AGARTALA, April 26 ? Five militants ? four belonging to banned ATTF and one of Nayanbashi faction of NLFT formally surrendered before the Assam Rifles yesterday. The ATTF militants disillusioned and fed up with bloodshed, fled from their Satcheri camp and surrendered. The formal surrender today took place at Abhicharan under Sidhai police station where the militants laid down arms before the 11 battalion Assam Rifles commanding officer Col. Amit Sharma. The militants ? Nagendra Debbarma, Parasuram Debbarma, Rajin Debbarma and Ranjit Debbarma (all ATTF) and Mangal Debbarma (NLFT-Nayanbashi)...

CHANGLANG, (Arunachal), April 26 ? A week?s merriment of song, dance, food and wine began here yesterday, as part of the Moh Mol festivities of the Tangsa community of the Changlang district. However, this year?s festivities have been marred by the growing influence of the IM faction of the NSCN. Everyone here knows that after the cadres of the NSCN(IM) infiltrated into this district, life has not been the same for the general population here. Changling district has a Tangsa population of about 40,000. The Tangsas are a part of the greater Naga society, while the Tangsas themselves comprise of...

NEW DELHI, April 26 ? The ceasefire between Government of India and NSCN (Khaplang) faction has been extended for another year, Union Home Minister, L K Advani announced this in the Lok Sabha here today. There have been discussions between the representatives of government of India and the NSCN (K). Both sides satisfied with the progress made so far in implementing the ceasefire. Both sides have, therefore, agreed to extend the ceasefire by a period of one year with effect from April 28, Sri Advani said in a brief statement. The Union Minister did not clarify whether the government proposed...

GUWAHATI, April 26 ? The Asam Sahitya Sabha has postponed its proposed agitation scheduled to begin from May 18 next, on the issue of implementation of the State Language Act, in view of the State Government?s forming an eight-member advisory committee to study the problems and recommend measures for implementation of the Act.

Meanwhile, the Sabha has decided to remake the first Assamese film Joymati made by Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwalla synchronising with the birth centenary of Rupkonwar. The Sabha has also made considerable progress in the production of the Assamese Encyclopedia (Asamiya...

GUWAHATI, April 26 ? Because of the failure of the North Eastern States to enforce uniform sales tax, Assam Government?s bid to augment revenue collection through imposition of 20 per cent sales tax and ten per cent surcharge on cost price composition of ex-bond price, excise duty and import fee ? of India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) petered out as large number of IMFL buyers resorted to buy from liquor shops in neighbouring Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh at a cheaper rate thanks to low rate of sales tax in those States.

In the wake of State Sales tax hike made effective from February 15...