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                     Vol.I, No.100 [*] March 17, 1997
                     --------------------------------

1  ULFA MILITANTS KILL LT COL, FIVE OTHERS		[AT+S:17-MAR-97]
   ---------------------------------------
   
   Suspected ULFA militants killed at  least  six  persons  and  injured
   seven others in separate ambushes in Nalbari and Sonitpur districts.
   
   In  Tezpur town, Lt Col M.L.Kalra, his PSO and his driver were killed
   and two others including the wife of the Army officer and the  priest
   of  Ganesh  Ghat  Temple  seriously  hurt  when  three suspected ULFA
   militants coming on a scooter fired inside and outside the temple  at
   around 10:30  am  on March 16.  While the Lt Col was shot dead inside
   the temple, his PSO and his driver were killed outside.   Police  has
   recovered  12  empty  and two live cartridges of 9 mm pistol from the
   spot.  The militants managed to escape after committing the crime.
   
   In  another  incident,  suspected ULFA militants ambushed the vehicle
   carrying the manager of Nagrijuli tea estate, and his wife in a place
   between Na-khat and Jangpar in Nalbari district at around 8:30 pm  on
   March 15.   The wife of the manager and two securitymen of the escort
   party of the manager travelling in another car were killed.  At least
   five other securitymen were injured in the attack.

2  ULFA CHIEF FOR CONDITIONAL TALKS			[AT:15-MAR-97]
   --------------------------------
  
   ULFA commander-in-chief Paresh Barua reiterated that talks  with  the
   Indian  Government could be held only on its conditions of discussing
   the issue of sovereignty of Assam in a third country in the  presence
   of UN observers.
   
   Talking  to  newsmen  on  March  14,  the ULFA C-in-C said that 'war'
   between Indian security forces and ULFA  cadres  was  raging  in  the
   Guabari area  on  the  Indo-Bhutan  border.    'The Indian forces are
   shelling the area heavily resulting the Bhutanese  villagers  fleeing
   their villages.    The security forces have intensified their assault
   since 11pm of March 13,' he said.
   
   Mr Barua revealed that an ULFA delegation has already reached  Geneva
   to  attend  the  UN  conference on world indigenous people, 'You will
   soon get fax copies  of  their  speeches  there  and  will  know  the
   identity of the speaker,' he said.

3  WORLD BANK TEAM CALLS ON CM				[AT:15-MAR-97]
   ---------------------------
   
   The World Bank Supervision Mission for Assam Rural Infrastructure and
   Agricultural  Services  Project  under  the  leadership  of Mr Ridley
   Nelson, Task Manager, who is currently on a visit to Assam called  on
   the  Chief  Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta at Janata Bhawan on March
   12.  They discussed ARIASP which is  already  in  various  stages  of
   implementation.
   
   The  ARIASP  covers  certain  activities  for  development  of  rural
   infrastructure  in  the  State  in  the   sectors   of   agriculture,
   irrigation, fisheries, animal husbandry, PWD and revenue.

4  NE SHOULD GET FOCUS					[UNI:14-MAR-97]
   -------------------
   
   Mr  H.K.Dua,  Media Advisor to the Prime Minister, regretted that the
   national press had failed to highligh the problem of the Northeast in
   a proper perspective leading to situation which  could  blow  up  any
   time in  the  region.  Delivering the valedictory address at the YMCA
   Mass Media Centre convocation, Shillong on  March  14,  Mr  Dua  said
   'Even  the  major  newspapers do not have full time correspondents in
   the region.  The press has  not  properly  highlighted  the  lack  of
   development in the region that has led to insurgency and militancy.'
   

5  LOC SCAM: CBI GRILLS EX-MINISTER'S KIN		[S:17-MAR-97]
   --------------------------------------
  
   The CBI interrogated one Pranjal Choudhury, brother-in-law of  former
   State  Veterinary  Minister,  Mr  Dilip Saikia Sonowal on March 16 in
   connection with the LoC scam.  Sources said that he runs and icecream
   parlour in Bombay in a house in the name  of  the  former  minister's
   wife.

6  HYBRID VARIETY OF MUSTARD SEEDS			[S:17-MAR-97]
   -------------------------------
   
   Two hybrid varieties of mustard seeds TS-36  and  TS-38  produced  by
   scientist  Dr  Durga  Prasad  Barua and his associates of Shillongoni
   Regional Agricultural Research centre, Assam Agricultural University,
   earned popularity among farmers.
   
   Using seeds of these varieties in a plot of  26  bighas  in  Morigaon
   district,  a  total  yield  of 14 to 16 quintals of mustard seeds are
   expected to be harvested per hectare while only five to  six  quintal
   of mustard seeds are harvested using local varieties, an Agricultural
   Department source disclosed.

7  FOUR ASSAMESE WOMEN HONOURED				[AT;15-MAR-97]
   ----------------------------
  
   Prime  Minister  H.D.Deve Gowda has honoured four Assamese women with
   new excellence awards in recognition of their dedicated  service  for
   welfare  of  women,  on  the occasion of International Women's Day on
   March 8 at New  Delhi.    The  awards  instituted  by  Union  Welfare
   Ministry  was presented to Ms Purnima Dutta, Ms Malika Dutta, Ms Rita
   Rao and Ms Khiroda Barua for their relentless service for  the  cause
   of women.

8  PROF BUJARBARUA TO VISIT JAPAN			[S:17-MAR-97]
   ------------------------------
  
   Eminent  plasma  scientist  Professor  Sarbeswar  Bujarbarua has been
   invited to visit Japan by Japan  Society  for  Promotion  of  Science
   under its  invitation  fellowship  program.  Prof Bujarbarua, who now
   heads the research institute, Centre of Plasma Physics, Guwahati will
   spend more than two months in Japan collaborating research work  with
   scientists  of  Kyushu  University,  Fukuoku  and  Toyama University,
   Toyama.   He  is  also  expected  to  visit  the  Tokyo  Metropolitan
   Institute of Technology at Tokyo.
   

9  G.D.BARUA ELECTED PRESIDENT OF INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS
   ------------------------------------------------------
   
   Professor  G.D.Barua  of Department of Physics, Dibrugarh University,
   has been elected as president of Indian Science Congress  Association
   (Physics Section) for the session 1997-98.

10 NEW TELEPLAY ON GUWAHATI DD				[S;15-MAR-97]
   ---------------------------
  
   A new teleplay, Pratihata Pratihinsha, based on emperor Ashok's  life
   will be  telecast by Guwahati Doordarshan from March 17.  The play is
   produced  by  Sristi,  a  socio-cultural  organization  of  Biswanath
   Chariali.   Originally  an  Oriya play by Dhiren Mallick, it has been
   translated into Assamese by Ranjan Barthakur who is also the director
   of the play.

______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________
Compiled from newspaper and agency reports for private circulation only.
      [S=Sentinel, AT=Assam Tribune, Agencies = UNI, PTI, PIB]
              http://www.cyberspace.org/~mozz/aol.html  
  http://piglet.uccs.edu/~kalita/assam/news/news-from-assam-index.html
________________________________________________________________________