north east online - north east india news: Oct 3, 2009

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Shillong remembers Gandhi with a vintage car rally

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eanwhile, the Antique Wheels of North East (AWNE) commemorated the 140th birth anniversary of the father of our nation by holding a vintage and classic car rally in the Shillong. Lt. General KS Sethi, GOC, 101 Area flagged off the rally from the old assembly campus this morning. There were altogether 19 vehicles, including a 1968 Java motorcycle taking part in this event, which is the third that the AWNE had organized, bringing together vintage and classic car enthusiasts from the Northeast. The 1927 Ford Model A which was once used by Mother Teresa on her visit to Shillong in 1971 is also part of today's rally. AWNE General Secretary Ashok Lyngdoh told NeTV that the idea behind this Gandhi Jayanti was to make this rally a people's event." This event is special to Ashoke as he finds it an opportunity to socialize with part of history, heritage and tradition. Ashoke also proudly boasts about his Studebaker Champion 1955 which is the only 6-cylinder running in Shillong till date. He is not worried about the fuel it guzzles. Taking part in the rally was also the Model T Ford (red open vehicle) which was used for the movie 'Gandhi.' And how much more appropriate can it be than to have a young Gandhi look-a-like riding this vehicle. As for Mr. Honsen Lyngdoh, the owner of the vehicle, the significance of this rally is to show the importance of preserving what their forefathers have pioneered and their innovation for the coming generation, and how the younger generations respect them. Manufactured in 1956 the most popular Volkswagen Beetle was also part of the rally. Owner Yadav Dolloi, a regular participant and member of AWNE from Guwahati is proud of his beetle and even though it is known as the people's car, the Indian version is nothing compared to the Volkswagen, "which you can compare to the Mercedes or the BMW." Besides these, there are also 4 World War II Jeeps, model (10) (8) and (8E) Morris, Wolsley, and 2 1954 Land Rovers.

UPDS cadres lay down arms in Diphu

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n yet another major development, the UPDS has deposited their arms before the authorities at a function in Karbi Anglong in the presence of Superintendent Of Police Krishna Kanta Sarma. The rebel outfit operating in Karbi Anglong district of Assam has been continuing dialogue with the government. It’s another positive development in the hill districts of Assam on the Gandhi Jayanti Day. UPDS has deposited a huge cache of arms and ammunition before the authorities at a function in Diphu. These include 7 AK-47 rifles, 2 AK-56 rifles, 4 SLRs, 4 G-3 rifles, 11 US carbines, 2 UBGL M-40 rifles, 2 pistols, and a M-20 rifle. They also submitted before the authorities 22 magazines of AK-47 and 56 rifles, 5 SLR magazines, 3 G-3 Magazines, 5 US carbine magazines, 13 UBGL M-40 magazines. Some other rebels operating in the hills district are expected to deposit more arms and ammunition in Deopani and Hamren very soon. UPDS defence secretary Lengthai Engleng said they have deposited arms and ammunition in compliance with the Centre’s new policy. He further hoped that this would pave the way for restoration of peace in the hills district through a fruitful negotiation.

416 DHD-J rebels surrender en massé in Haflong

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eace is set to be back in the once troubled North Cachar Hills. Altogether 416 DHD-(J) rebels today formally laid down their arms before Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at a function organized at Haflong. DHD-(J) Chief Niranjan Hojai was the first to surrender, followed by other top guns and lower rung cadres. Union home ministry joint secretary Navin Verma, Assam Chief secretary PC Sarma, Director General of Police Shankar Baruah, additional DGP Khagen Sarma attended the function along with top officials of the army. The Chief Minister assured that his government would leave no stone unturned to look into the issues of the Dimasas. The wait is finally over. After years of mongering trouble, the DHD(J) rebels have come over ground. Altogether 416 armed cadres of the Dimasa rebel outfit have formally laid down arms before Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at an unique function in Haflong on Friday. Thus they rebels surrendered en masse to allow peace to prevail in the hills district. Led by the outfit’s commander-in-chief Niranjan Hojai, the cadres have deposited 148 sophisticated weapons besides 10,130 rounds of bullets and 10 kg of explosive materials in the surrender ceremony. For Dimasa apex body Jadikhe Naido Hosom president Dethang Naiding it’s a big respite for the people of the hills state which has been embroiling in the incident after incidents of violence. The rebel outfit’s commander-in-chief Niranjan Hojai called it a red letter day but in the same breath he said the government must take steps to fulfill their demands. Talking to reporters, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said he was confident that the demands of the rebel group would be solved within the framework of the Constitution. He further said the entire development after all has boost his confidence also. Union home ministry joint secretary Navin Verma, Assam Chief secretary PC Sarma, Director General of Police, Shankar Baruah, his additional DGP Khagen Sarma attended the function along with other top ranked army, civil and police officers. The Chief Minister greeted the surrendered rebels with rosebuds in the function.

Curious India throngs to Tawang

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n Tawang, it is an invasion of another kind — and China is at the centre of it.

