[Assam] Subir Bhaumic, as a BBC reporter, why you do not write from the British point of view on the Assamsolution? Are you not aware of the erroneous de-colonisationof Assam being responsible for Assam today being under Indianoccupation status?

Fri Oct 20 10:21:05 PDT 2006

<Liberationists? ?

Wrong!

Extortionists.

:-)

<separatists >?

Wrong! 

Liberationists.

mm

---------------------------------

From:  "Bartta Bistar" <barttabistar at googlemail.com>
To:  AssamNet <assam at assamnet.org>
Subject:  [Assam] Subir Bhaumic, as a BBC reporter,why
you do not write from the British point of view on the
Assamsolution? Are you not aware of the erroneous
de-colonisationof Assam being responsible for Assam
today being under Indianoccupation status?
Date:  Fri, 20 Oct 2006 16:26:19 +0100

What hopes for peace in Assam? 

By Subir Bhaumik 

BBC News, Assam 

Thousands of angry locals have been protesting against
the resumption of military operations in India's
north-eastern state of Assam after talks between the
federal government and the leading separatist group in
the state broke down last month.

The protests look set to intensify (Photos: Subhamoy
Bhattacharjee)

Enlarge Image

The United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), formed in
1979 to fight for Assam's independence, has carried
out a series of campaigns including targeting oil and
gas pipelines, transport and telecommunication
facilities and security patrols.

"We Assamese have suffered unrest and trouble for 25
years. We can take it no more. We want peace at any
cost," says schoolteacher Smita Mishra.

When the separatist United Liberation Front of Assam
(ULFA) set up a committee of prominent Assamese
citizens in September last year to start negotiations
with the central government in Delhi, hopes rose high
across the troubled tea-and-oil producing frontier
state.

"The separatists were serious about talks and a
settlement this time," says Assamese newspaper editor
Ajit Bhuiyan, who was member of the ULFA-nominated
Peoples Consultative Group (PCG). But "Delhi failed to
take the chance and this will cost everybody very
dearly".

'True colours' 

The head of the ULFA's military wing, Paresh Barua, is
equally critical of the government. 

"We wanted the negotiations to continue for a final
settlement," he told the BBC by phone from an
undisclosed hideout. "But Delhi has shown its true
colours by resuming military operations. So we will
fight to the last."

He also laid out his conditions for peace talks to
resume: "They must release five of our top leaders and
stop military operations completely."

India's Home Minister Shivraj Patil introduced a ray
of hope this week when he told some MPs on his
ministry's parliamentary consultative committee that
the breakdown of talks in Assam was "a temporary
setback".

Mr Patil said the talks would resume but the ULFA had
to shun violence and agree to direct negotiations. 

Meanwhile, as the Indian army intensified its
operations in areas of Upper and Lower Assam dominated
by the ULFA, thousands of Assamese came out on to the
streets.

In Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts the army and
police arrested nearly 100 people on suspicion of
having links to the ULFA.

We want peace at any cost 

Smita Mishra
school teacher

"The army must spare innocent people. They cannot kill
or harass anybody and everybody," said Biswajyoti
Gohain, a resident of Moran, whose son was picked up
by the troops on suspicion of links with the ULFA.

The People's Committee for Peace Initiatives in Assam
(PCIPIA) , an umbrella group of 27 Assamese human
rights and action groups, has played a leading role in
the protests.

Intelligence officials say the PCPIA is full of ULFA
sympathisers. 

Police have broken up several attempts by PCPIA
supporters to block roads. Many were injured in the
baton charges. 

"The ULFA has changed tactics. Besides their normal
hit-and-run attacks, they have mobilised the so-called
peaceniks for creating pressure on the government,"
says retired Major General Gaganjit Singh. He
commanded a division in Assam and worked as
deputy-chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency until
recently.

Electoral factor 

Mr Singh says the ULFA is keeping its options open on
going for peace until it sees the results of elections
in neighbouring Bangladesh.

"The present regime in Dhaka does not want to offend
and upset India before parliament elections in that
country. So their agencies want the ULFA to stay quiet
and play the peace game," said Mr Singh.

Soldiers salute the coffins of colleagues killed in
rebel ambush

But he says if the BNP-Jamait coalition is re-elected
in Bangladesh, the ULFA is likely to return to
full-scale violence.

However, if the Awami League, seen as friendly to
India, returns to power, the ULFA will want a way out,
he argues. 

"The ULFA fears expulsion from its bases in Bangladesh
if the Awami League returns to power in Dhaka. So they
are keen to keep the peace option intact," said Mr
Singh.

Serving military officials endorse that view. 

A few days before the talks with the ULFA broke down,
the army issued a press statement in Assam alleging
that the ULFA was simply using the negotiations as a
breather to regroup and raise fresh funds and recruits
on a large scale.

The ULFA dismisses such talk: "The ULFA takes
decisions on the basis of what happens in Assam, not
on the basis of what happens in Bangladesh," said
spokesperson Rubi Bhuiyan.

On Thursday India's National Security Advisor, MK
Narayanan pointed the finger at Bangladesh: "We regard
Bangladesh as an area which gives sanctuary to these
[militant leaders]," he said.

Meanwhile the street protests look set to continue. 

Many analysts and Assam-watchers blame the federal
government for mishandling the negotiations. But they
expect both Delhi and the ULFA to get back on talking
terms soon.

But even then the path to peace is not clear. 

"It will naive for Delhi to imagine that they can
militarily crush the ULFA," says Udayon Mishra, a
writer on militancy in India's north-east.

"The problem has to be handled politically but at the
moment I don't know how." 

>_______________________________________________
>assam mailing list
>assam at assamnet.org
>http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org

---------------------------------
Tried the new MSN Messenger? Its cool! Download now.
> _______________________________________________
> assam mailing list
> assam at assamnet.org
>
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
> 

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 