GUWAHATI, Dec 24 ? Governor of Assam Lt Gen (retd) Ajai Singh today claimed that some major leaders of the banned ULFA, NDFB and KLO outfits who are on the run in Bhutan have established contact with the security forces in the country expressing desire to surrender. Talking to the media at Raj Bhawan here for the first time since the Royal Bhutan Army launched the crackdown on Northeast militants outfits, the Governor sent out the message to the ultras that those who are willing to surrender could do so at the nearest security post in the country without fear for their lives as the Government is committed to protect their lives.
The Governor claimed that along with the operation launched by the Bhutanese Army inside Bhutan, security forces in the country had completely sealed the Indo-Bhutan border to prevent ?ex-filtration? of militants from Bhutan across the border. He said, ? In conjunction with the sealing of the Indo-Bhutan border, the security forces have intensified counter-insurgency operations in other parts of Assam. More forces are being pressed into service to facilitate these operations within the State.?
The Governor has called upon the media to play the role of ?the force multiplier? vis-?-vis the operation launched by Bhutanese Army against Northeast militants outfits, ULFA, NDFB and KLO taking shelter in the Himalayan Kingdom. ?Assam is passing through an important moment of history. The fortunes and events are in our favour. At this juncture it is important that we launch a media offensive which will act as a force multiplier,? Governor Singh said.
The Governor was the GOC-in-C of Tezpur based 4 Corps of the Indian Army and had firsthand experience of heading counter-insurgency operation by the Army in the State in early 1990s. It may be mentioned that in the view of absolute lack of flow of information from the State Government or any Indian agencies, the media is compelled to bank on statements being e-mailed by militant outfits on the military offensive against them in Bhutan. Only official touch to these reports are being given by throwing in a few quotes of Bhutanese Director of Foreign Affairs Yeshey Dorji who is operating from bordering town of Sandrup Jhonkar these days.
Consequently, the militants outfits have virtually piped the Indian and Assam Government to the post in the propaganda war launched by them over Bhuatnese military operations. Yesterday, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi almost pleaded helplessness when newsmen pressed him for a proper flow of official information in the wake of ULFA top bosses Paresh Barua and Arabinda Rajkhowa regularly calling up or sending e-mails to local newspaper offices to dish out their versions of the situation arising out of the Bhutan operations.
Gogoi even went on to say that the Centre, which could be getting information from the Bhutanese authorities, was not bound to share information with the State Government despite the fact that statements issued by the ULFA leaders were even getting banner headlines in a section of the vernacular press here. Gogoi has complained that the newspapers were carrying only the ULFA side of the stories, following which he ran short of words to explain why the Government did not establish machinery that would dish out at least the official versions. ?The State Government cannot do anything because Bhutan is a foreign country,? was all Gogoi could state. It may be mentioned that Governor Singh today called up the GOC 4 Corps at Tezpur in the presence of newsmen and asked him to cull information from all possible sources so that a daily media briefing could be held from tomorrow. The briefing is being arranged at the Raj Bhavan from tomorrow.