Thupten Jambey, 64, has never seen anything like this: vehicles packed with tourists pack his lone filling station. “The tankers come once in five-seven days, forcing me to ration petrol and diesel. I gave 30 litres per vehicle the day before and cut it down to 15 yesterday,” he said. “Today, it’s just 10 litres.”

Hotels and guesthouses, most of them flanking Nehru Market in this district headquarters perched 10,000 ft above sea level in Arunachal Pradesh, are filled with visitors — with China on their minds.

China had briefly occupied Tawang during the 1962 war.

“There are more guests than the 11 rooms in this hotel can accommodate,” said 42-year-old hotel manager Lobsang Tenda. This (tourist rush) started on September 25 and will continue right through March, he said.

“This year has seen more tourists than ever, and compared to only 500 beds last year we have accommodation for over 700 visitors. Four home-stay cottages have also come up, but they don’t seem to be enough,” said Tawang deputy commissioner Gamli Padu.

So, what’s bringing Indians to this part of Arunachal Pradesh?

“We wanted to check out how threatened Tawang is from China,” said Kolkata-based retired Port Trust officer Lala Subroto De.

His orthopaedist friend Ramendu Hom Choudhuri was discouraged from coming here by many back home. “Some even said I might not return alive,” he said. “Had I listened to them I would have missed being in one of the most peaceful places on earth.”

Ashok. K. Samanta, an officer of the state-run Ayurvedic Research Centre in Agartala, always wanted to visit the land China had occupied after the 1962 war. He exacted his “revenge” by “occupying Chinese soil” for 10 minutes in Bumla, 41 km from here on the Indo-China border.

“I will never forget those 10 minutes on the other side of the border, posing with Chinese soldiers,” he said, thrilled, despite a headache induced by Bumla’s altitude.

Locals are apparently cashing in on the China fetish. Every third shop, restaurant or hotel has Tibet, Lhasa or China in its name. Even the army-run souvenir shop at Tawang War Memorial for the martyrs of 1962 sells “made in China” memorabilia.

Uranium reserves in Meghalaya to benefit country: Lapang

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erming the uranium reserves in the state as a national property, Meghalaya Chief Minister D D Lapang on Saturday said the uranium ore reserves in the state when mined would help meet the country's growing needs for energy.

"It is the duty of the state to subscribe to the needs of the country. Mining of the uranium ores in the state would support the need of the country," Lapang told reporters here, amid stiff opposition from various organisations like the influential Khasi Students Union (KSU) who oppose the proposed mining project.

Lapang said a team from the UCIL would visit the state this month to carry forward the pre-project developments works in and around the uranium areas of West Khasi Hills district.

The Lapang cabinet had last month decided to lease 422 sq hectares of land having uranium deposits in West Khasi Hills for 30 years to UCIL for "pre-project" developmental works.

The UCIL had agreed to earmark Rs 209 crore to carry out pre-project development programmes, including health care facilities, power, drinking water, educational institutions and roads.

Separatist group in Assam admits using Bangladesh as base

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n influential tribal separatist group in Assam on Saturday for the first time openly admitted to using Bangladesh as a base to carry out their hit-and-run guerrilla strikes in the region, a rebel leader said. He urged the neighbouring country to help them.

"I would like to request the government of Bangladesh to extend helping hands in our struggle for freedom. Particularly, I would like to request the security forces of Bangladesh not to harass or arrest our cadres and members when they sometimes cross to Bangladesh for their safety and security," D R Nabla, president of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), said in a statement said.

Nabla's statement was made on the NDFB's 23rd foundation day on Saturday.

The NDFB is fighting for an independent homeland for the Bodo tribe in Assam since 1986.

This is the first time any rebel group in the northeast has formally acknowledged operating out of Bangladesh.

New Delhi has repeatedly claimed that several of the militant groups active in the northeast have well entrenched bases in Bangladesh, an allegation Dhaka has continued to deny.

Indian intelligence and home ministry officials were on record saying on several occasions that Nabla and other top leaders of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) were based in Bangladesh.

"If our people have helped Bangladeshis on all counts for freedom from Pakistan without questioning their legitimacy or whatsoever, it becomes an obligation for the people and the government of Bangladesh to help us in our freedom struggle against India," the NDFB chief said in the statement.

The NDFB is blamed for the October 30, 2008 serial explosions in Assam in which about 100 people were killed and more than 300 wounded.

A faction of the NDFB led by guerrilla leader Gobinda Basumatary is operating a ceasefire with New Delhi since 2004. But the Nabla-led group of the NDFB is still waging a bush war against the Indian state.

"We are not against talks. We are still ready for talks. If India prepares for peace talks with us based on the dream of our martyrs and founding principles of our party, we are prepared for talks," the NDFB leader said.

More than 10,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in Assam during the past two decades.

340 DHD (J) militants surrender

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UWAHATI: What could be a better gift for terror-scarred Assam on the International Day of Non-Violence? For the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel)
faction's ceremonial surrender on Friday was a clear signal of good tidings. What added to its novelty was that it was held on a day the entire country celebrated the birth anniversary of India's peace icon Mahatma Gandhi.

