[Assam] It is a timely reiteration on the International Day of Migrants. Illegal economic migrants to Assam are India's wards. India alone is responsible to sort out their status and future, keeping Assam out of the equation, as it is a disputed region.

[Bartta Bistar]

*

ULFA determined to uproot illegal migrants

http://www.assamtribune.com/ 18 Dec 2006


*By A Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Dec 17 – The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) today alleged
that the Government of India was not interested in a political resolution to
the conflicts. The outfit also made its stand clear on the issue of illegal
migrants and said that the ULFA is determined to uproot all the illegal
migrants who threatened Asom's existence.

In its monthly mouthpiece Freedom, which was released to the media here
today, the ULFA said that all those who illegally migrated to Asom from the
Indian subcontinent must be expelled. The outfit said that Indian rulers
were the main illegal foreigners in Asom and the principal occupational
forces were the Indian Army. Those who illegally trespassed to Asom from
Bangladesh and Nepal must be identified and driven away, but before that
Indian occupation forces must be expelled from Asom, the outfit said.

On the issue of talks with the Government of India, the ULFA alleged that
the Government was never willing to resolve the conflict through peaceful
talks. The outfit said that Government of India only threatened Asom with
military terror. "The Government of India is putting preconditions to the
ULFA for talks by demanding a positive reply from the ULFA but at the same
time, armed forces were deployed in Asom. The outfit alleged that the
Government was responsible for derailing the peace process and launched
full-scale operations and even private intelligence agencies were engaged.
The ULFA was ready to take any reasonable initiative for the resolution of
the conflict, but Indian military created mayhem in Asom and bruised the
hearts of the people of Asom. The Indian Army humiliated the dignity of the
people, the ULFA alleged.

The outfit strongly criticized the Government for its failure to make public
the whereabouts of the ULFA members missing since the operations in Bhutan
in December, 2003. The outfit said that 14 members of the ULFA, six of
National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) and three of the Kamatapur
Liberation Organization (KLO) are missing since the operations in Bhutan and
till date, their whereabouts are not known. Information about the missing
members was one of the major issues discussed in the three rounds of talks
between the Government of India and the PCG and the ULFA wanted information
about the missing members as they were to join the team for dialogue. The
outfit alleged that during the talks with the PCG, the Government avoided
the issue and India and Bhutan deliberately tried to present a distorted
picture that they did not arrest the missing members. But when eyewitnesses
produced strong evidence, the Government submitted a list before the court.
"It is a fact that the missing members were arrested and handed over to
India. We demand full information about them, otherwise, India would have to
bear the responsibility and consequences," the ULFA threatened.

Seismic survey: The ULFA reiterated its stand on the proposed seismic survey
by the Oil India Limited (OIL) on the river bed of the Brahmaputra and
called upon the Government to withdraw the decision or to face public
resistance.

The ULFA alleged that the Government of India gave green signal to the OIL
to go ahead with the seismic survey despite protests from the people of
Asom, while, the Pollution Control Board, Assam, had also given clearance to
the scheme way back in 2000. The OIL had claimed that the seismic survey
became essential because of insufficiency of crude oil stock in the existing
sources, which is not a fact, claimed the ULFA. The ULFA expressed
apprehension that the seismic survey would severely affect the ecosystem in
the state and described the move as an attempt to take away the resources of
Asom.
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