Mr Syiem from Nongpoh was unanimously elected Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) leader by 16 Congress MDCs at a meeting convened by MPCC president OL Nongtdu at the residence of Chief Minister DD Lapang here on Thursday.

Congress being the single largest party with 19 MDCs in a 30-member House, Mr Shylla's resignation both as CPP leader and as KHADC CEM remains only a formality, which he is certain to do after a debate on the motion at the special session.

According to sources, the Congress MDCs had earlier written to House chairman Martamlin Pyrbot, seeking holding of a special session in view of Mr Syiem's election as the new CPP leader.

Congress has cited financial mismanagement by Mr Shylla as the primary reason for his removal from the post of CPP leader. Mr Shylla's recent allegation that Union Tribal Affairs Minister PR Kyndiah's son Waibha Kyndiah is not a Khasi or tribal is believed to have made Congress replace him with Mr Syiem as CPP leader.

After Thursday's CPP meeting, Mr Nongtdu told scribes that Mr Shylla had failed to give the Council an account of the expenditures made in construction of the Wahkaji-Mawthabah Road.

He also alleged that Mr Shylla had handed over tax collection under various Council departments, including Professional Tax and Trading, to private companies.

"Mr Shylla had taken the decisions to hand over tax collection to private parties without taking his Executive Committee into confidence,"

the MPCC chief said. He, however, said Mr Shylla still remained a Congressman.

SHILLONG: A day after he was removed as Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) leader, an unfazed KHADC chief HS Shylla on Friday announced his decision to take on

Congress nominee Waibha K Kyndiah from Nongkrem constituency in the March-3 elections, while alleging that MPCC president OL Nongtdu and Chief Minister DD Lapang had hatched a conspiracy to chuck him out of the post of Council CEM.

Talking to reporters here, Mr Shylla termed Congress "a sinking ship" and said he was rather happy with the latest Congress move against him.

"The decision of the Congress Party to remove me from my post is nothing strange. However, I am happy with the decision as it will pave the way for me to contest the Assembly elections from Nongkrem seat as an Independent candidate," Mr Shylla said.

He also rejected as "lame excuses" the allegations raised by 16 Congress MDCs that he had misused his position on the issue of UCIL funding for construction of Wahkaji-Mawthabah road and also in recent outsourcing of labour and licences and professional tax collection to private parties.

"I know how Mr Nongtdu and Mr Lapang are working against me. Mr Lapang is scared of people in the party who, he thinks, are a threat to him. He wants to remain the only giant in front of dwarfs," Mr Shylla said.

He also accused Union Tribal Affairs Minister PR Kyndiah of playing a major role in the campaign to topple him.

The KHADC chief claimed that he got several telephone calls from AICC leader Major (Retd.) Ved Prakash offering him the post of working president if he decided not to contest the coming Assembly polls from Nongkrem constituency.

"I have also been asked by Mr Nongtdu to step down gracefully from the post of CEM, but I told him to wait till February 5 when the Deputy Commissioner's Court gives its ruling in the case regarding Waibha Kyndiah's tribal status," Mr Shylla said, adding he had already made up his mind not to join the fray on Congress ticket from Nongkrem seat.

Stating that the Executive Members of KHADC should resign before moving the no-confidence motion against him, he claimed that several Congress MDCs had questioned the move to elect Cleophas B Syiem as CPP leader or the new CEM since he and Mr Lapang belonged to the same constituency.

The meeting was attended by a team of State Election Commission officials, deputy commissioners of all the seven districts, sub-divisional officers (SDOs) and assistant returning officers.

The Election Commission officials were led by Deputy Election Commissioner R Bhattacharya.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) P Naik said the meeting focused on giving training to polling officials on matters like filing of nominations and measures to be followed during polling day and counting of votes.

According to the CEO, Central Election officials were happy with the preparations for the Assembly polls in Meghalaya.

Meghalaya has as many as 1,582 polling stations. Though there was a demand from public for more polling stations, the Election Commission did not consider that. Each polling station will be manned by three polling officers and a presiding officer.

