North East & Eastern Himalayan: News & Discussion

[SRoy]

delhi based longtime professor in DU. convenient person for the real culprits the assam based "citizens group" that talked to both sides. all of these people are hardcore ulfa sympathizers - intellectuals, writers, a fake HR campaigner, a retired engineer.....pretty much handpicked and stamped with dhaka approval.

There must be some percentage of local Assamese sympathetic too, ones providing shelter, logistics, information etc. The same 'intellectual' class? Or some kind of support is still alive at the grassroots?

How difficult will it be for IB/RAW to get away with hit and run kind of job against these scums?

[Raju]

>>all of these people are hardcore ulfa sympathizers - intellectuals, writers, a fake HR campaigner, a retired engineer.

Butt..what is their beef with GoI ?

Anything to do with setting up of a 'high-culture', intellectual coochy cooing, profound taste, literarily passionate, linguistically united higher land consisting of a triumvirate of W. Bengal, Assam and Bangladesh ??? Is there any such streak subliminal in a minority of Assamese elite ??

[Singha]

some assamese who left India during 50s,60s and didnt have much contact with rest of indians tend to harbour such feelings of cultural superiority . mostly aeging gasbags settled into UK and US. they rant and rave about 'cow belters' and 'saffron' and consider themselves 'world citizens' (so long as they dont have to live in kabul or mogadishu I suppose)

safe behind HMGs protective embrace one never knows what they are upto.

claim since caste and dowry isnt prominent in assam, automatically makes
them a superior leadership caste over cow belters.

the small matter of 200 ethnic communities at each others throats is deftly ignored

[shyamd]

Sad news. Death toll has reached 65!

[ramana]

Interesting links on Manipur

[Raju]

Singha, any idea who these NGO's that B. Raman is referring to are ??

ULFA TERRORISM IN ASSAM: THE HINDU MERCENARIES OF JIHADIS
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR---PAPER NO. 175


By B. Raman

In 13 different incidents reported since January 5, 2007, from the districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar and Dhemaji, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is reported to have mowed down in cold blood about 60 poor workers from Bihar who had gone to Assam to earn their living as milk vendors, workers in brick-kilns etc. These workers---all Hindi speakers--- were allegedly separated from Assamese speaking workers living in the same area and were shot dead at point blank range with hand-held weapons.

2. This is not the first time that the ULFA had indulged in such brutal tactics to intimidate people from other parts of India living in Assam and force them to leave. It had done so in 2000 and 2003 mowing down about 150 Hindi-speaking poor workers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

3. The leaders of the ULFA are all Hindus, but speaking the Assamese language. It often tends to be forgotten that in the 1980s they started their movement mainly to drive out the millions of illegal Muslim migrants from Bangladesh. As they became dependent on the intelligence agencies of Bangladesh and Pakistan for money, training, arms and sanctuaries, these agencies intelligently manipulated them to give up their campaign against the illegal Muslim migrants from Bangladesh and turn it instead against the Hindus from other parts of India, who had settled down in Assam in order to earn their living. Many of the Hindu leaders of the ULFA, who enjoy the hospitality of the Bangladeshi intelligence in Bangladeshi territory, have reportedly Muslim mistresses provided to them by the Bangladeshi intelligence.

4. They have now become pure Hindu mercenaries, who are letting themselves be used by the intelligence agencies of two Muslim countries, who are India's ill-wishers---Bangladesh and Pakistan--- in order to fulfill their agenda of making Hindus kill Hindus for no other reason than that they speak different languages and come from different parts of India. The extent to which they have come under the influence of the Bangladeshi intelligence would be evident from the fact that while they target Hindus from other parts of India, force them to pay taxes and kill them, they never target the Bengali-speaking Muslims from Bangladesh.

5. In an editorial on November 9, 2006, the "Sentinel", a daily newspaper published from Guwahati, wrote as follows while commenting on the targeting of Hindi-speaking civilians from other parts of India living and working in Assam:: " Striking terror in the hearts of Hindi-speaking people of Asom is precisely what the jihadi elements of Bangladesh and the ISI (Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence) want for two reasons. In the first place, their identification with India is stronger than many others disillusioned by the Centre's neglect of Asom. Secondly, the Hindi-speaking people control the economy of Asom both as businessmen and as skilled manual workers. The forces inimical to the State want the economic vaccum that has stoked the illegal influx from Bangladesh to be intensified. However, none of this is unexpected. For over two decades, the "Sentinel" has constantly harped on the fact that it does not take long for a silent, unarmed invasion (My comment: of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh) to turn into a violent armed invasion. We are beginning to see this happening. Over the years, the Asom Government and the Centre chose to pay no attention. They are now about to reap as they have sown."

