June 16 2001

THE EDITORIAL: INVESTMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE

There are two concurrent definitions have been suffused in Assam to address the Indo-Assam conflict. The concerned conflict is equated by a section of Indian sponsored politician as so-called problem and tries for panacea inside development policy baggage. On the other side, the patriots, who believe the cause of the conflict evolved due to the illegal colonial occupation of India, don’t search for such surreal panacea. The only precondition, the illegal colonial occupation of India, must be addressed when somebody feels exigency of real peace and development for the people of Assam.
Logically saying, nobody will invest his invaluable capital in an undecided war field only to satisfy the theory of ‘Adam Smith’. Assam consists total potency to host investors’ community for the well being of her habitant and it would have been investors’ paradise as far as the present race of market economy is concerned. The strategic location of Assam is itself the basic asset to be an industrial estate. Abundant raw materials in the doorstep, hospitable climate, wanton sources for power generation, and above all the population with indisputable probity surely would have been able to transform Assam to a land of heavenly prosperity.
As ill luck would have it, the occupation India has turned the whole community of Assam into belligerent one instead of affluent destiny seeker, the whole society into the bed of hybrid Indian culture and trampled the whole nation down fear and uncertainty with the help of military might. Assam has got already the five decades of notorious Indian occupation to experience the so-called investment. The investment in the tea sector has tethered five millions of alien Indian people to the indigenous society of Assam. The same condition happens in case of oil and coal industry. The pennies produced in Assam are for the Indian and of the Indian but by the all cost of people of Assam.
Henceforth, we say that enough is enough. ‘Not the development for peace but peace for the development’ is our slogan at the present time. Let the people of Assam decide the fate of their motherland. We shall never allow either occupation India or its collaborators to deceive our people again in the name of investment and development to buy so-called peace for the sake of occupation India’s vested interest.
As we understand, not only the people of Assam but the regional development and security have also become dependable gradually upon the political situation of Assam. War has already touched the neighboring country by one hand or by other. And certainly it will do. So, we appeal to the international community to stretch their kind hand for the peaceful solution of the Indo-Assam conflict to preserve the sustainable development of the neighboring least developed countries as well as Assam. Otherwise, the influence of Indo-Assam conflict might stand as a stumble block regarding the peaceful co-existence of the countries of this region depriving much seeking economic development, a bitter fact growing very slowly but definitely.

ULFA EMPHASIZES ITS PRE CONDITIONS FOR THE ‘TALK’ WITH NEW DELHI

Emphasizing its pre conditions for political talk with New Delhi, the ULFA reiterates its earlier obligation for a lasting solution of Indo- Assam conflict as early as possible. The Chief of Staff of ULFA, Col. P. Baruah in an interview to our ‘Freedom’ correspondent said, “We are not adverse to political talk with New Delhi for the solution of the conflict but it must be held under the pre-conditions set earlier by us.” The conditions are-The talks must be held in a third country under the mediation of UN representative and the sovereignty of Assam must be on the agenda of talk. Defending the condition of the mediation of UN representative, Mr. Baruah said that UN representative have been taking part as mediator in the ours like issues such as- Ireland, Sri Lanka and Palestine even in Kashmir. Resolutions of all conflicts everywhere in the present world have been seen remarkably under the umbrella of UN. It was the India that should come forward for the political talk in a sincere manner accepting the objective reality. Giving the organizational view on much talked cease-fire, Mr. Baruah said “ it must be held under ‘universal cease-fire ground rules. If New Delhi hatches a conspiracy to crush ULFA’s liberation struggle like the years long Naga Struggle under the shadow of cease-fire, ULFA is not ready to accept it.”

VIOLENCE BY I.O.F. CONTINUES, TWO PERSONS INCLUDING A WOMAN KILLED

In the name of search operation against the ULFA freedom fighters, a gang of Indian occupation force belonging to Rajput Regiment, on June 13 killed two persons including a woman in two separate incidents under Barama police station in Nalbari district. In the first incident the I.O.F. gang first called out a Home Guard personnel Mr. Dhruba Talukdar from his residence in Bogaribari village near Dhamdhama and shot him dead from a point blank range. After one hour the killer gang went to Santipur Bogoribari village and shot dead one 50-years-old woman Mrs. Rubali Basumatary. According to the local people both were killed in charge of giving shelter to the freedom fighters. Later the I.O.F. fabricated the story saying that ‘Mrs. Basumatary was killed when the I.O.F. patrolling the area fired upon the ULFA militant who killed Dhruba Talukdar an hour back. The militants, however, managed to escape.’

DISPUR GOVT’S CHANGING TUNE AFTER ELECTION

“The Congress party today declared that it would institute an inquiry about the secret killings of the State within the months of its coming to power”. "There have been allegations that some police officials and some AGP men were involved in these killings. And the probe will cover all these aspects," the Congress general secretary, Mr Kamal Nath said in a press conference at Gauhati on May 8 last.
However, his party pursuant Mr. Tarun Gogoi, the Chief Minister of Assam tuned in another scale regarding its pre poll promise concerning ‘secret killing’ of hundreds of ULFA family members in a press meeting on June 9 at Jorhat Circuit house under the dictum of North Block of occupation India.

Mr Gogoi said that if any complain against the secret killing was lodged than the government could consider the matter for an inquiry. Gogoi’s revelation has proved that like the previous government his government is also ready to continue the crime to suppress the national liberation struggle intimidating the people by means of ‘secret killings’.
Even the human rights group like Amnesty International has also been desperately asking an impartial enquiry in this regard.