TURA: Former Deputy Speaker of Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Projend D Sangma was killed in a road accident at Bijoynagar in Kamrup district of Assam early Friday morning.

Mr Sangma, 50, was heading towards Shillong from Kharkutta in his Mahindra Bolero when the driver failed to notice a truck that was parked on the side of the road due to thick fog and rammed straight into it. Sangma was killed on the spot.

Two other persons in the vehicle, Rupnath Boro and SD Shira, were critically injured in the accident. They have been shifted to Gauhati Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Post mortem of the body of Sangma was done in the hospital before being handed over to the family.

PD Sangma had previously been an MLA from Rongrenggiri constituency before he was defeated in the 1998 Assembly elections by present MLA Mrs Deborah C Marak.

This time he applied for a Congress ticket from Kharkutta constituency which the latter denied.

Then he decided to contest as an Independent and expected to give present Congress MLA ED Marak a strong fight.

Incidentally, late Sangma's wife is also contesting as an Independent candidate from his earlier constituency of Rongrenggiri.

During his tenure as an MLA from Rongrenggiri, he was very vocal in the Assembly raising several important matters pertaining to the development of Garo Hills and the State as a whole.

After his defeat, he took up law and became a successful lawyer in the High Court.

The candidates nominated to contest from the three constituencies are Nit Shabong from Sohiong and Manosha Wajri from Sohryngkham, both from East Khasi Hills district while Atilson Sangma will contest from Dalamgiri (Garo Hills).

Earlier, in the first list, the party released 20 candidates.

With the released of the final list, the total number of BJP candidates to contest in the coming election stands at 23.

In a separate meeting, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) kicked off its campaign for the Assembly election from Malki-Nongthymmai constituency at a meeting held at Pdengshnong here.

BJP state leaders including AL Hek along with BJP candidate from Malki-Nongthymmai Basil Lamin, lashed out at the Congress Government at the Centre for the corrupt practices of its members and insensitivity towards the condition of the poor while trumpeting the BJP's concern for the down-trodden.

Attacking the Congress-led Government at the Centre for its inability to control price rise, the State BJP leaders stated that "the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) during its tenure between 1998-2004 at the Centre, under the leadership of the BJP, the prices of the essential commodities were at the reach of each and everyone.

In a setback to the Congress party at Pynthorumkhrah constituency, more than 20 party workers resigned from the Congress primary membership to join the NCP on Friday.

Prominent among the party workers were the Pynthorumkhrah Block Congress Committee (PBCC) joint secretary Brison Roy Nongspung and Mahila PBCC vice president I Kharmutee.

Meanwhile, NCP Pynthorumkhrah Block has elected its new office bearers at a meeting held recently. Sisir Shahoo was elected as president, Shankar Thapa, Bibiana Umdor, Bobby Blah and Bansynshar as vice presidents, Mitcheal Marbaniang as general secretary among other members.

According to the police, Mohammed, who was driving the car at high speed, lost control of it leading to the incident.

The victim was admitted to Woodland Hospital, Shillong.

In a statement issued here on Friday, Mawphlang SRS president S Lyngdoh called upon the political parties and the candidates contesting from Nongspung constituency to request their party workers and supporters to refrain from committing nuisance in any of the localities at Mawphlang especially during the night hours.

"I would also like to urge the candidates to avoid holding of public meetings and election campaign during late hours," Mr Lyngdoh.

Among those who spoke on the occasion included the Home Guards Commandant Samson Suting, Assistant Professor, MATI Mrs D Kharkongor, chief instructor, Central Training Institute Rapbor Roy Thangkhiew.

Similar trainings would be launched in different parts of the State. The training was intended to make people aware to self-protection in times of emergency such as occurrence of earthquake, fire incidents.

The resource persons, in their speech, exhorted the trainees to assist wholeheartedly the people who are in need of emergency help whenever any unwarranted situation happens.