6. I wrote in my previous article cited above: "Many non-governmental organisations have refrained from condemning the ULFA's targeted killings of innocent civilians. Instead, the focus of their campaign has been against the Security Forces. After the two explosions in Guwahati on November 5, 2006, these NGOs remained conspicuously silent on the brutal killing of the civilians, but instead blamed the Government and the security forces for calling off the cessation of operations against the ULFA on September 23, 2006. The cessation had been announced on August 13, 2006, to facilitate peace talks with the ULFA. Since there were indications that the ULFA was exploiting this cessation to step up its fund collection drive through extortions and other activities and did not respond seriously to the Government's offer of peace talks, the cessation was called off. Some of these NGOs had organised a public meeting at Jorhat on November 7, 2006, under the auspices of the People's Committee for Peace Initiatives in Asom. At this meeting, there was hardly any criticism of the brutal murder of the civilians by the ULFA on November 5. Instead, allegations were made that the security forces were committing atrocities against the civilians. Some of the points made by the Hindi-speaking residents of Assam in their letters to the local newspapers are disturbing. One such letter published by the "Assam Tribune" on November 7, 2006, said: "Some people (in the PCG) even acted as co-ordinators in the ULFA dictat that all "Indians" living in Asom must pay tax, an euphemism for extortion. But the same ULFA never utters a word about the millions of Bangladeshis illegally living in Asom in fear of displeasing their foreign masters. In other words, "Indians" living in Asom must pay "tax" or face bullets, but Bangladeshis can stay without any such fear." (Citation ends) PCG stands for People's Consultative Group, a front organisation of the ULFA.

7. Since the ULFA resumed its acts of terrorism in September last year after the collapse of the peace talks, it had stepped up its use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The media in other parts of India failed to highlight the fact that many of these IEDs were planted in areas where Hindi-speaking people live in order to create panic among them. The December 2006 issue of "Swadhinata" (Freedom), an electronic newsletter of the ULFA, had alleged that "outsiders" had set up "mini Bihars", "mini Rajasthans" and "mini Bengals" in different Districts of Assam, and called for their ouster.

8. The present campaign against the poor migrants from Bihar has come in the wake of this. The lack of a will----in Guwahati as well as in New Delhi--- to act firmly against the ULFA and its sponsors in Bangladesh is creating an extremely dangerous situation in Assam.

[maitya]

But the central and state govt pussies will pussyfoot anyway in order to maintain their bloody gaddis.

Ah!! But apparently that's what they've doing all along ...
Army trains its guns on ULFA

The Army says ULFA used the 42-day "ceasefire" in August-September to "regroup and resuscitate" itself, with arms and ammunition being sourced from Thailand via Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The Army contends that ULFA was reeling under "considerable pressure" exerted ever since "Operation All-Clear", conducted in coordination with the Bhutanese army in December 2003, but the "tremendous gains" were simply frittered away by an incoherent and tentative policy on how to deal with the outfit.

"For instance, in September 2005, we could have delivered a blow to ULFA's most active battalion, the 28th, after surrounding its base in Dibru-Saikhowa national park area. But we had to let them escape after a few days," said an officer.

Then, of course, despite the Army registering its protest, the Centre held "peace talks" with the 11-member People's Consultative Group.

[Singha]

one such NGO is MASS (manan adhikar surakha samiti) run by lachit bordoloi a hardcore ulfa sympathizer and member of the PCG that talked to both sides. there are some others, some press reporters are also on the payroll.
one NRI in UK also runs a hr outfit.

the dibru-saikhowa campaign was cancelled on orders from delhi and dispur in response to violent mobs and attacks by ulfa-friendly villagers/ subversives in that region alleging massacres of innocent villagers by the army. always willing to kiss anyone's butt and fearful of political losses in upper assam the GOI (UPA) tamely caved in and let the buggers escape.

the recent opinion poll by relatives of ulfa that showed 95% of people favour
staying in India must have been a slap on their face. hence the lashing out.
republic day is also approaching, a traditional time for atrocities.

