Two top United Liberation Front of Asom leaders -- 'foreign secretary' Sasha Choudhury and 'finance secretary' Chitraban Hazarika -- were granted bail on Monday by a special TADA court paving the way for their release.
The pro-talks faction of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam led by its chairman Arabinda Rajhowa on Tuesday denied receiving any money for maintenance of its cadres and their families from the government as reported in a section of the media.
The Central government-appointed interlocutor for facilitating peace talks with the banned United Liberation Front of Assam P C Haldar, the former chief of the Intelligence Bureau, arrived in Guwahati for a three-day visit on Wednesday.
Following a meeting of the group's leaders, a spokesman of the outfit informed that it was unanimously decided in the meeting, which was attended by all the top leaders of the pro-talks faction, that no leader or cadre of the outfit get involved with the forthcoming assembly election in the state and the message has been sent to all the members of the outfit through 'proper channels'.
Interacting with a group of Assamese students studying in the national capital, ULFA 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa said the existing political setup poses a threat to Assam and its people that led to the formation of the group and its 31 years of insurgency movement.
Leaders of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom on Thursday met Home Minister P Chidambaram as they began face-to-face unconditional talks with the Centre in an attempt to usher in peace in insurgency-hit Assam.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday informed the state assembly that the arrested chairman of United Liberation Front of Asom Arabinda Rajkhowa and foreign secretary Sashadhar Choudhury had been in Bangladesh since 1990, while finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika and deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah shifted to Bangladesh on a later date.
United Liberation Front of Asom chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa on Sunday said his outfit was ready to sit for peace talks without any preconditions for an "honourable" solution to relieve the people of Assam of their suffering.
The ULFA on Wednesday said there was no immediate possibility of holding talks with the government as the atmosphere was "not conducive".
The court also said there was nothing wrong if a no-confidence motion is passed against the Tuki government, which faced a rebellion, in the state assembly when the deputy speaker was in charge of the House proceedings after removal of the speaker.
The ULFA chairman filed the bail petitions following release of five senior ULFA leaders on bail from jail in the last six months that has raised hopes for beginning of a dialogue with the outfit.
The banned Assam-based militant outfit ULFA on Wednesday rejected Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's offer for peace talks echoing their chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa's stand "no peace talks with ULFA leaders in jail".
Assam government on Monday announced that the wives and children of arrested United Liberation Front of Asom leaders chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, foreign secretary Sasadhar Choudhury were under police security and would be released soon as there was no case registered against the spouses; although they were members of the women wing of the outfit.
Taking a step forward to hold a dialogue with the Government of India, the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa has sent a letter to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi expressing his outfit's desire to hold unconditional peace talks.
ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and others have been produced before the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Guwahati amid heavy security.
The Centre is treading cautiously on holding deliberations with the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom as it does not want to repeat the 1992 experience when five leaders of the rebel group released for talks availed the opportunity to go underground.
The peace talks process with top United Liberation Front of Asom leaders has started, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Monday but ruled out that the state's sovereignty would be on the agenda. "The process for talks has started but no breakthrough achieved. However, the government is optimistic," Gogoi told reporters in Guwahati.The issue of 'sovereignity of Assam', however, would never be on the agenda for talks, he said.
The fugitive commander-in-chief of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Assam Paresh Baruah has claimed "moral victory" after the outfit's chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and military spokesman Raju Baruah said they had not surrendered and there was no possibility of talks with "colonial Indian government" if the issue of "freedom and sovereignty of Assam" is not on the agenda.
The Serb set up the breakaway PTPA on the eve of the US Open in September and resigned as head of the player council but last month he confirmed that he had been nominated by his fellow professionals for the current elections which he accepted.
The Border Security Force has handed over the two top leaders of the United Liberation Front of Assam, who were picked up from the Indo-Bangla border in Tripura, to the Assam police, which has begun interrogating them.
