Tuesday, Dec 16, 2003
Tuesday, Dec 16, 2003 |
| Front Page | ||||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Front Page
By Our New Delhi Bureau
"The Indian Army is also taking necessary measures to intercept movement of militants from Bhutan into India," Mr. Sinha told both Houses of Parliament even as the Centre advised the Assam and West Bengal Governments to deal with the situation by taking steps, including sealing borders, for maintaining peace. In a related move, the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, spoke to the Assam and West Bengal Chief Ministers, Tarun Gogoi, and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, by telephone and informed them about the crackdown. The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) have 13, 12 and five camps respectively on the Bhutanese territory that were used to train cadres, store arms and ammunition and launch surprise attacks inside India. According to Mr. Sinha, Bhutan's King Jigmye Singye Wangchuk telephoned the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Friday and informed him of the impending action. "The Royal Government of Bhutan has always assured the Government of India that it will not allow its territory to be used for activities inimical to India's interest. The launch of operations against Indian insurgent groups in Bhutan has struck a blow against terrorism and terrorist activities in our entire region," he said. In a statement, the External Affairs Minister claimed this action would prevent further loss of innocent lives in terrorist actions. "It will promote peace, stability and security in the region and further cement the strong friendship and cooperation between India and Bhutan." Responding to the points raised by members in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Sinha said India had promised Bhutan whatever assistance it required to flush out the militants. Bhutan, he said, was a sovereign nation and had undertaken this action on its own. The crackdown was directed simultaneously against all groups, including the ULFA, NDFB and KLO. Pointing out that Indian security forces had been alerted on Friday itself, the External Affairs Minister stressed that there was total cooperation between the Centre and States to prevent any untoward incident from taking place. The Bhutan Embassy said the Army had been asked to remove militant elements after six years of consistent and strenuous efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problem had failed and the process of "peaceful dialogue" fully exhausted. An Embassy statement said that the Bhutanese authorities had held final talks with the ULFA in October and the NDFB in November while the KLO failed to respond to the dialogue offer. During these talks, the militants were told that Thimpu could not tolerate their presence any longer. "They [the militants] were reminded that their entry into Bhutan was no different from a foreign invading army, and their conduct showed no regard for our laws. It was made very clear to them that they were no refugees seeking humanitarian protection, and that their refusal to leave would result in a senseless and fratricidal conflict. "They were told that the senselessness of a confrontation lay in the fact that Bhutan has nothing to do with their hopes and aspirations. Every life lost in the foreign soil of Bhutan for them would be a waste. They were advised to engage in serious reflection and consider the wisdom of continuing their armed struggle. They were also advised that the moment had arrived when they should try to find a solution within the constitutional framework of the Republic of India," it continued. According to the statement, the militants' camps had become a direct threat to Bhutan's sovereignty and national security. "Their long-term presence has undermined the peace, stability and socio-economic development enjoyed by the Bhutanese people..."
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2003, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