[hshukla]

Just get a feeling that with Bangladesh elections nearing; ULFA's masters have ordered them to commit this genocide so that when India takes action against ULFA members in Bangladesh they can create a hue n cry and use anti India card.IMHO mandarins in Delhi will be in real dilemma whether to go all out against ULFA and attack their posts in Bangladesh or wait out the elections and then take appropriate measures depending upon who comes to power.
According to me, given the way Awami League also aligning with rabid Muslim organizations, its no use for India to wait but to strike now and decisively.

[shyamd]

India's N-E separatist group sets up camps again in Bhutan

Pitted against insanity
[quote]At this point, one weeps with those who have lost their kith and kin in what could be termed as the most horrendous round of bloodletting by the Ulfa. Stories of innocent people being lined up and shot indiscriminately raise a fundamental question about Ulfa’s professed desire to talk peace. At this juncture, does the outfit have any legitimacy to propose a dialogue with the Government of India?

With people virtually having delivered their verdict about whether or not they believe in a sovereign Assam, the space for dialogue is visibly reduced, since the demand for sovereignty has been the outfit’s main plank.

In the last three months, the Ulfa has killed over 50 people and injured more than 100 in bomb blasts across Assam. Of those dead, only two happened to be Assamese. The rest were all Hindi-speaking people, mainly migrant labourers.

On January 6, Ulfa eliminated 48 people in cold blood and injured several others. If these rituals in blood are Ulfa’s way of proving its nationalistic fervour, then it is also the most devilish, inhuman act of terrorism.

People’s voice

Ordinary people do not subscribe to violence of the kind perpetrated by the outfit. They may have their grouses on a host of issues and their bile could act up when it comes to the government’s apathy towards influx from Bangladesh, but at no time have the Assamese people shown their antagonism towards the working community from the Indian heartland.

A very interesting survey conducted by an NGO, appropriately named Assam Public Works, in nine districts of Assam, soliciting people’s views on Ulfa’s demand for sovereignty, booted out the outfit’s claims. Ninety-five per cent of the people who voted by putting their signatures said they did not believe in sovereignty.

Naturally, the temperamentally audacious Ulfa has termed the referendum as an initiative of the Research and Analysis Wing. This preposterous presumption assumes that the people of Assam are dumb, driven cattle and do not have a mind of their own. History testifies that violence has its watershed, beyond which point it refuses to cut any ice. People have been repulsed by bloodshed and senseless killings and the people of Assam, I believe, have now reached the threshold of patient spectatorship to Ulfa’s bloodletting tactics.

What has triggered a strong public reaction and emboldened people to speak up is the outfit’s ban on the National Games scheduled to be held in Assam in February this year.

That Assam has been chosen as the venue of the National Games is a matter of great pride and joy for the people of that state.

False ideals

It is Ulfa’s false air of intellectualism which has pushed it into an exercise of semantics with the word “nationalâ€

[Kakkaji]

Assam crisis: Nitish demands Patil's statement

"I am surprised that even after a lapse of three days the Union Home minister has not deemed it fit to apprise the people of the situation prevailing in Assam and measures he proposed to take to instil confidence among the migrant Bihari labourers or permanent settlers of Bihari origin and for their rehabilitation," Kumar told reporters here.

"It (the massacre) is an onslaught by the separatist forces on the unity and integrity of our nation. It is a serious issue warranting a befitting response. The least the Home minister is supposed to do is to make a statement," he said.

Asked whether he favoured imposition of President's rule in Assam in the wake of the bloodbath, Kumar said "What's the use. A UPA government is already in place in Assam. Imposition of President's rule would only be an extension of the Centre's ruling there.

[Victor]

Assam crisis: Nitish demands Patil's statement

"Asked whether he favoured imposition of President's rule in Assam in the wake of the bloodbath, Kumar said "What's the use. A UPA government is already in place in Assam. Imposition of President's rule would only be an extension of the Centre's ruling there.

This reply makes no sense but is understandable since it is coming from a dilli billi. IMO, it is *way* overdue for President’s Rule in Assam. The casual slaughter of Indian citizens by ULFA in a state that is awash with illegal, land-grabbing and increasingly loud-mouthed Muslim Bangladeshis should have pulled the trigger years ago. It is the only way to clean out ULFA and turn things around in Assam, not just against ULFA but against the illegal Bangladeshis also. There is absolutely no way that a political party—any party—can take the steps required. Delhi knows this but has still not taken any action. One wonders what will force the issue but that is too scary to contemplate and it might then be too late. But what else is new?

