NEW DELHI, May 27— Royal Government of Bhutan’s Army operation against outlawed ULFA, NDFB and KLO militants, extension of the ongoing cease-fire with the NSCN and the problem of unabated infiltration from across the border have been reported by the Amnesty International in its annual report released last evening.
Chief Editor Tehelka Tarun Tejpal at a function here released the Amnesty International Report 2004 last evening. “The activities of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the Kamtapur Liberation Front (KLO), armed separatist groups from North-East India, increased tensions in southern areas of Bhutan. They ignored a June 30 Government deadline to vacate their 20 camps or face military action,” Amnesty International has reported.
“In December nearly 600 militia volunteers, including 20 women, were deployed in southern Bhutan alongside the regular armed forces. This was followed on December 15 by the launch of a military offensive to expel the armed separatist groups from the country. Sixty women and children who had been living in the camps were arrested and handed over to the Indian authorities, it was reported.
About the illegal infiltration from Bangladesh, the Amnesty International has said that there were reports of collective expulsions by the Indian authorities of Bangladeshi nationals’ accused of being illegal immigrants. However, the Bangladeshi authorities were reluctant to allow them to return. The incident resulted in a stalemate where 213 people were trapped between the two borders.