[Assam] “…sovereignty of the country cannot be compromised under any circumstances,” says Jaiswal. Neither Assam can let India kill off Sovereign Assam. Look at the International scenario India, stolen Sovereignties going to the rightful owners.

[Bartta Bistar]

*Govt open to talks with Ulfa*
Web posted at: 1/8/2007 1:31:31
Source ::: IANS

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=India&month=January2007&file=World_News2007010813131.xml

Tinsukia (Assam) • The government yesterday offered to hold peace talks with
the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa), the rebel group blamed
for a wave of attacks that killed 48 Hindi-speaking people in Assam this
week.

"The Ulfa should shun the path of violence and come forward to resolve their
demands through negotiations with the government. Our doors for peace talks
are open for the Ulfa and all other militant groups in the country,"
Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal told reporters here.

"The militants can resolve their demands through talks, but issues like
sovereignty of the country cannot be compromised under any circumstances,"
he added.

The minister made the offer of talks at the end of a daylong visit to the
state to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation after the Ulfa
killed migrant workers in at least a dozen separate raids for two straight
days beginning on Friday in eastern Assam.

"The killings are nothing but acts of desperation," the minister said.

The minister announced that it would rush additional paramilitary soldiers
to to fight separatists .

"The Central government will send adequate reinforcement of paramilitary
forces immediately to tackle the situation and ensure security of common
people in Assam," said Jaiswal, who is on a daylong visit to the state for
an on-the-spot assessment following the killings.

He hinted at a joint offensive against the outlawed United Liberation Front
of Asom (Ulfa) by security forces of both Assam and adjoining Arunachal
Pradesh where the outfit has set up bases to carry out their hit-and-run
guerrilla strikes.

Jaiswal, accompanied by a team of top Home Ministry officials, arrived by a
special flight in the eastern town of Dibrugarh and headed for the small
industrial township of Doomdooma to visit family members of some of the
victims of one of the massacres. "We shall do our best to ensure security
for the common people and assure to send additional paramilitary
reinforcements," the minister said at the meet.He hinted at a joint
offensive against the Ulfa by security forces of both Assam and adjoining
Arunachal Pradesh where the outfit has set up bases to carry out hit-and-run
guerrilla strikes.

"The Home Minister talked about a joint security offensive involving both
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh to flush out the Ulfa. It is a fact that the
militants sneak back to their bases in Arunachal when there are offensives
in Assam," said an army commander who wished not to be identified. The Assam
government had sought 78 paramilitary companies (about 7,800 troopers) from
New Delhi for effective anti-insurgency operations.

Earlier, Jaiswal, accompanied by a team of top home ministry officials,
arrived in Dibrugarh by a special flight and headed for the small industrial
township Doomdooma to visit family members and injured victims of one of the
massacres.

Meanwhile, streets in eastern Assam wore a deserted look with an indefinite
curfew and shoot-on-sight orders issued late Saturday. "We shall review the
situation to see if we can relax curfew for a few hours to enable people to
stock up on essentials," an official said. There were no overnight reports
of violence and the situation was gradually limping back to normal, a police
spokesman said.

"Security forces have fanned out across the region with the army, police,
and paramilitary troopers engaged in a systematic anti-insurgency
offensive," Hazarika said.

Authorities in eastern Assam have formed several peace committees involving
leaders of all communities to instil confidence among the Hindi-speaking
minority in the area.

"These peace committees are working as vigilantes and helping the affected
people to come to terms with reality and trying to heal the wounds," a
senior police official said.

Most of the victims were from the eastern state of Bihar who had made Assam
their home for decades and were doing odd jobs as brick kiln workers,
fishing and as daily wage earners.Most of the victims were from the eastern
state of Bihar who had made Assam their home for decades and were doing odd
jobs as brick kiln workers, fishing, and as daily wage earners.

In 2000, Ulfa militants killed at least 100 Hindi-speaking people in Assam
in a series of well-planned attacks after the rebel group vowed to free the
state of all 'non-Assamese migrant workers'. The Ulfa is yet to claim
responsibility for the recent attacks.

Meanwhile, three ministers from Bihar visited violence-torn eastern Assam
and appealed to the Hindi-speaking community to exercise restraint.
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