One important caveat: many in Assam are wary about President’s Rule because of the very real possibility of abuse by security forces when given a free rein. Assam has an unfortunate experience with this. So as they prepare to clean out ULFA, job number one for the security forces in Assam is to co-opt the more-than-willing local population, both to give it confidence and to cut off ULFA’s logistical support and cover. Rs 1-2 lakh rewards for “tipsâ€

[Kakkaji]

Assam leash off army

[quote]Tezpur, Jan. 9: The army has been given the go-ahead for a massive retribution to the killings of Hindi-speaking migrant workers in Assam by Ulfa militants, signalling a shift in Delhi’s policy to bring the group to the talks table.

“First, whatever it takes,â€

[Kakkaji]

Delhi alerts Myanmar-Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland sounded on Ulfa incursion

New Delhi, Jan. 9: The Centre has alerted the Myanmar government to be on the lookout for Ulfa activists who could take refuge across the border after the scaled-up military offensive in Assam.

According to intelligence inputs, it is feared that after going on a killing spree in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts of Assam, Ulfa activists might cross over to safety into the Sagaing region of Myanmar, which is largely under the control of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang).

There are currently around 14 camps of various Indian insurgent outfits in Myanmar, including three or four camps of Ulfa. The NSCN (K) has claimed that it is currently imparting training to a few thousand Ulfa militants in Sagaing division.

[Singha]

leopard revealing its true sympathies

assamtribune.

Mamoni blames Govts’ ‘insincerity’
By A City Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 9 – Noted writer and peace talks mediator Mamoni Raisom Goswami today blamed the insincerity of the Central and State Governments in continuing the peace process for the ULFA violence in the State, even as she opposed the inhuman acts of the ultra group. Her words of condemnation were — “ULFA should stop such inhumanity immediately as the people of the State would never support the killers and subsequently they will loose their base in public.â€

[Santosh]

Singha, what are the chances that ULFA cadres would have escaped to BD, Myanmar by now? Historically, have such operations yielded any tangible results? A retaliatory build up by GoI is a given after such massive killings.

[Singha]

I dont think ulfa would be stupid to maintain permanent camps in upper assam and wait there for IA to come along. the killers have decamped for myanmar and BD thats for sure. in ones and twos staybehind units would be hiding among relatives and sympathizers but no field unit. tangible results
were only seen in early 1990s when ulfa ran open camps near towns with motorable roads and lots of cadre.

IA will do a fruitless beating the bushes and flag marching campaign and GOI will go home happy having taught a lesson and scored political points on the opposition.

[shyamd]

ISI is behind ULFA violence: Tarun Gogoi

The banned ULFA carried out the killing of non-Assamese migrant labourers in the state at the instructions of Pakistan`s ISI, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Tuesday.

"There is no doubt that the ULFA is working on the instructions of the ISI," he told reporters here after visiting violence-hit areas of upper Assam.

"The countries (Pakistan and Bangladesh) where the ULFA leaders are taking shelter do not want peace in Assam. The ULFA is also not interested in peace talks," he said.

Additional security forces sent to the state from other parts of the country would arrive as soon as they were moved from their current locations for redeployment here, he said.

Gogoi expressed concern that no investors would come to the state if violence continued, stunting the industrial growth of Assam.

A total of 69 migrant labourers, a majority of them from Bihar, have been killed by the ULFA since Friday.

B'desh may have instigated ULFA

New Delhi: The carnage in Assam is a message from across the border - that's the thought in at least some quarters in Delhi.

Analysts say the Assam massacres are a warning to India to not interfere in the increasingly violent political crisis in Bangladesh.

Says JNU professor, Mahendra Lama, "This is a message that India should bother about its own domestic problems rather than about Bangladesh."

Sources say that provoking India and creating tension along the border could also help the Bangladesh government in diverting attention away from the domestic political storm. And ULFA would be the perfect medium.

The banned group has been located in Bangladesh since the last 10 years and New Delhi says it has proof that ULFA's top leadership and cadre have received shelter and patronage from successive Bangladeshi governments, not to mention the training and funding from ISI.

