North East - Developments & Debate

Talks with Mizoram rebel outfit hit roadblock

Aizawl, March 28 (IANS): Peace talks between the Mizoram government and the separatist outfit Hmar People's Convention-Democrats (HPC-D) have run into rough weather, with the state declining a "foreign negotiator" in the rebel team.
Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on Monday informed the Mizoram Assembly that peace negotiations had run into a deadlock as the Manipur-based rebel group insisted on including a US citizen in its delegation in the next round of talks in May - a proposal "unacceptable" to the Mizoram government.

"We would inform the State government's stand on this to the Central government soon," the Chief Minister said.

Mizoram Home Secretary Lalmalsawma told reporters: "The HPC-D can include any Indian of their choice as one of the members in their delegation, but not any foreigners."

Sources in the State Home Department also stated that the HPC-D delegates seemed to have misunderstood the point agreed upon in the last dialogue that the militant group could appoint other people to participate in the negotiations.

A five-member HPC-D delegation, led by the head of its military wing Ropuia, held the first round of talks in November last year with Lalmalsawma and other officials.

"After the first round of peace negotiations, the Mizoram government had announced suspension of operations against the outfit," a Mizoram Home Department official said.

Earlier, Lalmalsawma said the talks would be unconditional.

The Mizoram government has set up a committee of police and civil administration officials, under the chairmanship of the Home Secretary, to conduct the talks.

The HPC-D is a militant outfit operating mainly in Mizoram and neighbouring Manipur. It has been demanding a separate Hmar Autonomous District Council, comprising Hmar tribal-inhabited areas in the north and northeastern parts of the mountainous Mizoram.

The Hmar tribals live mostly in the hills of south Manipur, parts of Mizoram, southern Assam and parts of Meghalaya and Tripura, besides the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeast Bangladesh.

In 1987, the Hmars launched an insurgent movement, until a ceasefire was signed in 1992. Around 375 cadres of the outfit surrendered that year in Aizawl.

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Two clouded leopard cubs rescued in Arunachal

Itanagar, Mar 28 (PTI): A villager of Lil Village in Kurung Kumey district has rescued two Clouded Leopard cubs from a nearby jungle and handed them over to the State zoo authority here.
Zoo sources said today that Y Taya, the villager found the cubs, about 15 days old, roaming in the jungle yesterday. Their mother is believed to have died or may have abandoned them.

"It is encouraging to note that people of the state are becoming more conscious about wildlife and its conservation," zoo's curator Tilling Taker said today.

The Clouded Leopard is categorized as critically endangered species and is under schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act. The Itanagar zoo is one of the participating zoos for the conservation programme of clouded leopard which was initiated by Central Zoo Authority of India, the sources added.

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13 killed in Mizoram, Tripura mishaps

Aizawl/Agartala, March 28 (IANS): At least 13 people, including two couples, were killed in separate incidents in Mizoram and Tripura, police said on Sunday.
A Mizoram Police spokesman said at least nine people, including two couples and a man and his son, were electrocuted after a private mini-bus they were traveling in came in contact with a live overhead electric wire in Saiha district of southern Mizoram late Saturday.

"The Phura village-bound bus was carrying 36 passengers from Saiha town. The aluminium-made utensils on its roof came in contact with the live overhead electric wires," a police officer said, adding the victims immediately jumped from the moving bus.

In Tripura, four people were killed and 30 injured in separate road accidents.

"Two middle-aged men were killed and 30 injured when a speeding Khowai-bound passenger bus dashed into a roadside tree at Mohanpur in western Tripura on Saturday night," police spokesman Nepal Das said.

In the other accident, two people were killed in western Tripura since Saturday night.

Road accidents claim more lives than insurgent attacks in Tripura and Mizoram, the two northeastern states once ravaged by terrorism.

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Concern at growing menace of paid news
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, March 27 – Several speakers at a seminar on ‘Paid news and the ensuing Assembly polls’ expressed grave concern over the growing menace of paid news and stressed the need for restoring the fading credibility of the media.
The event was organised by several journalists’ unions including Journalists’ Union of Assam, Assam Union of Working Journalists, Assam Working Journalist (Sub-editors) Association and the Association of Small and Medium Newspapers of India.

Economist Ananta Kalita, in his speech, said that apart from eroding the credibility of the media, the syndrome of paid news was misleading and confusing the common man. He said that the corrupt political class was using the situation to its advantage by forming an unholy nexus with unscrupulous elements in the media.

Kalita said it was apparent that paid news syndrome would be there during the ensuing Assembly polls. He also felt that the neo-liberalization policy since 1991 had paved the way for unbridled corruption in the country.