FARMER KILLED IN NALBARI, POLICE CONCOCTS THE INCIDENT AS ‘ENCOUNTER’

Following an retaliatory ULFA firing on a police commando team at Namati village under Tihu police sation in Nalbari district on June 9, police commandos killed Mr. Bubul Pathak (28), a farmer and critically injured a young boy Mr. Ananta Das (9) of Thamana village in the name of ‘search operation’. Mr. Ananta has been now under treatment in Guwahati Medical College hospital. Later police cooked up the incident of Bubul’s murder and Ananta’s injury as consequence of encounter between ULFA freedom fighters and a police team led by an additional SP of Nalbari. Refuting the police version, the villagers firmly claimed that Bulbul was an innocent farmer of Dhuripara village and was killed cold-blooded by the commandos to cover up their abortive operation against the ULFA. The police also picked up twelve persons including two women to its ‘interrogation cell’ from the village.

It may be mentioned here that a seven-member group of ULFA freedom fighters while taking shelter in Namati village, came under fire from the police commando team and had to retaliate the police attack killing one commando and injuring another one.

FLOOD BEGINS ITS VENTURE TAKING 3 LIVES IN ASSAM

The perennial flood begins this monsoon affecting more than .3 millions people in Karimganj, Cachar and Hailakandi districts of South Assam. At least three persons including two children had lost their lives till the filing of this report. The whirling current of river Dhaleswari washed away a nine-year-old girl and a farmer (32) in Hailakandi district. Another 14-year-old girl was buried under a landslide from a hill near Badarpur town in Karimganj district on June 7. The Kuchiara, Katakhal etc. Rivers in Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar districts of Barak valley have been flooded due to the persisting rainfalls. The situation in Sonai and Kathigorah in Kachar district was also grave as the mighty Barak was flowing above the danger mark and roads to the neighboring states of Tripura and Mizoram were closed due to flooding. It’s alleged that affected people have been deprived of adequate government’s relief materials. Danger caused by flooding could be replaced by the threat of diseases like cholera and dengue as the floodwaters recede.

Last year, floods in Assam killed 100 people, and left 700,000 people homeless. According to the official sources, floods is sure to cause havoc in Upper Assam this year as 79 breaches of the embankments could not be plugged due to scarceness of funds and have been identified as most vulnerable, while, the embankments all over the State are in poor shape due to lack of proper maintenance. Environmentalists say deforestation in hill areas is the one of main causes of flooding in Assam.

On the other hand, floods in Tripura, which had claimed five lives and displaced 100,000 people, are now receding.

ULFA FIRES ROCKETS AT POLICE STATION AND SEVERELY INJURES 12 CRPF MEN;
11 ASSAM RIFLEMEN KILLED IN TINSUKIA DISTRICT

A section of ULFA freedom fighters attacked a transit camp of 128 CRPF of Indian occupation force as well as the adjacent Dhupdhora Police Station in Goalpara district at around 11 pm on June 6 last with rockets and automatic rifles. One rocket penetrated the camp completely damaging its roof and wall and seriously injuring 12 CRPF men on the spot. CRPF men also retaliated the firing. The gunfight lasted for nearly 15 minutes. However, ULFA freedom fighters faced no damage and decamped successfully to their hideouts.

Notably, this was the second such attack on I.O.F. last week. On June 3, ULFA launched a rocket at Barpeta police station. However, nothing has been reported so far in this regard.

In an another daring ambush at Bagapani in Tinisukia district ULFA freedom fighters killed 11 IOF from 28 Bn of Assam Rifles on the wee hour of 13 June. ULFA guerillas snatched away seven automatic weapons from the killed IOF members.

REPORT FROM THE KILLING FIELD

1) Name: Mr. Udayan Gohain (34)
Place of incident: at Dhalajan Fatagaon village under Titabor PS in Jorhat district.
Date of incident: 4-6-2001
Status: ULFA freedom fighter
Perpetrator: Assam police commandos.
2) Name: Mr. Gajen Shyam (30)
Place of incident: at Dhalajan Fatagaon village under Titabor PS in Jorhat district.
Date of incident: 4-6-2001
Status: ULFA freedom fighter
Perpetrator: Assam police commandos.
3) Name: Mr. Mridupaban Senapati (28)
Place of incident: at Dhalajan Fatagaon village under Titabor PS in Jorhat district.
Date of incident: 4-6-2001
Status: ULFA freedom fighter
Perpetrator: Assam police commandos.
4) Name: Mr. Sunit Neog (32)
Place of incident: at village Laina Dhulijan near Makum in Tinsukia district
Date of incident: 13-6-2001
Status: ULFA freedom fighter
Perpetrator: Troops of 2 Mountain Division of I.O.F.
5) Name: Mr. Baba Chetia (30)
Place of incident: at village Laina Dhulijan near Makum in Tinsukia district
Date of incident: 13-6-2001
Status: ULFA freedom fighter
Perpetrator: Troops of 2 Mountain Division of I.O.F.
6) Name: Mr. Kuku Moran (28)
Place of incident: at village Laina Dhulijan near Makum in Tinsukia district
Date of incident: 13-6-2001
Status: ULFA freedom fighter
Perpetrator: Troops of 2 Mountain Division of I.O.F.

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