Says Bhibhu Routray of the Institute for Conflict Management, "ISI is known to be the force behind ULFA. It plans its attacks, funds its activities and trains its cadre."

India's influence in its neighbourhood is not exactly paying dividends. Dhaka ignores Indian intelligence, which also repeatedly warns of an ISI network active in Nepal.

And it took 10 years of convincing before Bhutan flushed out ULFA from its soil in military operations in 2003.

With New Delhi convinced that Bangladesh is part of the problem as far as ULFA is concerned, just how far is it willing to exercise whatever leverages it has available to it?

That's the question India will be asking itself in the days ahead.

[Lalmohan]

a nation like bhutan only 'ignores' india if it is under pressure from china, i imagine though that bangladeshi leaders are so paranoid about india that they are more than happy to play the 'assam card' with or without the ISI greasing palms

[Ujjal]

a nation like bhutan only 'ignores' india if it is under pressure from china...

like when?

[Singha]

the dispur police station blast took place 200mts from my in-laws house. loud and clear it was heard followed by general panic in the market.

apparently it was placed in storage bin of a bike without number plates and
left infront of assam legislature around 2km away. police saw it illegally parked , loaded it on a truck and put it inside the bike pound adjacent to PS before it exploded. 2 policemen dead and several injured.

ULFA has zero support among population as amply proven by recent poll.
MARG, TOI, IT, Week are welcome to take any number of polls desired and
result will be same.

WTF does the GOI pussyfoot around for when there isnt even any political
vote bank issues involved ?


last year independence day they put bombs near parade grounds and killed some children. in Jan2006 around 30 grenades were thrown in guwahati again one landing around 100m from my wife and soon to be married sister-in-law near a flyover.

[Singha]

yesterday GF had met Gogoi the ulfa VP in guwahati jail. today paresh barua's mother. sounds like trace-pee to me.

assamtribune:

Fernandes meets Miliki Baruah
From Our Bureau
DIBRUGARH, Jan 10 – Former Defence minister George Fernandes today paid a surprise visit to the home of Paresh Baruah at Jeraigaon in the Dibrugarh district at around 5pm. He spoke to Paresh’s mother, Miliki Baruah for a few minutes with the aid of a translator. During the brief conversation, the octogenarian lady asked George why he did not take such an initiative when he was Defence minister. He replied that the past should be forgotten and that he wishes to make a fresh attempt to take the ULFA to the negotiation table. Miliki Baruah said she would be happy to see an honourable end to the ULFA imbroglio.

The visit was widely speculated here, and even a top police official of the State told The Assam Tribune earlier in the day that they have information that George is likely to visit Jeraigaon today. Reacting to the visit, AGP general secretary Sarbananda Sonowal said he is pleasantly happy at the development. He said: “Every straw in the peace effort counts, why not give the former Defence minister an opportunity?â€

[Raju]

January 11, 2007
Assamese film actor Rituparna Kataki participates in a rally taken out by Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad demanding peace in the state.

[Lalmohan]

a nation like bhutan only 'ignores' india if it is under pressure from china...

like when?

as in report above where they take their time in acting against ulfa

on a general note - this is the best window GOI have of dealing with ulfa once and for all

time to act decisively netaloge! (are you listening????)

[Raju]

An 'elite unit' ! Sounds more like a few blokes trained by certain friendly neighbourhood military intelligence agencies.

ULFA's 'elite' unit on Army's hit list
Rahul Singh
Dinjan (Tinsukhia), January 11, 2007




As the Army readies to mount its biggest offensive against the ULFA, its prime target would be the banned outfit's 'elite' fighting unit - the 28th Battalion, whose cadres, the Army claims, have been trained at camps in Myanmar.

The battalion, with an estimated strength of 350-plus, is said to have masterminded and executed some of the worst massacres in upper Assam, including the latest round of serial killings of Hindi-speaking migrants.

"It also serves as the nerve centre of ULFA for planning kidnappings and extortion," said a senior officer of HQs 2 Mountain Division, showing a ransom note for Rs 30 lakh addressed to a tea estate manager and signed by 28th Battalion commander 'self-styled' Lieutenant Prabal Neog.

In a stinging message to ULFA, defence minister AK Antony had earlier said in Tezpur that the Army would do "whatever is needed" to restore normalcy in Assam. The minister, accompanied by defence secretary Shekhar Dutt and Army Chief General JJ Singh, visited Dinjan on Wednesday to take stock of the problem.