Keshav Das Chandola, president of the Association of Small and Medium Newspapers of India, bemoaned the lack of laws and called for stringent laws to tackle the menace of paid news in the country.

Other speakers in the function which was presided over by journalist Geetartha Pathak included Munin Bayan, executive editor of Dainik Asom, Dimbeswar Kalita, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Kamrup-Metro), and Suresh Garodia, State president of the Association of Small and Medium Newspapers of India.

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China’s bid to upgrade Stilwell Road
Kalyan Barooah
NEW DELHI, March 27 – India may have finally closed the chapter on reopening the Stilwell Road, but China has shown ‘considerable interest’ in development of this road and contracts have been awarded for upgrading 1031 km of the historic road right up to Pangsau Pass, 61 km away from Ledo in Assam.
The significant admission is part of the Defence Ministry’s report, which also reveals that China has constructed roads from highways, logistics centres and major defence installations to all the passes and military on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and international border.

As reported, a Parliamentary panel has rapped the Defence Ministry for its complacency and not maintaining detailed data on activities going on across the international border particularly in China.

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence Ministry has been told about China’s activities on Myanmar border and construction of the Stilwell Road. The 1,739 km road starts in Assam and links Kunming in Yunnan Province of South China through Pangsau Pass on India-Myanmar border.

For starters, China had already upgraded 647 km Kunming-Myitkyina stretch via Kambaiti Pass into an all-weather road in May 2007.

A Myanmar construction company Ya Za Na Company with Chinese leanings has been entrusted with construction of 192 km Myitkyina-Tannai Road. “Work is being carried out on a fast track to convert it into a four-lane road,” the report said.

Contracts have been awarded for construction of 174 km Tannai-Pangsau stretch to a pro-Chinese, Myanmar company, the report said.

The 3,727 ft Pangsau Pass lies on top of the Patkai Hills on the India-Myanmar border.The distance from Ledo to Pangsau Pass is 61 km but it is known as ‘Hell Pass” because of its tough terrain. The first Myanmarese village, Pangsau, lies 2 km beyond the pass to the east.

The development stands out in sharp contrast to New Delhi’s decision not to open the Stilwell Road. The decision of the government was conveyed by Ministry of External Affairs to the Parliamentary Committee on Assurances, as reported by this newspaper.

India’s stand was partly based on the negative response of military-junta of Myanmar, which appeared cold to the idea of re-opening of the Stilwell Road because of the country’s problem with the Kachin rebels.

Curiously enough the Myanmar Government has now allowed China-backed construction companies right up to India’s doorstep till Pangsau Pass in Kachin state.

Elsewhere in the neighbourhood, China has embarked on a construction spree particularly in Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). In recent years, China has undertaken development projects of constructing roads in TAR. All major highways have been upgraded to two-way black top all weather roads, open to traffic through the year.

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AGP, Cong poll offices ransacked
Correspondent
NALBARI, March 30 – Miscreants last night ransacked two election offices of Congress and one of Asom Gana Parisad (AGP) in Belsor area under Dharmapur LAC in Nalbari district. The Congress election offices which were inaugurated by Congress candidate Nilamani Sen Deka in the evening time were ransacked by the miscreants. The banners and posters of the AGP office were also destroyed at the same night.
It may be mentioned here that a total of five Congress supporters and one AGP supporter have been so far injured in different clashes in the constituency. Even the AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary who is the candidate of the constituency was also attacked by the public when he entered the village Amoni for poll campaign at night hours violating the model code of conduct.

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Manipur encounter findings to be submitted
Newmai News
IMPHAL, March 30 – Justice PG Agarwal Commission of Inquiry investigating into the death of a pregnant woman and a youth in a suspected “fake encounter” on July 23, 2009, in Imphal, wherein the State police has been implicated, has concluded its probe here on Tuesday.
A full report on the findings of the Commission will be handed over to the State Government sometime in the third week of April, confirmed Justice (retd) PG Agarwal here yesterday.

The Commission which was instituted on August 27, 2009, has been investigating into the circumstances leading to the July 23 killings. On that fateful day of July 23, 2009, Ch Sanjit, a former rebel cadet and Th Rabina, a pregnant woman, were killed in an alleged fake encounter while five other passers-by sustained injuries.

On the concluding day of the commission hearing, senior advocate N Kumarjit Singh submitted a written argument on behalf of the Police department.

“From the statement of witnesses and the report of Forensic Science Laboratory, it is very clear that there was an incident of firing between an armed youth and two commando personnel in Imphal on July 23, 2009, and in the cross firing, five persons sustained bullet injuries and a woman Rabina Devi was killed by a bullet and a youth namely Sanjit Meitei was found dead inside the godown of Social Time Emporium,” said the written submission from the counsel.