Given the Thai history of bloodless military coups and the country’s quick return to the civilian rule over the years, it was hardly a surprise that Thailand would return so soon to the democratic process to elect a government and its military would ungrudgingly go back to the barracks to its true tradition. However, what surprised every one, including the military bosses, this time was the return of the ‘condemned’ -- the thumping victory of the business tycoon-turned politician, Thaksin Shinawatra’s People Power Party (PPP) along with its allies in the recent Parliamentary election, despite the massive corruption charges against the Thai telecom tsar that led to the military coup in 2006 and the banishment of the businessman-politician from the country.

The question which is on almost everyone’s lips here is: What will be the relationship between the military bosses and the government now that PPP has returned to power with a big majority? Will the coup leaders lose their jobs? Or, how long will the military stay out of politics to allow the six-party PPP coalition to run the government? When will Thaksin Shinawatra return to Thailand? What happens to him if and when he does? Thaksin’s wife is already in Bangkok declaring herself ‘innocent’ in a corruption case against her in the high court.

Thai intelligentsia, businessmen, educationists and journalists seem to be clearly divided into two blocks – pro-Thaksin and anti-Thaksin – although the general public seems to be the least concerned about the government and governance as long as they continue to enjoy their lifestyle and there is no serious attack on business and economic freedom, consumerism and the institutionalised corruption. The only demand made on the PPP-led government by leading Thai businessmen and economists, the opinion leaders, is that the Finance Ministry be run by an economist. In case that is not possible, the non-economist finance minister be guided by an advisory body of top Thai economists and financial wizards.

The new government’s immediate problem may be to find a way to tackle the growing tension in the southern part of the state bordering Malaysia over racial discrimination against the minority Muslims. However, the rest of the country does not perceive this as a threat to the government or the nation since nearly 90 per cent of Thailand’s population are Buddhists. While the latter are against violence and bloodshed, it is for the police and the military to tackle political dissents of any sort, they feel. Normally, the state security agencies are quite ruthless in dealing with dissent.

The Thai society is an amazing example of how so many contradictory traits can co-exist so peacefully -- an active monarchy, a grass-root multi-party democracy without student participation, Buddhism and consumerism, modern golf courses and shanty towns. The monarchy is the holiest of the institutions in Thailand. One can criticise the monarchy and its interference in Thai politics only by volunteering to spend at least 15 years in jail. It is enshrined in the Thai constitution. The Thai military enjoys a special relationship with the Palace. And, this could hardly be to the comfort of an elected government which tries to do something different or non-traditional in the eyes of Thai conservatives.

If Bangkok provides a picture of a new heaven of consumerism in South-East Asia showing off its high living, western fashion, foreign cars, mega malls, great eateries, huge golf courses, booming sex tourism, flourishing road-side massage parlours, the country side carries a totally different picture where over 70 per cent of Thailand’s population of 65 million live in poverty on agriculture, fishing and farming. Yet, there is no social friction or unrest. No one complains. The huge rural population has little complaints against the rich and the corrupt. In fact, they are very fond of the rich. That explains Thaksin’s immense popularity with the poor in the northern Thai provinces.

Several top PPP leaders are facing charges of rigging the election and buying votes. The cases are pending before the Election Commission. PPP’s political critics are the upper middle-class urbanites from Bangkok and the Democratic Party, which is strong in the south. In general, Thais are extremely simple people and easy targets of corrupt politicians, businessmen and bureaucracy. Interestingly, Thai students are known for their general dislike for politics and street protests. The neighbouring People’s Republic of China has failed to export communism to Thailand, a United States stronghold since the Vietnam War, although it exerts a strong ideological influence over the entire Indo-China region comprising Laos, Kampuchea (Cambodia) and Vietnam. However, this has not impacted the large flow into Thailand of Chinese capital, technology and products which are increasingly dominating the Thai industry, business, infrastructure projects and market in competition with traditional Asian rivals from Japan and South Korea.

Ironically, India’s presence in the cosmopolitan Thai life is the least visible thing except for the hundreds of tailoring shops run by the Sikh community all over Bangkok and other tourist centres, offering to stitch and deliver after trials three-piece suits to tourists in less than half a day for less than US $ 100 for the combo.