Opening up borders between India and countries like Bangladesh can make the North-East region the fulcrum of India's 'Look East' policy.
"We haven't surrendered and will not surrender," that is what ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and deputy commander in chief Raju Baruah shouted in response to questions thrown at them by mediapersons waiting in the court chief judicial magistrate in Guwahati on Saturday evening.
The United Liberation Front of Asom's self-styled commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, who is known to be against talks, on Saturday said he had "full confidence" in chairman Arabindo Rajkhowa and the outfit was ready for a dialogue provided "sovereignty" for Assam was discussed.
Following the arrest of the United Liberation Front of Asom chief Arabinda Rajkhowa and nine others on Friday, two senior ULFA cadres who were trained in Myanmar surrendered to the Indian Army on Saturday at Thakurbari in Tezpur in north Assam.
"We want a political solution and are ready to hold discussions but not by surrendering arms. If the Centre can hold discussions with the Naga outfits, then why not with us," ULFA Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said in a statement.
The United Liberation Front of Assam on Monday claimed it was not involved in Sunday's twin blasts in Nalbari, which claimed seven lives, and said it was carried out by forces that 'want to derail the peace process'. In a statement e-mailed to the media, ULFA chief Arabinda Rajkhowa said, "We condemn Sunday's blast in which innocent indigenous Assamese people were killed and such an act can be carried out only by enemies of Assam. Over 54 people were also injured in the blast
ULFA's fugitive chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa, stated, "We call upon the entire people of our region to boycott and prevent the celebration, in any manner, of India's Independence Day in our Region on 15 August 2008 to consolidate our solidarity in the struggle for liberation from Indian colonial occupation. On this day, a general strike shall be observed throughout the Region from 01:00 am to 6:00 pm.
The ministry of Home Affairs, in the affidavit, said Chief Minister Nabam Tuki and Speaker Nabam Rebia have been playing communal politics against the Governor, who in his reports had recommended imposition of President's Rule in the state by elaborating the sequence of events leading the Congress government becoming a minority.
A top United Liberation Front of Asom insurgent was killed on Friday in an encounter with the army in upper Assam's Tinsukia district along the Arunachal Pradesh border and ULFA accused the the pro-talk outfit for the killing.
The militant group accused RAW of deliberately linking its name to fundamentalists and communal groups to tarnish its image in front of the international community.
The ULFA chairman also criticised the government of Assam and the government in New Delhi for overlooking Nagaland's bid to encroach upon Assam territory.
Sensing the frustration gripping a section of members of People's Consultative Group (PCG) over the stalled peace process between the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and the Centre, ULFA chairman Arabina Rajkhowa said that the outfit wouldn't object to any of the PCG members leaving the group according to their wish.
The banned militant group on Saturday reacted very sharply to Asom Sahitya Sabha president Kanaksen Deka's criticism of its demand for sovereignty.
ULFA marks November 28 as protest day.
The banned militant outfit called upon sportspersons to stay away from the National Games to be held in Guwahati in February next year.
They appear to have divergent views on the outfit's demand for 'sovereignty', with some of them softening their stand on the 27-year-old 'core demand'.
In a statement e-mailed to the media, ULFA chairman Arabindo Rajkhowa assured all concerned including agencies responsible for arranging security for the cricket match as well as players that the outfit was not going to do any mischief to disrupt the match as it had 'great respect for sports and sportsmen.'
the ULFA for the first time revealed that chairman Aurobindo Rajkhowa and commander-in-chief Paresh Bara would have agreed on negotiations had the peace talk moved ahead.
The first indication came from ULFA chairman Aurobidno Rajkhowa who late Tuesday night called up media organisations from his secret location to inform that a 'positive decision regarding the reconsideration would be taken soon.
Arabinda Rajkhowa hoped that the process of political dialogue for resolving the 'Assam-India conflict', which was stalled in 2006, would be resumed and completed in the new year.
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