Insurgency / Northeast

SHILLONG, February 28: The 42nd Rashtriya Rifles (Assam), formed specially to combat insurgency and terrorism, came into existence at a simple inaugural ceremony at the Assam Regimental Centre, Happy Valley here on Thursday, reports UNI. Major General IJS Bora, GOC 101 area, unfurled the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) flag heralding the formal raising of the battalion which would be commanded by Lt Col Naresh Razora. Smartly turned out guards of the new battalion presented the major general salute in presence of officers, jawans and their families of 101 area and 42nd RR battalion. While four RR...

AIZAWL, March 4: Chief Minister Zoramthanga has held discussions in New Delhi with Defence Minister George Fernandes on the overall security scenario in the Northeast, reports UNI. According to official sources here, the Chief Minister also requested the Defence Minister to shift the Assam Rifles from the heart of the capital town to the outskirts at the earliest. The state government has already earmarked a site for the proposed new Assam Rifles complex. The two leaders yesterday discussed the issue of fencing the State's 424-km-long international border with Myanmar to check the flow of...

KOLKATA, March 4: The Centre was willing to extend the ceasefire to all militant groups in the Northeast, Union Home Minister L K Advani indicated here today. Speaking to newsmen at the Calcutta airport during a brief stopover on his way to Port Blair on a special aircraft, he said the Chief Ministers of Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh had also favoured such a step during their discussions with him. "The stand of both the Chief Ministers is now flexible. Appropriate steps would be taken by the government in due course," he stated, adding that there was no need for a mid-term review of the...

NEW DELHI, March 3: Assam Rifles will be expanded to take some pressure off the Army, heavily involved in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Northeast. A decision has been taken to raise about six battalions of the Assam Rifles, and the raising is already in process, Army officials said. Despite recent talks on ceasefire, Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast are still disturbed zones. In some states, the situation is deteriorating. Raising the Assam Rifles is likely to ensure that the Army gets some relief. Involvement of local people would help in gathering information. Moreover, they will have better...

NEW DELHI, March 2: After Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee now wants to try out the ceasefire experiment in the entire Northeast. The truce proposal - in all probability a conditional offer - is likely to be announced in Parliament later this month. According to sources, it will be offered to all insurgent outfits, including both the Isak-Muivah and Khaplang factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, ULFA, National Democratic Front of Boroland and those operating in Tripura. The Chief Ministers of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh today "informally" gave...

NEW DELHI, March 2: The Prime Minister's Office and the ministry for home affairs are locked in a fight over whether or not to extend the ceasefire in the Northeastern states on the lines of the Kashmir truce. The home ministry has ruled out any such possibility, but officials admit that the PMO has a different stand on the issue. "If the PMO decides on extension of ceasefire in all the Northeastern states on the lines of Jammu and Kashmir, it will create a major problem for the Centre, especially the MHA, to control militancy and maintain internal security in the region," sources said. "The...

GUWAHATI, March 1: In a major setback to the state government's efforts to promote Assam as a major tourist destination for footloose Europeans, three countries have warned their citizens not to tour the militancy-ravaged state. Though the state government insists that the law and order situation has returned to normal, not everyone is convinced. Governments of United Kingdom, France and Switzerland have advised tourists against visiting Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland. The "warning" has been posted in the official websites of the departments handling foreign affairs of the three European...

KOHIMA, February 24: Union Home Minister L K Advani today assured the people of the Northeast that New Delhi would do all possible to restore peace in the region, saying "Centre is very much conscious about the happenings in the north eastern states," reports PTI. Expressing happiness over the people's desire for peace, the Home Minister said the Centre has been trying to discover ways and means to restore peace, bring development, generate employment opportunities in the strifetorn region. The NDA government was very concerned from the outset about the Northeast and continuously endeavoured...

NEW DELHI, February 19: The Northeastern States were slammed by the President, KR Narayanan for leakage of development funds, even as he hinted at against any truce offer for the underground outfits by calling for firm action against the militants. The President's address may come as a major embarrassment to the Northeastern States as question marks were put on their track record of utilisation of public funds. The President's critical remarks were in fact a reflection of the Centre's hardboiled attitude towards the erring states on this score. "Substantial developmental resources flow into...

GUWAHATI, February 18: Anup Chetia, general secretary of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), currently under detention in Bangladesh, was on Sunday convicted by a Dhaka court and sentenced to three years in jail for illegal possession of foreign currencies of as many as 16 countries. Reports from Dhaka said Mohammad Humayun Kabir, the special tribunal judge, also fined Chetia alias Golap Barua 5,000 Bangladeshi taka or about $92 in addition to the three-year prison term involving 'hard labour.' Chetia, now 50, was arrested by Bangladesh immigration and security officials from...