India’s much-touted ‘Look-East’ policy is yet to have a visible impact on Thailand, which now runs a bilateral trade of over $ 2.5 billion annually with India. Although the two-way trade has grown substantially over the last five years, it is still very small compared with India’s total trade with the ASEAN family, of which Thailand is a prominent member. India’s trade with the ASEAN block is expected to top the $ 30-billion mark in 2007-08. The composition of India’s exports to Thailand has changed little over the years. They mostly comprise gems and jewellery, primary and semi-finished iron and steel, non-ferrous metals and oil meals.

On the contrary, Thailand’s exports to India are mainly manufactured items such as electronics goods, machinery and artificial resins. As early as the 1970s, several Indian companies – medium and large-sized – had set up enterprises in Thailand. The prominent among them were the Aditya Birla group, Ballarpur Industries and Usha Martin. The tempo soon died down because of the Indian government’s restrictive policies on Indian investments abroad. Although those policies have lately changed following the massive foreign direct investment flow into India in the last five years, Indian businessmen do not appear to be any longer keen to invest in smaller economies in the Asia-Pacific region in competition with China, Japan, Korea and Singapore. Conversely, India is seen as a good investment destination by Thai enterprises. Thailand ranks as the third largest investor in India among ASEAN countries, after Singapore and Malaysia. Many Chinese, Japanese and Korean companies in Thailand are leading the pack of so-called Thai investors into India for business strategy reasons.

Unfortunately, neither the Indian government nor its diplomatic mission in Bangkok seems to be truly interested in projecting the country and its business and cultural interests in Thailand through strong visible programmes and sustained campaigns as done by the other big countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The Thai media rarely projects India in a good light. The only news a visitor gets to read about India in Thai newspapers these days is the bird flu sweeping several parts of the country. Thais are not even generally aware of India’s recent economic growth trends and the sensational rise of its key stock indices – Sensex and Nifty. The Thai media’s reporting of Asian stocks is conspicuous by the absence of a mention of either the Bombay or the National Stock Exchange. It is restricted to the markets in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo and Wellington. (IPA Service).

The six BJP-ruled States have begun preparations for the 10 Assembly polls and next year’s General Election. Reinvent and repackage was the sum and substance of the Party’s National Executive conclave held last week in Delhi. On the anvil was a resurgent Hindutva jazzed up with a heavy dose of development and welfare schemes. All modeled on Brand Modi, the success story scripted by the Gujarat Chief Minister in the recent Assembly polls. Along with a macho response to terrorism, a robust foreign policy and forward-looking economic programmes. It is attempting to position itself as a middle class and aam aadmi friendly Party. Both crippled by the soaring-price levels, high-cost education, sky-scraping cost of health care and high-cost housing.

Accusing the UPA of jeopardising national security by viewing it through the prism of vote-bank politics, the Saffron Sangh buttressed its concern by reeling of figures of the terrorists spreading their tentacles from J& K to the North East, UP, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and even Kerala. In fact, J&K recorded only 1,092 terrorism-related incidents and 271 deaths compared to the North-East which had 1,316 incidents and 501 deaths in 2007. Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were the two States worst hit by Left-wing extremist violence in 2007, together accounting for 68.16% of the incidents and 76.42% of the killings. Moreover, while admitting that there were several states where neither its coalition partners nor it had a presence it called for the need to broadbase the NDA.

The Congress too is not lagging behind in poll preparedness. After minority appeasement it’s the turn to reach out to the Dalits, specially in UP. The Gandhi scion and General Secretary Rahul Gandhi led the reconciliation efforts by making an unscheduled night stop, eating and sleeping in the house of a Dalit villager in Jawaharpur in his constituency, Amethi last week. The outreach effort is significant as the UP Chief Minister, BSP supremo and Dalit icon Mayawati, has emerged as a strong rival for the community’s votes in several States where the Congress is in power. In the recent Gujarat polls not a few Congress candidates lost thanks to the BSP eating into its vote share. Recall, since Independence the Muslims and the Scheduled Caste and Tribes comprising an 18% vote share have been the raison d atre for the Party lording over the country for over 45 years. Will it strike rich?

