[Assam] Fwd: Note on protests in Assam

Fri Oct 13 05:50:52 PDT 2006

>
>Hunger Strike for Peace in Assam
>
>
>
>October 11, 2006: The Peoples' Committee for 
>Peace Initiatives in Assam (PCPIA) - a 
>conglomerate of 27 civic, democratic and 
>nationalist organisations in the Northeastern 
>federal unit of Assam - has begun a three-day 
>hunger strike for the renewal of political 
>parleys between the government of India and 
>United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). ULFA 
>has sustained an armed movement for the 
>liberation of Assam from India since 1979. In 
>1990, the central government of India sent in 
>the army to quell what it termed as a 
>secessionist movement in the resource-rich 
>federal unit. Since then, there have been 
>countless civilian and military casualties in 
>Assam, with the period between 1996 and 2001 
>witnessing the selected killing of intellectuals 
>and activists perceived to be ideologically 
>allied to radical nationalist politics, as well 
>as family members of ULFA activists. The current 
>ruling Congress-led coalition had promised a 
>transparent judicial process to account for the 
>"secret killings" and despite several 
>commissions of inquiry, there is very little for 
>the authorities to show as proof of the promises 
>made in the run-up to elections (to the state 
>legislative assembly) in 2001 and later in 2005.
>
>
>
>In September 2005, ULFA constituted a body of 11 
>(eleven) persons from different walks of life to 
>act as intermediaries to negotiate for direct 
>negotiations between the organisation and the 
>government of India and for the resolution of 
>the ongoing conflict. The body, called the 
>Peoples Consultative Group (PCG), comprises a 
>noted littérateur, media persons, human rights 
>activists, youth leaders and intellectuals who 
>had publicly spoken against the state's excesses 
>in the two-decade counter-insurgency milieu. The 
>PCG's brief was to appraise the government of 
>the core demands of the armed opposition group 
>and lay the foundation for political dialogue 
>between an organisation that had many of its 
>central committee members in jails in India and 
>Bangladesh (or were officially "missing" 
>following an attack against them by Bhutanese 
>and Indian armed forces on Bhutanese soil in 
>2003) and the Indian government.
>
>
>
>The government of India had three rounds of 
>talks with the PCG in order to begin 
>negotiations with ULFA. The core issues that 
>were to be ironed out before ULFA came to the 
>negotiating table were: (a) a discussion on 
>Assam's lost sovereignty; (b) the release of its 
>central committee members who were jailed in 
>India, in order to enable a proper quorum for 
>initiating talks and (c) disclosure of the fate 
>of its "missing" activists following the 2003 
>attacks in Bhutan. While the government of India 
>had to resort to semantic political gymnastics 
>to accommodate the first demand, the other two 
>were a matter of due legal process. The 
>Congress-led government in the federal unit of 
>Assam repeatedly announced that it saw no harm 
>in releasing five of ULFA's jailed leaders 
>lodged in Guwahati jail in Assam, but its 
>announcements received a lukewarm response from 
>important players in India's security apparatus. 
>The Gauhati High Court frequently issued orders 
>asking for a formal disclosure of the missing 
>activists, but this request was vetoed by the 
>army's legal counsel, who argued that such a 
>move would compromise national security. In 
>addition, the army operations against ULFA 
>activists continued, with the security apparatus 
>arguing that this was admissible since ULFA had 
>not called an end to armed hostilities.
>
>
>
>Against this political backdrop and following a 
>round of negotiations between PCG and the 
>government of India on June 22, 2006, the 
>government of India assured that it would secure 
>the release of the jailed activists and also 
>unilaterally declared a temporary cessation of 
>hostilities on August 13, 2006. In keeping with 
>the government's assurances, ULFA also declared 
>a temporary halt in its military operations 
>against the Indian state's security forces. 
>However, this precarious peace was short-lived 
>with the government introducing caveats to its 
>assurances and ULFA allegedly continuing with 
>its political activities. The media had reports 
>of ULFA's involvement in a few incidents of 
>private violence that investigative authorities 
>have yet to verify - following established 
>procedure - if indeed the organisation was party 
>to the events. Nevertheless, the Indian 
>government unilaterally decided to recant its 
>assurances and officially renewed armed 
>operations on September 24, 2006.
>
>
>
>The government's move elicited widespread 
>protests in Assam. The current hunger strike by 
>the PCPIA has received support from all corners 
>of civil and political society in Assam. 
>Visiting the protestors, Lachit Bordoloi - the 
>coordinator of the PCG, and a human rights 
>activist said - "This is a tragedy because we 
>can easily see how the political negotiations 
>between ULFA and the government are being held 
>hostage by obvious sections of the security 
>apparatus who want this lucrative 
>counter-insurgency to continue". Echoing this 
>sentiment, Aditya Lahkar of Manab Adhikar 
>Sangram Samiti (MASS) - a human rights group - 
>and one of the constituents of the PCPIA said, 
>"we have a retired army general who has been 
>appointed as our golf-playing governor but he 
>thinks he is like a Roman viceroy, so he can 
>veto what the elected government wantswhat the 
>people wantbecause he does not care. (He) just 
>wants to play golf in the clubs and make sure 
>that his military and business friends are not 
>inconvenienced by the possibility of peace".
>
>
>
>These are not isolated opinions. Within hours of 
>the commencement of the hunger strike, prominent 
>political persons and intellectuals have lent 
>support to the protestors. Among them were Mr. 
>Brinadabon Goswami, the president of Asom Gana 
>Parishad (a regional political party that won 
>elections to the assembly on two occasions) and 
>Dr. Noni Gopal Mahanta (well-known peace 
>researcher and a lecturer at Gauhati 
>University). The protestors say that they have 
>just three demands: (a) stop army operations; 
>(b) release the ULFA leaders in jail in Assam 
>and (c) begin direct political negotiations with 
>ULFA. It remains to be seen if the government 
>will continue to deploy the army, resort to 
>covert actions or take the political initiative 
>and engage with ULFA. On its part, ULFA has to 
>also show that it is connected to a popular 
>demand for peace, justice and political 
>resolution of almost three decades of armed 
>conflict.
>
>
>
>Sanjay Barbora
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.assamnet.org/pipermail/assam-assamnet.org/attachments/20061013/2a4af521/attachment.htm>