The Army has focussed on eliminating the leadership of the 28th Batallion since the end of last year's ephemeral ceasefire in September.

About 15 main cadres, including IED experts, have been eliminated in a string of operations conducted by crack teams. But the outfit continues to re-group and arm itself. Recent recoveries show that the ultras have access to universal machine guns, Chinese pistols, AK-47s, Austrian grenades, plenty of cash, RDX and IEDs. A lieutenant colonel said the success of the Army's campaign depended on its ability to generate intelligence, "but people in the hinterland are sometimes non-cooperative".

Other ULFA outfits active in Assam are the 27th and the 109th batallions, but these are not as "effective" as the 28th. Brigadier Amarjit Minhas, deputy GOC of the division, said that the training imparted to ULFA cadres was identical to that of the Indian Army, with special emphasis on weapon training and physical fitness.

During a visit to the Army's 3 Corps at Ranga Pahar in Nagaland on Wednesday, AK Antony emphasised that preserving peace required patience and restraint.

He said that despite the ceasefire with prominent separatist groups in Nagaland, factional clashes among them posed a security challenge. Antony said the government was placing special emphasis on the development of northeast and several new road, rail and other infrastructure projects were in the pipeline. "People here feel the region does not reflect the nation's progress. The government understands their problems," he added.

[Ujjal]

as in report above where they take their time in acting against ulfa...

No, I want you to cite an instance where Bhutan's fight against ULFA was weakened because of Panda pokers or an instance when Bhutan acted weirdly to us because of dem pokers.

a nation like bhutan only 'ignores' india if it is under pressure from china...

[A Sharma]

Choppers back troops in smoking out Ulfa

[Kakkaji]

174509: the mark of army’s failure

[shyamd]

Indian army helicopters drop soldiers in mountainous northeast for rebel hunt

[Ujjal]

Army intensifies operation, ULFA militant killed

Guwahati, Jan. 12 (PTI): Security forces today intensified the operation against the ULFA, gunning down a militant in an area bordering Bhutan, as army chief Gen J J Singh said the "all out" offensive was aimed at wiping out the banned group's potential to carry out attacks.

As the operation entered its third day, troops searched reserve forests in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for militants as the vigil was stepped up along international and inter- state borders to prevent rebels from escaping to Bhutan and Myanmar.

The army raided a village in Assam's Baska district bordering Bhutan and shot dead a hardcore ULFA militant, spokesman Col Narendra Singh said.

In Delhi, the army chief said the operation would be taken to its "logical conclusion" to destroy ULFA's trouble- making potential and to force it to come forward for talks.

"Security forces are carrying out surgical strikes. It is a joint operation with paramilitary and state police forces to put the ULFA cadres on the backfoot," Singh told reporters.

It was announced that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would visit Assam on Tuesday even as a high-level meeting decided to set up a committee to coordinate next month's National Games in Guwahati that the militants have threatened to disrupt.

The operation by some 3,000 army and paramilitary forces was launched after the ULFA gunned down 70 migrant workers.

Troops fanned out into Charaipung and Namchangmukh reserve forests on the banks of Buridihing river in upper Assam and Manabhum reserve forest in Arunachal Pradesh, where ULFA cadres are believed to be holed up in camps.

[Kakkaji]

After choppers, all-terrain cars

Dibrugarh, Jan 12: Bullet-proof scout cars designed to speed through rough terrain and equipped with rotating machine guns are being added to the army’s weapons of war as the latest offensive against Ulfa gains momentum in Upper Assam and beyond.

Army units will use helicopter gunships to strafe Ulfa bases in areas that are not easily accessible by road.

Col Narendra Babu, commanding officer of the 66 Field Regiment, said over phone today that a series of Ulfa-triggered explosions and grenade attacks on security forces prompted strategists to recommend the sophisticated scout car for the current phase of counter-insurgency operations.

[Vick]

Assam's troubled brew

[Raju]

NDTV's Big Fight aired on Saturdays @ 8 P. M. India time today features:

Assam's Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi

and Assam problem.

[Singha]

tarun gogoi is the kind of CM gowda or gujral were and in earlier times Dhritarastra. he cannot even control the looting and goonda tax collection by his ministers. expecting him to run a tough campaign on the dispur mosquito population is outa his league...he will attempt to open a piss process and dialogue with the mosquito union.