Arunachal Pradesh is all set to get a security makeover. The appointment of former Army Chief J.J. Singh as the State Governor stands testimony to New Delhi’s intentions of tackling the insurgency problem as well as growing activities across the border by the Chinese in all seriousness. The Prime Minister too has just returned from a long overdue two-day visit to the strife-torn State. Especially against the background of increasing actions by the Chinese across the border. Reportedly, Beijing has built roads, rail link and a township along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Also, the Chinese have made plain their intention that they consider Arunachal as part of their country. Only a fortnight back, the Congress MP from the State had accused the Chinese army of destroying a Buddhist statue in the Tawang region. The Congress has mooted the idea to immediately create the North-East Indian Border Regiment with local youths to tackle insurgency in the sensitive region which has become a safe haven for anti-terrorist elements.

The corruption travails of the Ghulam Nabi Azad Government in Jammu & Kashmir continue. Barely had the unseemly controversy over the resignation of Education Minister and PCC chief Peerzada M Sayeed died, that the State has been rocked by another scandal. The National Conference has now demanded the scalp of two PDP ‘tainted’ Ministers Qazi Afzal and Tariq Hamid Karra, in the forest scam. With the State slated to go to polls later this year, the Chief Minister finds himself squeezed between a rock and a hard place. If Azad refuses to relent, the NC will not let the House function. If he accepts their demand, he will have to prove corruption charges against the PDP duo, something that the B R Kundal panel report on forests has not done. And if he sacks them, he will make his Government fall. After hitting the Congress in the belly over Sayeed, the NC is now keen to see that the PDP does not survive unscathed as it has emerged as an alternative to the NC. It remains to be seen who will have the last laugh!

If nothing else, the 100-crore kidney scandal in Gurgaon has made the Union Health Ministry sit up and rethink its organ transplant policy. Gurgaon has hit the headlines for over a week following the unearthing of the kidney racket in which about 600 poor labourers were made victims by Dr Santosh Raut alias Dr. Amit Kumar, who is on the run. The doctor largely catered mainly to the rich and foreigners, who paid Rs 18-25 lakh per kidney, whereas the donor may have got Rs 50,000. This is so because while 1.5 lakh patients need kidney transplant every year and only 3,500 manage to get it. Not only has the Health Ministry been forced to re-look its Transplantation of Human Organs Act, whereby only near relatives can donate kidneys, but it has started thinking of incentives for organ donations, such as free education and health insurance.

The Chhattisgarh government of Dr. Raman Singh can no longer sit pretty to a glaring threat of extremism. Its territory is being used as training ground for Maoists cadres, with Bastar being the new haven. According to intelligence reports, the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) is running four camps in the jungles of Bijapur and Dantewada districts and Abujhmarh forests. At any given time about 1,500-2,000 cadres from various States are being trained for carrying out attacks and handling sophisticated arms and explosives. In all 186 districts in the country are affected by Maoist violence and 39 per cent of all such incidents are reported from Chhattisgarh. The extremists, it may be recalled carried out one of the worst attack in the State last March, killing 55 policemen in a camp.

It was a historic moment. But only a few hundreds chose to witness it. Sixty years after the Mahatma’s assassination, the last consignment of his ashes were immersed in the sea off South Mumbai on Wednesday. The journey started at Gamdevi’s Mani Bhavan with a morning prayer and then the urn containing the ashes was taken in a mini truck to Chowpatty, where the Gandhi family led by Nilamben Parikh, great granddaughter, carried out the final ritual. Unfortunately, the meager gathering of common people at the beach, which witnesses mammoth crowds during festivals, is yet another pointer to the disturbing fact that the father of the nation is forgotten. Can Munna Bhai please do something? ---INFA

Sir,

The approach road to the Khlieh Iewduh Parking Lot is in shambles. The said road is full of potholes making vehicles screech while passing through it. The condition of this road is really pathetic and it urgently needs repair especially before the onslaught of monsoon.

