Imphal, January 13: One Assam Rifles jawan Akoijam Surjit who deserted with an LMG and ammunition from his Kakching Lamkhai post in the night of January 3 has reached the General HQs of the People?s Liberation Army, the armed wing of the RPF. At a mobile camp of the PLA somewhere along the Indo-Myanmar border, AK Surjit, son of late AK Ibotombi of Yairipok Bishnu Mayai Leikai formally handed over the LMG along with 10 magazines containing 240 ammunition to the camp-in-charge of the GHQ, PLA today. Explaining why he chose to desert the AR camp, Surjit said he could not tolerate the ?excesses...

IMPHAL, Jan 12 — Most of the political parties in the State have started to announce candidates’ list for the forthcoming 8th State Assembly election which is scheduled to be held on February 14 and 21. Despite the controversies in the distribution of party tickets, the Congress(I) has announced a list of 60 candidates for the 60 seats fom New Delhi. The MPCC(I), the State unit of AICC failed to announce the list since sharp differences surfaced among the party workers. The AICC leader Imran Kidwai also came down to Imphal on January 6 to pacify the tension. Former Chief Minister Rishang...

SILIGURI, Jan 12— ISI spymaster Mohammed Dilshad, arrested for running an espionage ring in North Bengal, was nabbed just as he was preparing to leave for Guwahati to open a clandesting network in Assam, and thereafter in other North-eastern states sources said on Friday, report agencies. Dilshad, described as a ‘Resident Agent’ had handlers identified only as Col Khatak, Commanding Officer (Operations) of the ISI and his deputy Maj Ahmed based in Hyderabad in Pakistan’s Sindh province, the sources said. They had recently instructed Dilshad to expand his espionage activities to the entire...

GUWAHATI, Jan 10 — Along with the rest of the Hmar people-inhabited places of the country, the Sikpui Ruoi Festival, 2001 (Hmar Winter Festival) was celebrated in the two hill districts of NC Hills and Karbi Anglong on December 5. The silence of the cool misty morning was shattered by pleasant sound of traditional musical instruments and songs played by the young boys and girls mingled with the laughter of joy and merriment on that day. The festival was celebrated with much fanfare and gaiety at following places of Haflong area:

Muolhoi: In Muolhoi, Sikpui Ruoi Festival, 2001 was held at...

GUWAHATI, Jan 12— The Committee On Fiscal Reforms (COFR), constituted by the State Government with State’s former Chief Secretary Haren Das as chairman, has identified increase of expenditure on salaries, wages and pension, rise in security-related expenditure and grants to autonomous bodies and NGOs, loss incurred by public sector undertakings (PSUs), growing public debt and contingent liabilities, huge borrowings for flood control measures, failure to increase revenue to commensurate with expenditure and leakages in checkgates, tax offices and business establishments in matters of tax...