The Hindu : Militants dislodged, but operation continues

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 20, 2003

National

National

Militants dislodged, but operation continues

By Barun Das Gupta

SAMDRUP JONGKHAR (Bhutan) Dec. 19 . The Royal Bhutan Army has successfully completed the first phase of its operation to flush out the 3000 and odd ULFA, NDFB and KLO militants, lodged in 30 camps spread across four districts of this tiny kingdom. "The well-armed militants have been dislodged from their camps but the flushing out operation is continuing. Because of the rugged terrain and dense jungles in which the Army has to operate, no time-frame can be given for completing the operations", Yeshey Dorji, Director of Bhutan's Foreign Ministry, said here today.

The stragglers from the camps had fled in many directions and the possibility of some of them having retreated deep into Bhutan could not be ruled out, Mr. Dorji said.

The interview with The Hindu was taking place in the three-storeyed customs and excise building at this small town, headquarters of the district of the same name, located right on the Assam-Bhutan border.

Ever since the operation flush out began, the Director, who is based at the capital Thimphu, has made this building his makeshift office. Most of his time goes in meeting and briefing Indian mediapersons coming here in an unending stream.

For the last six years, Mr. Dorji says, the Royal Bhutan Government had been talking to the militant groups and persuading them to leave the country. But they refused to budge and stayed put.

By moving about carrying arms openly, they were violating Bhutanese law. By setting up armed camps, they were challenging Bhutan's sovereignty. "So we had no alternative to using force to drive them out," he says.But why now, after six long years? "Because the militants were not only souring Indo-Bhutan relations, but also disrupting the social and economic life of our country," he explains.

He said the militants had killed some policemen posted at the Dungsum Cement Factory, a major industrial project of Bhutan Government, at Nganglam in Samdrup Jonghkhar district.

The factory has remained closed for several years. They disrupted trade, business and commercial activities, putting the locals to great inconvenience.

Educational institutions in the four districts where they were operating, namely, Samtse, Sarphang, Zhemgang and Samdrup Jongkhar, had to be closed down.

An interesting fact came out at the interview. The militants had set up camps 12 years ago. "But it was only in 1995 that we came to know of their presence," Mr. Dorji said.

He, however, did not explain why it took four long years for the Bhutan Government to be aware of the militants' "presence" on Bhutanese soil.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National