Politics / Assam

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...

BEHALI, February 17: The timely intervention of the Sonitpur district administration and stiff objection by the Assam Government to its counterpart Arunachal Pradesh has led to the deferment of the proposed inauguration ceremony of Tarasoo revenue circle inside the Behali Reserve Forest in Sonitpur district which the Arunachal Pradesh government claims as their own territority. Talking to The Assam Tribune, the deputy commissioner of Sonitpur, Naba Kumar Chetia said that all preparations were completed by the Arunachal government to inaugurate the circle today by the Chief Minister of...

JULI MAIDAN (Barama), February 16: The 33rd session of All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), held at Juli Maidan, Barama has called upon the Bodo people to pursue education in the Bodo language with the aim to develop the language. ABSU further decided not to encourage setting up of English medium schools in Bodo villages in order to help the Bodo medium schools to flourish. ABSU will also encourage establishment of private Bodo medium schools to keep Bodo children in the private Bodo medium schools instead of going to private English medium schools. In this regard the ABSU will form a forum to...

GUWAHATI, February 15: The growing links of the militant outfits of the Northeast region with foreign countries is causing concern among the security forces engaged in the counter-insurgency operations. Police sources said that at present almost all the major militant outfits operating in the region have foreign links and their leaders very often take shelter in foreign countries to escape the security net. Sources revealed that the first recorded links between NE militants with foreign countries dated back to 1960s when the Naga militants established contacts in China. In fact, the Isak...

JULI MAIDAN (Barama), February 15: Time is now favourable for holding talk with Bodo organisations for a permanent solution to the Bodo problem, UG Brahma, president of All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) said today. Talking exclusively to The Assam Tribune, Brahma said that the students body has decided to give more stress on the socio-economic development of the Bodo dominated areas and to ensure better academic atmosphere. However, the demand for a separate State will be an important part of ABSU's agenda. The ABSU supremo further said that the discussion on its political strategies for the...

AGARTALA, February 14: The much-awaited barbed-wire fencing along the 855-km stretch of Indo-Bangladesh border in Tripura will start next month. Barbed-wire fencing was felt as an immediate need to check the trans-border movement of the militants from their base camps in Bangladesh through the highly porous border that pierces the inaccessible hilly terrains, deep forests and plains. The militants used to intrude into Tripura territory often and after committing massacres and violence of all kinds, they just cross over to Bangladesh, leaving the police and security forces in the lurch. Almost...

NAGAON, February 13: The number of voters in seven legislative assembly constitutencies under Nagaon subdivision has increased by 22.57 per cent during the last 10 years, according to the final voters list published here recently. Significantly, the number of female voters during this period was not proportionate to the increase in the number of male voters. In 1991 electioon, the number of voters in seven constituencies was 6,69,894 while in 1996, the number stood at 7,27,384 registering a growth of 8.5 per cent. In 2001, the number of voters stood at 8,20,488 which shows an increase of about...

IMPHAL, February 13: The student bodies of Manipuris residing in Manipur and Assam have strongly protested the Assam Government's recent order in connection with the introduction of Bishnupriya Manipuri language at primary level schools of Barak Valley districts. A joint meeting of the powerful All Manipur Students Union (AMSU), All Assam Manipuri Students Union (AAMSU) and Northeastern Students Committee (NESCOMI) was also held in this regard at AMSU headquarters here on Sunday evening. The meeting has protested the order of the Assam Government issued on February 7 allowing teaching of...

GUWAHATI, February 13: The Assam Assembly Speaker, Ganesh Kutum today formed a seven member committee headed by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Hitendra Nath Goswami to examine the scope and ambit of the powers of the judiciary to interfere with the functioning of the Speaker and Legislature vis-a-vis the independence of the Legislature under the provisions of the Constitution of India. The other members of the committee are Irrigation Minister Abdul Muhib Mazumdar and legislators Dilip Kumar Saikia, Prithibi Majhi, Bimalangshu Roy, Devakanta Ramchiary and Holiram Terang. The committee has...

GUWAHATI, February 13: The Education Department faced strong criticism from both the Opposition and ruling party legislators in the State Assembly today and the Education Minister Thaneswar Boro admitted before the House that certain anomalies were going on in the Department. The Education Minister admitted that national appointment of teachers in schools could not be maintained due to several factors like the refusal of the teachers to work in the rural areas, feeling of insecurity in some areas of the State etc. He said that in one particular school in Guwahati city, as many as 21 teachers...