Significantly, the sequence of photographs that appeared in Tehelka seems to point at a different story as against the claim of the police department according to which Sanjit was photographed by a local photographer while being led into a pharmacy by some police personnel before dragging him out dead.

The counsel of the police contradicted the authenticity of the photographs that appeared in Tehelka saying that a senior scientific officer and assistant chemical examiner to the Government of India, CFSL, CBI, New Delhi, has confirmed that out of the 12 photographs, No. 1 to 6 were taken on July 23, 2009, but photograph No. 7 was taken at the same time without mentioning the date. The expert has also been quoted as confirming that while photograph No. 8 was taken on December 23, 2008, rest of the photographs numbering from 9 to 12 were taken on July 23.

According to the submission of the counsel of the police, there are inconsistencies in the photographs that appeared in Tehelka.

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PC keeps mum on population growth
Spl Correspondent
NEW DELHI, April 1 – Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday declined to comment on the latest Census report that indicated that some of the North Eastern States bordering Bangladesh may have witnessed abnormal population increase.
To a question why Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya witnessed high population growth, the Home Minister, who was presenting report card for March, said, “I have not yet looked into the population table. So won’t be able to comment on the question. Let’s read it more carefully before we reach any conclusion”.

Among the North Eastern States, Meghalaya has witnessed the highest population growth rate of 27.82 per cent followed by Arunachal Pradesh (25.92 per cent), Mizoram (22.78 per cent) and Manipur (18.65 per cent).

Significantly, two of the infiltration-prone States of Assam and Tripura have shown marginal population growth rate at around two per cent.

Significantly, populations in five most populous States including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have declined during 2001-2011 compared to 1991-2001.

Dibang Valley and Anjaw in Arunachal Pradesh is the country’s two districts with lowest populations of 7,948 and 21,089 respectively.

The population growth rate in Longleng and Kiphire both in Nagaland are lowest in the country. Both have shown a negative growth rate of – 58.39 per cent and -30.54 per cent, respectively.

The surprise story is of Nagaland, which recorded a negative growth rate of - 0.47 per cent. The finding is in sharp contrast with the Census Report of 2001, when Nagaland recorded a high growth rate of 64.41 per cent. Nagaland has now become the only State in the country to record a negative growth rate.

The unusually high growth rate was attributed to inflated figures dished out by some tribes to boost their population figure. “There were allegations of some tribes giving inflated figures last time. This time we have made it clear that post census surveys, biometric count would be undertaken, Union Home Secretary, GK Pillai told newsmen.

“This had a salutary effect and the exaggeration of 2001 has come down,” Pillai said.

Adding, Census Commissioner, Dr C Chandramouli, said this time community volunteers were engaged, which helped in getting the right data.

Meanwhile, the Union Home Minister has played down alleged involvement of NSCN (I-M) in gun running.

“We are talking to the NSCN (I-M) and they deny that they are procuring any weapons. We are keeping a close watch on the activities of the NSCN (I-M) including reports that they are procuring weapons. I don’t think that we need to reach any conclusion that they are not talking to us honestly and transparently. Talks are proceeding on the basis of mutual trust and confidence, so we should encourage the talks to go forward,” Chidambaram said.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) which filed a chargesheet has alleged that NSCN (I-M) had struck deals with several Chinese firms to ‘procure sophisticated arms and ammunition to wage war against India’.

Anthony Shimray, the outfit’s chief arms procurer, was arrested last year and chargesheeted recently against Shimray and three others, including a foreign national, at a Delhi court.

Apart from Shimray, the other accused are T R Cavlin, Hangshi Ramson Tangkhul – both from NSCN (IM) – and Willy Naruenartwanich, an arms dealer of Thai-Chinese origin based in Bangkok. All three are wanted in the case.

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Cong never encourages influx, says Sonia

KARIMGANJ, April 1 – Congress president Sonia Gandhi today said her party will not compromise on the security and integrity of Assam and the country and dismissed charges of encouraging influx in the State, reports PTI.
“Congress has often been accused of encouraging influx from Bangladesh but this is not the truth.

“It (Congress) has never compromised on the security of Assam and the country and will not ever do so in the future,” she told a campaign rally at Neelam Bazar in Karimganj district bordering Bangladesh.

The party, she said, has never compromised where security was concerned as it “did not believe in that kind of politics”.

It was the Congress government in Assam that had taken up updating of the National Register of Citizens with March 21, 1971 as the cut-off date, she said.

