GUWAHATI, Dec 21 ? The Bhutanese Government is attaching priority to the safety of the unarmed women and children living in the Indian militants? camps in Bhutan. The Royal Government of the Himalayan kingdom is taking all the care to provide food and shelter to these inmates of the militant camps, said Director of Bhutanese Foreign Ministry Yeshey Dorji yesterday. He was talking to this correspondent at the regional Revenue and Customs Directorate of the kingdom?s Samdrup Jongkhar district yesterday.
When the Bhutanese official was talking to this correspondent at Samdrup Jongkhar, the legislators of the State were expressing their anguish over the safety of the women and children inmates of the militants? camps in Bhutan. However, the Bhutanese Foreign Ministry official made it clear that the treatment of his Government towards the armed women cadres of the militant camps would be different.
In case of the unarmed women and children, he said, the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGB) was preparing the procedure to deal with them. However, he said that he was not aware of the Indian government?s appeal to the RGB to take care for ensuring the safety of these inmates of the militant camps. And about the militants captured by the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA)? He said that his country had an extradition treaty with the Government of India (GOI). But on the issue of the number of the militants captured he said that he had no information with him. There was no information with him also on the numbers of casualties on both the sides during the ongoing Bhutanese operation against the Indian militants or on the militants who had surrendered to the Bhutanese authorities so far, he said.
The militants had forcefully entered Bhutan and they were not in the mood to leave the country peacefully. They were tried to be persuaded on several occasions during the last six years telling about the problems faced by Bhutan because of their stay in the kingdom, but to no avail, he said. Whether the RGB perceives any danger that may come in future as result from the subversive activities of the militant outfits following the RBA operation against them? Dorji said that the danger of subversive acts was always there after the operation. But the RGB and the Bhutanese people as well were confident that the people of Assam and West Bengal would understand the compulsions of Bhutan and the status of the militant outfits as the outlawed terrorists? organisations.
Moreover, he said that the people and the Government of Bhutan were also hopeful that the militants themselves would also be able to realise the futility of their unrealistic object and would hence try to resolve their problems within the framework of the Indian Constitution. ?If this happens we will be able to live as good neighbours,? Dorji said. Bhutan has a 720 km-long border with India. Dorji said that it was impossible to protect this long border physically through erecting barriers. More than a physical barrier, a mental cooperation is needed between the two countries, he said and added that that was the reason why the Bhutanese people and their Government wanted the Indian militants? problem to be resolved peacefully.