Neither the military authority nor the State Government is doing anything in this regard. The road and the Parking Lot are both used by the people from all parts of the state for trade and commerce. I fear that if this road is not repaired at the earliest, road mishaps might take place any moment. I request and invite the authority concerned to spare its valuable time and take a ride down the road to experience what the people of the State are going through.

I would also like to take this opportunity to request the MUDA to maintain cleanliness, and provide water supply and lighting in the Parking Lot. This has been brought to the notice of MUDA several times, but it has only fallen on deaf ears. Again I would like to request the MUDA to maintain cleanliness in the entire Parking Lot, which is full of filth and dirt as no sweeper is engaged by MUDA to clean the area on a daily basis. It is the very parking area where goods are being loaded and unloaded. Lighting has also not been done till date which makes this area a perfect hub for all forms of anti-social elements. May I request the MUDA to make time for inspection of this area.

Yours etc.,
Jenniefer Dkhar
Shillong -4.
Via e-mail

"We have been asked by the Central Health Ministry to undertake precautionary culling of birds in villages falling within five kilometres of Assam's border with West Bengal," according to senior officials in the Health Ministry on Friday

"The culling would be undertaken within a protective ring which will be formed upto 5 km of the places which have been affected by the deadly virus,"

The move follows a high-level meeting held on Thursday between officials of the neighbouring states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam as well as the Union Agriculture Ministry and the Health Ministry.

Officials said while there was no outbreak in these areas, the move was part of the preventive steps being taken by the Government.

There are an estimated 100 villages within the five-kilometre radius in Assam's Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts.

"There could be an estimated 80,000 poultry in the area where we have been advised to carry out culling," an official of the State Health department said.

The Assam government has already alerted rapid response teams in the two districts and the culling of birds is expected to begin on Saturday.

"There are lots of formalities to be done and by Friday evening or early Saturday we are expecting some equipment from New Delhi for the culling process," the official said.

A birdflu scare in neighbouring Manipur following reported death of migratory birds has prompted the authorities in Meghalaya to step up vigil across the State to monitor the movement of birds.

"We have fanned out special teams to different places, specially poultry markets and places visited by migratory birds to monitor the situation and check whether there has been any death of avians," Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Director, D Khonglah said today.

Street plays were also being organized by the veterinary and health departments to sensitize the people.

The test results of the blood samples sent to Bhopal from the state were expected to come in a couple of days, the Director said seeking to pacify the panic created after NEHU researhers came out with a prediction of a 'massive outbreak' of birdflu in various areas of the North East. (Agencies)

The Supreme Court dismissed the petitions filed by legislators opposed to BJP-backed Democratic Alliance of Nagaland challenging Assembly Speaker's order barring three independent members from voting and declaring nine votes as invalid during the recent no-confidence motion.

A bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, however, declined to interfere with the decision of the Speaker saying that election has been announced in the State and it was not expressing anything on the merits of the case.

The Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) had won the controversial no-confidence motion on December 13 last after Speaker Kiyanilie Peseyie barred three independents from taking part in voting and held that the votes of nine dissident NPF members were invalid. The Nagaland People's Front was part of the DAN Government.

Senior advocate Abhishekh Singhvi, appearing for the 12 MLAs, had alleged that the decision of the Speaker was illegal, arbitrary and unconstitutional and it should be quashed. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had survived the no-confidence motion with a tally of 23-19 votes in the 60-member House.

However, after the floor test, the Centre on January 3 had imposed President's rule in the State.

Nagaland goes to Assembly election on March 5.

The imposition of President's Rule in the State has been challenged in the Gauhati High Court, which had issued a notice to the Centre on January 9. Some NPF legislator and outgoing Parliamentary Secretary Yitachu had filed a petition on behalf of Democratic Alliance of Nagaland.

The Congress legislators paraded 31 of their MLAs in front of the President and had demanded formation of an alternative Government after dismissal of Rio. The Centre, after dithering for some time, imposed President' rule keeping the Assembly under suspended animation but elections were soon declared for the hill state.

New Delhi: An Assam militant outfit, Dima Halam Daogoh (DHD), has made a fresh demand for an early settlement of its demand for a separate state.

