Politics / Northeast

NEW DELHI, Feb 12 ? Taking a serious note of the unabated illegal infiltration from across the border, the Supreme Court today directed the Central and the State Governments of Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and West Bengal to file a status report on the latest position within four weeks. What is significant is that the three-member Bench of Justice Rajendra Babu, Justice GP Mathur and Justice AR Laxman directed that the petition on IMDT Act pending before the apex Court be posted for final hearing. The hearing on the writ petition filed by Sarbananda Sonowal challenging the validity of the IMDT...

GUWAHATI, Feb 8 ? The North East Students? Organisation (NESO) has called upon all the political parties to make their stand clear on the crucial issues facing the people of the region before the ensuing Lok Sabha polls.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, the chairman of the NESO, Samujjal Bhattacharya, alleged that none of the major political parties could take bold steps on the crucial issues of the region including the influx of foreigners, job reservation for local youths, economic development of the region etc and threatened that if the parties fail to make their stand clear before the polls...

New Delhi, Feb. 8: Back from another peacemaking mission to Bangkok, Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga said leaders of as many as three militant groups of the Northeast were expected to visit New Delhi within a month to begin negotiations with the Centre.

The militant leader-turned-politician met leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) and a couple of other groups during his visit to the Thailand capital. He undertook the mission at the behest of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Zoramthanga said he held ?extensive? discussions with the NSCN (I-M) leadership on...

NEW DELHI, Feb 7 ? North East Peoples Forum?s (NEPF) bid to turn into a formidable regional political force has run into rough weather, with the majority of the region?s BJP State units expressing strong reservation to the proposal preferring to fight the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls alone.

The BJP Central leadership after taking note of the views of the State BJP office bearers assured them that a final decision would be taken in consultations with them. If the prevailing mood of the BJP State units were any indications then alliance with regional parties could be ruled out. The Assam State...

NEW DELHI, Feb 4 ? China has denied receiving any request from outlawed ULFA for safe passage even as India got in touch with China to checkmate the rebel outfit, Minister of State for External Affairs, Digvijay Singh confirmed here today.

The Minister informed in the Lok Sabha that after media reports regarding a letter addressed to the Chinese Government by ULFA, came to the notice of the Government of India, his Ministry got in touch with the Chinese Embassy here The ULFA had sought safe passage through Chinese territory for members of insurgent groups seeking to escape the armed...

AIZAWL, Feb 2 ? The 10th round of talks between the Mizoram Government and the Tripura-based underground Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) might run into rough weather even as both the sides expressed optimism that they would settle the Bru problem this time around.

An official, who is involved in the negotiations, told PTI on condition of anonymity that the State Government was having serious doubts that the agreement to be made with the BNLF would end the Bru insurgency against Mizoram.

?We doubt that the BNLF would be able to rein in Bru underground splinter groups like tha Bru National...

SHILLONG, Jan 31 ? Cadres of the banned militant outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) of Meghalaya are trained in different camps in Bangladesh and have close links with a Khasia association of the neighbouring country, a senior police official said here today, reports PTI.

?They (HNLC) have their training camps at the Chittagong hill tracts and also got some safe houses at places like Srimangal, Maulavi bazar and Pannai,? Superintendent of Police in East Khasi Hills district, A S Rynjah, told reporters. At least 15-20 HNLC cadres were trained in each camp before they were...

GUWAHATI, Jan 31: Growing links between the militant outfits of the North Eastern region and Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) backed Kashmiri militant outfits is causing concern among the security agencies and recently the security agencies have come across links between the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and Jamait Ul Mujaheedin (JUM), a Pakistan Occupied Kashmir based militant outfit.

Highly placed security sources said that the links between the ULFA and the JUM came to light after the seizure of huge number of AK 47 ammunition in Kolkata, following which, two ULFA...

Jan. 21: The chief ministers of five states jointly appealed to Delhi to declare militancy in the Northeast a ?national problem? as violence continued to rock parts of the region. Three security personnel were today killed and five seriously injured in the latest strike by the banned Ulfa, which is reportedly trying to avenge the crackdown on its camps in Bhutan.

The militants triggered an improvised explosive device at Ronsi in Meghalaya?s East Garo Hills around 7.30 am, blowing up a van carrying security personnel.

Two of them, one from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the other...

Kohima, Jan. 14: Pro-insurgent Briton David Patrick Ward, arrested in Nagaland six months ago on charges of assault and arson, will have a high-profile visitor to his prison cell next week in the form of his country?s deputy high commissioner to India, Andrew Hall.

The British high commission had written to the Nagaland government asking for Ward?s deportation to the UK, but the seriousness of the charges against him stalled the process.

Variously described as a ?Robinhood-type character?, a ?tricky person? and a ?fanatical supporter of Naga insurgency?, Ward was booked under the National...