[Raju]

It's on now.

Panelists: Surjeet Singh Ahluwalia (BJP)
Ved Marwah (ex-cop & Governer in NE)
Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam Politician)

Tarun Gogoi (Assam CM)

[Singha]

10 min video talks to some ex-ulfa, current-ulfa, journalists...the film maker went to a real ulfa camp for interview and cooked a bit of breakfast to get them talking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lbmceVZDuQ

[Ujjal]

She is the same girl who did "Videkhot Apun Manhu.." I remember. It was a good show.

[Victor]

tarun gogoi is the kind of CM gowda or gujral were and in earlier times Dhritarastra. he cannot even control the looting and goonda tax collection by his ministers. expecting him to run a tough campaign on the dispur mosquito population is outa his league...he will attempt to open a piss process and dialogue with the mosquito union.

ULFA threatens to target Congress leaders
Actually, now that these idiots have their arses in the crosshairs, they will probably get a firm grip on their dhotis and support phul miltry akshun to the bitter end. Death to aalpha!

The other bit underlines how important it is for the security forces to act with extreme care. Mass killings by "army men in fatigues" a la Chhatisingpora is very probable. The locals need to be made full and visible partners.

[Raju]

January 13, 2007
Assamese actor Barasha Rani Bishaya holds a fish she bought for the upcoming Bhogali Bihu, the post harvest festival, at Uzan Bazar Fish market in Guwahati on Saturday.


Is that Rohu ?

[shyamd]

Indian Army must crush ‘ULFA under foreign command’ – India must not allow Hindi speaking oligarchs to exploit Assamese people

Military offensive is needed. But that alone will nor solve the problem. A political initiative is needed. Indian politicians finally understood what blunder they have committed in Assam. Now ULFA is under Bangladesh and Pakistan command operating from Bangladesh and using Chinese know-how and Pakistani ISI’s infrastructure. Now it is an all out war that must be won.

But that will solve the problem temporarily. It is not fair for Indian politicians to ask ‘Indian Army’ to take care of all their blunders. Army Jawans (soldiers) are human beings too. They do not like killing fellow India no matter what the situation is. India’s biggest problem is the Hindi-speaking oligarchs. British created the problem before leaving India in 1947. Bengal and Punjab was militant in the independence movement. To punish these two states, British divided Punjab and Bengal and then left everything to the Hindi oligarchs to control. Think about this, close to 72% of the Members of the Parliament are Hindi or Hindi like states. The Hindi speaking oligarchs (close to 150 families all over India) wine, dine and bribe these politicians on regular basis. In Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, the communists are also ‘kept on the payroll’ by these Hindi speaking oligarchs.

The Hindi speaking oligarchs control the life of common people in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Manipur and other states and regions of North India. These oligarchs own the tea gardens. Human rights abuse is rampant on the poor native working class. India is a country defined as ‘Unity in Diversity’. Diversity is a major component of Indian culture. That harmony of coexistence is broken now with Hindi oligarchs controlling the country. Assamese people have little in common with ‘Hindi’ people. They do not like to be treated as slaves by the Hindi-speaking oligarchs. They look at Kashmir. The Islamic militants are getting away with what they want because they are backed by Pakistan and has resorted to brutal violence and terror. Hindi oligarchs cannot exploit Kashmir anymore. They cannot even buy land there because of a special act. But in Assam and Bengal these Hindi oligarchs come and abuse the local people, treat them as slaves in tea plantation and make them toil hard for a modest living. ULFA was an insurgent group that went ashtray under Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. They also have covert Chinese support. Now they believe only way to fight the Hindi oligarchs of India is to follow Kashmir militants’ paths. ULFA cannot touch these oligarchs who do not even live or visit Assam. They control Assamese economy with remote control. It is a shame for ULFA to kill the poor Bihari people who came to Assam to work and live a modest life. They are not the Hindi-speaking oligarchs. They are innocent.

Time has come for people of India get these oligarchs exposed. Hindi speaking people are not bad. Hindi speaking people have the ‘greatest heart’. But the Hindi speaking rich powerful industrialist oligarchs are the one that needs to be exposed. They are the root cause of India’s problems. States need autonomy. India needs peace. People of India in every parts of the country need self-determination and respect for what they are.