DHD leader Dilip Nunisa, who met Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil here on Thursday, has renewed the demand for 'Dimaraj' statehood carved out of North Cachar Hills and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam and Dimapur in district in Nagaland.

The DHD wants that the pace of talks with the outfit should be increased to ensure early settlement of its demand.

DHD, with which the ceasefire has been extended till June 30 this year, has presence in areas of Cachar, North Cachar Hills, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon district of Assam and in parts of Dimapur district in Nagaland.

The Home Ministry had announced extension of Suspension of Operations (SOO) between the security forces and the DHD on December 31 for six months after a tripartite meeting among the representatives of the Centre, Assam Government and the militant outfit.

The truce is in operation since January one, 2003. (PTI)

Agartala: At least 43 electoral photo identity cards (EPICs) were snatched by militants from Gobindabari and Dalapatipara, two remote villages of Dhalai districts in Tripura.

According to an official source, a group of suspected Bru National Council of Tripura (BNCT) cadres led by Rupmohan Tripura, who assembled in Sachindra Roaja Para on Wednesday, snatched away 18 EPICs from the villagers, according to a delayed report.

In another incident, a group of armed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) cadres snatched 25 voters' card from Dalaparti Para of the same district.

In this regard, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) GSG Ayyaangar informed reporters here that he had sought a detailed report of the matter.

Left parties, it may be recalled, had also briefed the Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami about possibilities of such activities by militants while he was on a visit to the State recently. (NNN)

Agartala: The Forward Bloc, which had recently quit the ruling Left Front over seat arrangements for the February 23 Tripura Assembly election, today announced names of its candidates to fight against the CPI-M, putting a seal on its differences with the dominant partner.

The party said it has forged an alliance with the CPI-ML (Liberation Group) and would not pit its candidates against those of the CPI and RSP in the election.

"We want a real Left Front to emerge in order to fight the present Left Front which has deviated from ideology and would like to unite left forces against the CPI-M," the secretary of the Forward Bloc (Tripura), Shyamal Roy, told reporters.

Roy said the party had fielded 15 candidates against CPI-M candidates in different constituencies.

The FB had quit the Left Front on January 25 after its demand to contest three seats was turned down by the CPI-M. (PTI)

After holding a series of discussions with senior government officials and representatives of political parties here, Commission members directed the administration to take all measures to ensure that cadre of underground organisations confine themselves to designated camps, not interfere and intimidate voters during elections.

Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy told reporters that the Commission's main concern was the practice of proxy voting and asked the administration to check it at any cost. (PTI)

Guwahati: Arunachal Pradesh government has requested Central government to provide fund for modernisation of its police force to tackle the growing threat from insurgents operating in the State.

In a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh during the latter's maiden visit to Itanagar on Thursday, the Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu requested the Central Government to raise the annual Central grant for modernisation of police forces in Arunachal Pradesh.

The hill state receives Rs nine crore as Central grant per year for police modernisation in the current annual Central grant for police modernisation. The State Government has requested the Prime Minister to make it Rs 20 crore per year to facilitate faster modernisation of the force that is facing growing challenge from insurgents and anti-social elements.

The State Government pointed out that there was serious threat from insurgents in Tirap and Changlang districts and the State's areas located along the border with Assam. Besides presence of insurgents belonging to Naga rebel groups in Tirap and Changlang districts, militants from the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) have set up shelters inside forest areas of Arunachal Pradesh bordering Assam. The ULFA ultras also use this area of the hill state as a route to reach their camps in Myanmar.

Of late, Indian Army engaged in fighting insurgents in Assam has been maintaining constant vigil along the thickly forested areas along Assam-Arunachal Pradesh boundary to check movement of ULFA militants. Arunachal Pradesh police has extended cooperation in this regard. Arunachal Pradesh government further requested the visiting Prime Minister to take steps towards opening border trade points in the State along the border with China, Myanmar and Bhutan.

The State Government had earlier proposed for setting up of border trade points along the Chinese border at Bumla, Mechika and Tasking another trade point at Bleting along the border with Bhutan.