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The
Bodo & Ulfa Problem |
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Bhutan Bodo & Ulfa Conflict |
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February
2001: The
people of Mongar support strong action against the militants
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The
people of Mongar are fully prepared to support military action against
the militants from Assam to make them leave Bhutan before they destroy
its security and well-being as a sovereign, independent nation.
Discussing the militant problem at the Eighth Plan review meeting in the
dzongkhag on February 7, the people of Mongar expressed their readiness
to provide direct support for any military action against the ULFA and
Bodo militants whose continued presence was seriously undermining the security
and the sovereignty of Bhutan. They added that all peaceful efforts made
by the royal government, including the implementation of the first three
steps of the four-point resolution passed by the National Assembly, had
so far failed to convince the militants to leave Bhutan."More militants
could enter Bhutan while we wait for them to respond to the process of
dialogue initiated by the government," said Kesang Dorji of Chali geog.
"It is evident that they will not leave our territory by merely asking
them to do so and therefore we will have to resort to military action to
make them leave our country." "They have refused to leave Bhutan
despite all the peaceful initiatives taken by the royal government," said
Wangchuk Dukpa, a Mongar-based civil servant. "Their presence is endangering
the security of our country and it is time for the government to take firm
action." He added that he would gladly risk his life for the greater cause
of safeguarding the security of the country.
Pointing out that the militant problem has reached a critical stage, former
Councillor, Dasho Lungten Tshering, said that if the militants refused
to leave through the process of peaceful dialogue then Bhutan would be
left with no other option but to resort to military action.
While military action would become inevitable if the militants continue
to remain firm on not leaving Bhutan, Dasho Lungten Tshering said that
Bhutan must assess whether any outside parties, such as the sympathisers
of the militants in Assam, would come to the assistance of the militants
if hostilities break out with them.
Briefing the people's representatives on the militant problem, the home
minister, Lyonpo Thinley Gyamtsho, said that the royal government was disappointed
with the outcome of the talks held with the militants up till now. They
not only showed their reluctance to attend the talks but had stated that
it was not possible for them to leave their camps in Bhutan until they
had achieved their goal of independence of Assam. If they refused to leave
Bhutan despite all the efforts made by the royal government to resolve
the problem through dialogue there would be no other option left but to
resort to military action, said the home minister, expressing concern that
armed action against the militants would result in untold sufferings to
the people as well as disruption of developmental activities in all the
affected dzongkhags. Dispelling the notion that the interior dzongkhags
would not be affected the home minister pointed out that some militants
had already started entering the southern parts of Mongar dzongkhag. "There
are also many people from Mongar and all the other dzongkhags serving in
the armed forces whose lives would be at stake in the event of military
action against the militants."
According to Lyonpo Thinley Gyamtsho, Bhutan was going through one of its
most difficult periods in history and urged every Bhutanese to unite and
provide unflinching support to His Majesty the King and the royal government
in resolving the problem through whatever course of action has to be taken.
His Majesty the King explained that while Bhutan would be left with no
other option but to resort to military action against the militants if
all efforts to make them leave through peaceful means were to fail, armed
conflict with the militants would have serious consequences such as loss
of many lives and great economic hardships, which the Bhutanese people
must fully understand. The militants have supporters in Assam which is
India's biggest north-eastern state with a population of about 25 million.
If armed conflict breaks out with the militants it will not be safe for
Bhutanese people and vehicles to enter Assam.
His Majesty said that if the militants were to stay indefinitely in the
country as it is not possible for them to achieve their goal of independence
of Assam, it would result in more militants entering and establishing other
camps in Bhutanese territory. The militants were now becoming more blatant
and aggressive about their presence inside Bhutan. They were moving about
more frequently in the border towns and villages, openly carrying arms
and dressed in camouflage uniforms.
Contrary to the opinion expressed in some quarters that the royal government
had failed to react when the presence of the militants was known in 1994,
His Majesty said that sending Bhutan's security forces to evict the militants
at that time would have been a serious miscalculation. At that time there
were no army camps along the southern borders and the total strength of
troops deployed because of the ngolop problem was only about 400 to 500
soldiers spread between Diafam and Kalikhola. The militants were well-armed,
trained in guerrilla warfare and had battle experience. The royal Bhutan
army with its small presence and existing weapons would have fared badly
at that time if it had been used to remove the militants.
His Majesty reminded the people that since then Bhutan's security along
its southern borders had been greatly strengthened. Several RBA camps had
been established from Kalikhola to Daifam, the strength of the soldiers
deployed in the militant affected areas had been increased and the quality
of arms and ammunition had been improved.
His Majesty said that the ULFA and NDFB militants were not Bhutan's enemy
but citizens of a neighbouring state of India with which the Bhutanese
people have always enjoyed close and friendly relations. The problem was
that they were armed militants who had illegally entered Bhutan and were
refusing to leave, thereby seriously threatening its security and sovereignty.
The grave security threat posed by them would only be removed with their
departure from Bhutanese soil. Ultimately, the security and sovereignty
of the country will depend on the mettle and dedication of its people,
His Majesty said. If the Bhutanese people think alike and show unwavering
Thadamtsi in the service of the Palden Drukpa even at the cost of their
lives it will be possible to resolve the militant problem and safeguard
the security and well-being of the country.
His Majesty informed the people of Mongar that a storage facility with
a capacity of about 800 metric tonnes will be built in Mongar this year
to stock essential food items which will be supplied to the people in Mongar
and Kurtoe if the security situation deteriorated and prevented the movement
of Bhutanese people and vehicles through Assam.
The new godown will also be used to store agriculture produces that the
government will buy from the people in the two dzongkhags if they cannot
sell them directly to Assam. Mongar dzongkhag imports about Nu 30 million
worth of food items from Assam annually while its export of agriculture
produce is about Nu 12 million. Many members of the GYTs and DYT attending
the Eighth Plan review meeting felt that the progress and security of their
dzongkhag and the country will be seriously affected unless the militants
from Assam are made to leave the country.
Speaking with the people in Mongar Kuensel found that initially many of
them had been unsure about how to resolve the militant problem. But as
the security threat posed by the continued presence of the militants inside
the country became more and more serious over the last few years, they
realised that strong action will have to be taken to make them leave Bhutan.
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