NEW DELHI, May 19 ? Alarmed at the presence of Northeast militants on its soil, Bhutan has decided to set up a counter-insurgency force to fight them and asked India to ensure that no more militants enter the tiny Himalayan Kingdom, reports PTI. ?They (North-east militants) have to be made to leave the country before they strengthened their presence in Bhutan,? a senior Bhutanese official Sonam Tshering was quoted as saying on the internet edition of government funded newspaper Kuensel.
Bhutan has asked militants to wind up their camps before June 30 failing which Government would take action. Disclosing Bhutan?s decision to set up the counter-insurgency force, he said ?about 800 men were ready to join the militia.? He said the move was taken since militants refused to respond to the Bhutan government?s sincere efforts to leave the country. Tshering said it was necessary that the Indian Government also took steps to check ultras from entering into Bhutan.
Bhutan King Jigme Wangchuk had recently addressed the country?s lawmakers to discuss the situation in the country, especially due to the presence of camps of ULFA, Bodo outfits and the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation. The Bhutan King said, ?When the security and sovereignty of our country is under threat, the true sons of the soil must step forward and not wait to be called upon to serve their country.?
The King said in the event of a conflict with these ultras, 10 districts would be directly affected placing more than 66,000 Bhutanese at risk. ?The implications would be even greater if the militants came to other districts,? Wangchuk said.