You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
India-Pakistan
Separatist group in Assam offers peace talks with Indian govt
2003-04-17
IRNA -- A frontline separatist group in India's northeastern state of Assam Thursday offered to hold peace talks with the federal government to end more than two decades of violent insurgency in the region. "We have been time and again seeking for a political solution of the Indo-Assam conflict," the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) said in its mouthpiece, the Freedom, "However, occupation India has been reciprocating our urge with various military operations."
Perhaps because ULFA's been expressing its urges by killing people...
The ULFA is fighting for an independent homeland and currently operates out of fortified bases in the adjoining Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to carry out their hit-and-run guerrilla strikes on federal soldiers in Assam. There are now reports of the ULFA relocating its bases from Bhutan to Islam's bloody border areas bordering Bangladesh. The ULFA has put three preconditions for talks with New Delhi
  • the negotiations be held in a neutral venue outside India,
  • the talks be monitored by United Nations representatives,
  • and discussions to revolve around the issue of sovereignty or independence.
"ULFA is always ready to resolve the conflict peacefully with the government of India provided the preconditions were met," the rebels' statement said.
"And we get everything we want, of course."
Posted by:Fred Pruitt

00:00