Appreciating the Tarun Gogoi government for development in Assam, she said the law and order situation in

Assam has changed “tremendously” in the last ten years and peace and development is returning to the State.

“The situation changed tremendously during the last ten years of Congress rule under Tarun Gogoi, with peace and development returning to the State and schemes being speedily implemented,” Gandhi said.

She said, “The State was in an all-round mess ten years ago when the AGP was in power with even government employees not getting salaries and people were not able to go out of their homes because of poor law and order.”

The Congress government has laid stress on education as the party considers it an investment for the children’s future, the UPA chairperson said.

The State government has already given computers to children who secured first division in the matric examination and cycles to girl students of class VIII so that they could go to school without any difficulty, she said.

“The Congress also proposes to set up a Barak Valley Engineering College and a Polytechnic Institute in Karimganj, she said.

Gandhi arrived to address three election rallies at Karimganj, Bokajan and Khumtai going to polls in the first phase on April four.

Gandhi said the UPA government under the leadership of Manmohan Singh had laid special emphasis on education by implementing the Right to Education Act, under which each child below 14 years of age would be provided free and compulsory education.

Speaking about the importance of surface transport, she said the UPA government was fully aware about it in the development process and sanctioned a broadguage railway line from Silchar to Guwahati and double laning of the national highways.

On minorities, she said, it was during the UPA-I government that for the first time a separate ministry for minorities was set up to ensure their development.

On women, the UPA chairperson said, the Congress realised that no State or country could develop without the progress of women.

“It is our government that has initiated several schemes to make them self-reliant not only economically, but also politically, by increasing their reservation in panchayats and zilla parishads,” she said.

The salaries of anganwadi workers have been doubled to Rs 3,000 and their children provided insurance facilities, Gandhi said.

“You have already seen what the AGP in the State and the NDA at the Centre have done. The Congress is not among those parties which make false promises and forget all about it when they come to power,” she said.

Appealing to the people to vote for the Congress, she said, “Cast your valuable vote for all Congress candidates so that the party can make your beautiful State more prosperous and developed.”

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Cong deceiving people: AASU
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, April 1 – The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) today said that the Congress Government in the State had been deceiving the people for the last ten years on all fronts - including on issues critical to the very survival and existence of the State's indigenous populace - and called upon the public to vote only such persons who had a sense of responsibility and commitment to the people.
In a statement, AASU president Sankar Prasad Ray and general secretary Tapan Gogoi said that the Congress failed to initiate any meaningful action on any of the burning problems of the State - be it detection and deportation of illegal Bangladeshi migrants, updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), sealing of the porous Assam-Nagaland border, providing constitutional safeguard to the indigenous people, the perennial bane of flood and erosion, the issue of mega dams, and the crumbling educational system.

"The decisions of the tripartite talks at the Prime Minister's level concerning implementation of the Assam Accord held on May 5, 2005 are gathering dust in official files even today. Through its inaction on a range of critical issues, the Congress has shown itself to be totally insensitive to the vital issues of people's interest," the AASU said.

The student body said that by continuously neglecting issue of illegal foreigners' detection and deportation including NRC update and sealing of the border at a time when the inhabitants of the State were on the verge of being rendered a minority, the Congress Government proved itself to be an 'enemy of the people.'

The AASU further said that the Congress Government by surrendering before the big dam lobby was compromising the lives, property and livelihood of the people as well as the rich biodiversity of the region.

Lambasting the Congress Government, the AASU alleged that it had during its ten-year regime since 2001 had done irreparable damage to the State's education right from the primary stage to university level.

To add to all this, the AASU said, the Congress Government 'patronized and imposed a rule of corruption' on the people. "Corruption has attained unprecedented dimensions in the State thanks to the Government's tacit support to the scourge. Through its various acts of omission and commission the Congress has been ridiculing the people of the State," it added.

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PM to visit State today, ULFA bandh on
Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, April 1 – Even though the Paresh Barua-led faction of ULFA has not called off the bandh it has called in protest against the visit of Prime Minister to the State tomorrow, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today maintained that its programmes have remained unchanged.
The ULFA faction has alleged that the Congress has been pursuing a policy to effect divisions among the peoples of the NE region and encouraging infiltration of foreigners. Therefore, it has called for the Assam bandh tomorrow opposing the visit of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. Dr Singh is visiting the State to address the election rallies of the Congress at Rupahihat and Dhakuakhana.

Meanwhile, the State government has issued notification to all district deputy commissioners, SDOs and departments concerned to carry on with all administrative wroks as usual during the bandh called by ULFA on April 2, an official press release said.