The outfit's "commander-in-chief", Niranjan Hojai, was the first to walk up to chief minister Tarun Gogoi and hand over a M16 rifle. Deputy C-in-C Daniel Dimasa was the next to surrender. Sources said the rest of the cadres, who could not join the ceremony on Friday, would complete the formalities later.

In all, 340 DHD (J) cadres, notoriously known as Black Widow, out of a declared strength of 416 formally surrendered before the CM, joint secretary (home) Navin Verma, top army, paramilitary and police officials in Haflong, the district headquarters of North Cachar Hills.

The members surrendered 148 weapons, including 76 AK series rifles, 23 M series rifles, five machine guns, more than a thousand assorted ammunition and 10 kg of high explosives at the surrender ceremony.

DHD (J) chairman Jewel Garlossa and finance secretary Partho Warisa have been housed in Guwahati jail ever since they had been arrested in Bangalore a few months ago. However, a breakaway faction of the outfit with about 60 cadres is still out in the jungles.

The members had come over ground last month and, since then, have been staying in two designated camps in response to a tough stand taken by Union home minister P Chidambaram to surrender by September 30 or face a crackdown by security forces.

The outfit has been on a killing spree for the last few years and had killed 51 policemen in 2008 alone besides stalling work for two national projects Railways' broad gauge conversion and Surface Transport's East-West Corridor.

Around 40 per cent of DHD (J) cadres are below 20, the youngest cadre being 13-year-old Sonep Thaosen alias Haglai Dimasa, a private' in the outfit. Fifty-nine per cent of the cadres are between 20 and 30 years, while 37-year-old self-styled sergeant major' Bidyut Phonglo alias Paidao Dimasa is one of the oldest cadres. None of the cadres is a graduate. Only four per cent have completed matriculation, 78 per cent have not studied up to Class X and 18 per cent have not been to school altogether.

With its surrender, the outfit placed a charter of demands, which include a change of name for the district, an autonomous state within the state under article 244 (A) of the Constitution, induction of the cadres in government forces and amnesty for all.

The top leaders of the outfit have been involved in some of the most gruesome attacks that have scathed civilians and security forces alike in the last five years. Last year, Daniel Dimasa had pulled off a daring jailbreak from Haflong prison and was soon made the outfit's deputy C-in-C for this. Another leader, Morung Dimasa, is known to have led many of the outfit's subversive operations.

Gogoi said the government would examine the demands. He announced a rehabilitation package of Rs 50 crore for the district and said a police battalion will be raised to accommodate eligible DHD (J) cadres. The CM assured that he will take "personal responsibility for the development of North Cachar Hills and ensure that steps are taken immediately to initiate development in education, health, road communication and employment generation sectors".

NLFT rebels kidnap six Chakmas

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GARTALA: In a desperate bid to make its presence felt, militants belonging to the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) kidnapped six
Chakmas from Raishyabari, a village along the Indo-Bangla border, in Tripura's Dhalai district on Thursday.

Though the rebels freed three of the villagers, they held the rest hostage and demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh for their amnesty, police said.

The NLFT militants had earlier targeted the Chakmas in remote villages bordering Bangladesh. Incidentally, the Chakmas are the only ethnic group in Tripura from which militant outfits in the state never got any cadre.

Police said Jayanta Bikash Chakma, Shanti Ranjan Chakma, Janmachandra Chakma, Jyotiranjan Chakma, Koloni Mohan Chakma and Tangula Chakma had gone to Ratan Nagar from their village, Bangla Bijay Para.

The six, suspected to have been involved in smuggling, had gone to Chittagong Hill Tract and were abducted by the NLFT militants on their way back to Bangla Bijay Para.

"Later, the rebels released Shanti Ranjan, Janmachandra and Tangula, but sent a ransom note with them demanding Rs 5 lakh for the safe release' of the remaining three," DIG (Operations) Nepal Das said. He added that led by Dhalai SP G K Rao, police have launched a massive manhunt in the area. Sources said the militants might have taken the three hostages to Bangladesh and kept them at some of their hideouts in Chittagong Hill Tracts.

This is not the first time that the NLFT militants attacked the Chakmas. Earlier in 2004 and 2005, the rebels had attacked Chakma villages in the same district many times. On May 10, 2005, the NLFT militants had shot dead five youths belonging to the community and burnt down 19 huts at Chakmapara ( Jorendra Karbaripara) and Madanjay Para.

Following the repeated attacks during the period, altogether 217 Chakma families had fled their villages in Kalajhari Hill Range like Kalamari Biswakarma Para, Kinamohan Karbari Para, Thanadhan Para and taken shelter in safer places like Gandacherra and Bulangbasa.

"Of late, the NLFT is on the back foot following stepped up security operations against them. Their movements have also been restricted to a large extent. Besides, the tribals are up in arms against them," said a senior police officer.

Incidentally, the Chakmas had vehemently resisted the NLFT militants whenever the latter came to their villages on an extortion drive. They even lynched two rebels in the Raishyabari area in 2005.

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