Govt to seek church aid for talks with ANVC

TURA, May 27? The Meghalaya Government is to seek the help of church leaders of Garo Hills to bring the banned ANVC to the negotiation table. Home Minister Lotsing A Sangma will shortly be meeting members of the A?chik Baptist Dalgipa Krima (ABDK), the powerful church body in Garo Hills, leaders of the Roman Catholic Demonstration and senior citizens of Tura to discuss ways in bringing the ANVC to the negotiating table. This was revealed by Sangma during his press conference at Rikman Continental hotel recently. Briefing members of the media the Home Minister said that the government was prepared for talks with the ANVC but till date the militant group had failed to give any sign that it was keen for a discussion. He said that no militant group could find a solution to its demands by going directly to the Centre for talks because law and order was a state subject. ?We are ready for talks with the ANVC but so far they have not sent any feelers,? said Lotsing Sangma.

On the sudden spurt in militant activities in the Garo Hills, particularly West Garo Hills district, the Home Minister claimed that this was because the ULFA and the NDFB were trying to settle down in Garo Hills after getting the pressure from Bhutan Government. ?Militants in Garo Hills are mobile and rural-based unlike the HNLC which is urban based and hence it is difficult to get success?, claimed the Home Minister. He downplayed the fact that intelligence gathering needed to be beefed up. He said the government was aware of the ANVC leaders staying in Bangladesh and their tie-up with other militant groups. He however, said that there was no concrete information on camps being run by the ANVC in Bangladesh.