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Assam: 3 CPRF men killed in militant ambush

Three Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed and five others injured when militants ambushed a CRPF patrol party in insurgency-hit Karbi Anglong hill district on Assam on Saturday.


The ambush took place during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is scheduled to address some rallies in the poll-bound state.

According to police sources, militants from the Karbi People's Liberation Tiger ambushed two vehicles of a CRPF patrol party at Deothar under Bokajan police station at approximately 9.30 pm. Three CRPF troopers were killed on the spot and five others were injured.

A fierce gun battle raged in the area after the ambush while senior police officials rushed to the spot. The militants, who were reportedly positioned atop hills, fired volleys of bullets at the CRPF party travelling along the road below.

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PM defies ULFA ban, addresses rally in Assam

A large number of people defied a bandh called by the anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam to attend the election rally of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Dhakuakhana in Lakhimpur district in eastern Assam on Saturday morning.

Dr Singh called upon the people to give the ruling Congress another chance to complete its unfinished agenda of putting the state on the fast track of development in a peaceful atmosphere.

Wishing the people of Assam for the forthcoming Rangali Bihu (the spring festival), Dr Singh stated that the Congress, which is a party of 'aam admi', was committed to making Assam one of the most prosperous and peaceful states in the country.

He called upon the people to vote for the Congress to 'strengthen the hands of party president Sonia Gandhi'.

He said, "The Congress government in Assam led by Tarun Gogoi has worked tremendously in tandem with the United Progressive Alliance government in the Centre to usher in an era of development and peace in the state."

"Assam was reeling from a severe financial crisis, lack of development and excessive violence when the Congress came to power in 2001 after defeating the Asom Gana Parishad. Today the situation has completely changed and the people are hoping for better days ahead because of efficient governance by the Congress under the leadership of (chief minister) Tarun Gogoi," Dr Singh said.

He lauded the people of Assam for putting up a brave front against insurgency and cooperating with the government to restore peace in the state. He asserted that the Centre was ready to hold talks with any insurgent outfit that has abjured the path of violence.

Recalling his February meeting with leaders of the pro-talks faction of the outlawed ULFA in New Delhi, Dr Singh termed the meeting a positive development and hoped that both parties would capitalise on it to resolve the problem within the framework of the Constitution.

The banned ULFA faction had called for the bandh to protest the PM's visit and the 'ruling Congress policy to create a rift in the ULFA to hold peace talks with a faction.'

The ULFA faction led by 'commander-in-chief' Paresh Barua has threatened to target Congress leaders and cadres to 'avenge' the Congress government's decision to start a dialogue with a faction of the outfit led by its 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa.

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70 pc polling recorded in Assam

GUWAHATI, April 4 (IANS) - Voting for the first phase of Assembly elections in Assam ended Monday with an estimated 70 percent polling recorded, officials said.
An election official said the voting percentage could go up as reports from interior places were still pouring in.

Voting ended at 3 p.m. in the 13 Assam districts where polling was held in 62 of the 126 Assembly seats.

The fate of 485 candidates were sealed in the ballot; of these, 38 are women nominees.

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had fielded 62 candidates each for the first phase, while the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) had put up 51 nominees. There are 157 independent candidates in the fray for the first phase.

A total of 9.6 million voters in the second phase elections April 11 in 64 seats would decide the fate of 496 candidates. Results are due on May 13.

Among the prominent candidates whose fate were sealed in the first phase vote include Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi, state BJP president Ranjit Dutta and senior AGP leader Brindaban Goswami.

"I am confident the Congress party would be able to make a political hat trick by forming the government for the third straight term," Gogoi told IANS soon after casting his vote in his home district of Jorhat in eastern Assam.

Gogoi is contesting from the Titabar Assembly seat in Jorhat district.

"People would vote us for good governance and all-round development," the Chief Minister said.

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Paresh Barua's mother, family vote in Assembly polls

JERAIGAON (Assam), April 4 (PTI) - Her rebel son may have issued a threat to ruling Congress candidates but ULFA 'military chief' Paresh Barua's octogenarian mother Miliki Baruah today cast her vote in the first phase of Assembly polls in Assam, saying she had always faith in democracy.
"In spite of my frail health, I've voted in every election and I have faith in democracy. It is our duty to elect good candidates who can work for the uplift of people," said Miliki, accompanied by her daughter-in-law and granddaughter, after casting her vote at Chakalighariya LP School in Chabua constituency of Dibrugarh district.

She urged the government to ensure that Paresh and all his boys returned and as did peace to the state.

"The government should take steps to bring back all the boys back to the state," Miliki said.

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