31 next, the Centre is taking serious note of the outfit's activities in the two hill districts of Assam where they have been extending help to tribal militants. A member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Home Affairs informed that the Centre was well aware that the NSCN(IM) had been providing aems and training to militants belonging to Karbi National Volunteers (KNV), Karbi People's Force (KPF) and Dima Halong Dougah (DHD) which are active in the hill districts of Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills. The Centre is worried over escalating violence and mass killings of non-tribals by tribal ultras especially in Karbi Anglong in recent months and believes that without the help from the NSCN(IM) it would not have been possible for these outfits to terrorise the two hill districts. The Ministry of Home Affairs has information that KNV and KPF militants often take shelter in notified NSCN(IM) camps during the ceasefire period to escape the fury of the security forces. They know that in view of the ceasefire pact the security forces cannot launch offensive on NSCN(IM) camps. Although the Government of India is concerned over NSCN(IM) role in helping the Karbi and DHD ultras, it cannot do anything as the ceasefire pact is silent as far as NSCN(IM) extending help to other militant outfits. However, sources informed that the Centre would be careful next time if the ceasefire with the NSCN(IM) is extended after expiry of the present truce so that the Naga rebel group cannot continue to patronise other militant outfits in the region. It may be mentioned that besides getting help from the NSCN(IM) the militants operating in Karbi Anglong and NC Hills are in an advantageous position vis-a-vis police and other security forces given the fact that remote areas of these two districts can hardly be policed for various reasons like lack of police posts, roads etc. Unfortunately, despite the escalating violence the government is yet to take steps to give a boost to policing in those two hill districts. (Staff Reporter; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 15, 2000)

SHILLONG, July 14: Former Union Home Secretary K Padmanabhaih on Thursday said all insurgent groups operating in the east should be brought to the negotiating table for lasting peace in the region, reports PTI. Unless there is constant political dialogue and mutual respect, insurgency cannot be contained, Padmanabhaiah, who was involved in the peace talks with NSCN(IM) during his tenure, told newsmen here at the conclusion of his visit to Meghalaya as Chairman of the Police Reforms Committee. "This applies not only for Nagaland, but as a whole in the eastern region," he said. The ceasefire in Nagaland, scheduled to end next month, should be extended as there is "massive support" for it and the situation in that state had improved "quite a lot since" it was imposed three years ago, he said. There would be no problem for ceasefire in that state which has three insurgent groups unlike Manipur where there are more groups, he said, adding, talks are on for ceasefire with NSCN (K) also. Peace talks could not be held for the last six months following NSCN(IM) president T Muivah's detention in Thailand, where he will be tried on July 24, he said. Regarding the demand for more autonomy, he said: "Do you think that the situation will improve after getting it? See, first Nagaland got Union territoryhood and then statehood still the situation has not improved." Local police should be trained and properly equipped to combat insurgency as the Army, posted in the region for two years and do not know the people and the terrain, cannot deal with the problem. (PTI; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July15, 2000)

GUWAHATI, July 15: Two Bodo militant outfits in western Assam seem to have been heading for confrontation with Bodo Liberation Tiger warning its counterpart banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland to refrain from targeting the vital installations of the state. The NDFB militants had attacked the Bongaigaon Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited on Thursday by mortar forcing the state government to sound red alert in all the oil and other vulnerable installations of the state against possible strike of the ultras. Though, the attack had failed to make any impact on the installation as heavy rain on Thursday night is believed to have sabotaged the ultras plan to set the BRPL premises on fire by mortar firing. The BLT that has declared ceasefire also condemned the incident. It alleged that it was an act in frustration by anti-India forces to disturb the ongoing peace process between the BLT and the Centre. In a press statement, the rebel leader and BLT's Bongaigaon district committee secretary said, "BLT would not tolerate any harm to BRPL." The All Bodo Students' Union has also condemned the incident and warned the ultras from targeting the BRPL like installations in their offensive. Meanwhile, security in and around all the oil and other related installations have been beefed up, as there is apprehension that ultras may launch offensives on some of the important installations to register their presence. After the BLT ceasefire agreement with the Centre, the ultras have failed to launch any major offensive in the lower Assam districts of the state. Besides a few stray incidents of violence, the situation was completely normal in western Assam. Thursday's incident of mortar attack by NDFB militants on BRPL has alarmed the state government that immediately intensified the security in and around the vital installations, the police said here on Saturday. (Manoj Anand; The Asian Age; Guwahati; July 16, 2000)

IMPHAL, July 15: The personnel of the Assam Rifles and armed cadres of the Kuki National Army (KNA) exchanged fire at Chellap Kuki village under Tengnoupal police station around 1 pm on Friday, a late report said here. The KNA cadres fired upon the Assam Rifles personnel when they were approaching towards the Chellap village. When the Assam Rifles troop retaliated, the armed militants of the KNA escaped towards the eastern side of the village taking advantage of the deep jungle, the sources added. The AR troop later launched a massive manhunt in and around the village to trace the attackers. The AR team recovered one magazine of SLR fitted with 20 rounds of ammunition, one fired cartridge of. 303 rifle and diary marked with KNA from the spot. The team also spotted some fresh blood stains on the roadside of the Chellap village towards which the KNS armed cadres escaped. The AR troop suspected that some of the militants might have been injured during the 15-minute-long gunbattle. However, no report of any casualty on the either side has been available. According to the villagers, 20 armed militants of the KNA sneaked into the village in the wee hour of Friday to take shelter for some time. Meanwhile, in another incident, a 22-year-old man identified as Yumnam Ibochouba Singh was seriously injured when some unidentified gunmen shot him around 8.30 pm on Thursday at Keibi under Lamlai police station in Imphal East district. (Correspondent; The Assam Tribune; Guwahati; July 16, 2000)