__  
               /  \    _____ _____ ____      _    _      
              /    \  (  __/(  __/(_   \    / \  / \
             /  __  \  \  \  \  \  / __ O N L I N E \
            (__/  \__)/____)/____)(______)(__/    \__) 
                          Vol.2, No.10 [*] May 9, 1997
                          ----------------------------

1  ARMY FINDS GOING THOUGH IN MURKHANG			[S:8-MAY-97]
   -----------------------------------
   
   Although the Army, engaged in  a  pitched  battle  with  a  group  of
   Northeast militants in the Lungting area since April 25, have managed
   to kill five rebels, they are finding the going extremely though with
   the  insurgents  having  established  their positions at an extremely
   advantageous  position  on  a  hill  feature  overlooking  the  river
   Lungting.
   
   Sources with an expert knowledge of the terrain told newsmen on May 7
   that  the Isak-Muivah faction of the NSCN had set up camp at Murkhang
   on the top of steep hill where the borders of Nagaland, North  Cachar
   and Karbi  Anglong districts meet, for over a year.  They said at the
   foothills of the camps  was  a  stream  called  the  Wachidisa  which
   flowed, further  downstream  into  the  Lungting river.  The area had
   extremely dense vegetation that provided good cover while at the same
   time making the camp virtually  impenetrable  by  anyone  other  than
   those who had a good knowledge of the routes into it.
   
   The sources said the ultras fleeing their  erstwhile  sanctuaries  in
   Bangladesh  had managed to sneak into the country and to Murkhang via
   the North Cachar Hills to take refuge.   The  Naga  rebels,  however,
   were  selective  about  whom  they gave asylum to and it was only the
   cadres of the ULFA, the BLTF and the PLA of  Manipur  besides  a  few
   others that  were  being  allowed to stay.  Other outfits and lumping
   elements were being sent on their way.
   
   With additional troops being brought into the area, it now seems only
   a  matter  of  time  before  the  Army  resorts  to  an air strike to
   neutralize the ultras to put a swift end to what otherwise  forebodes
   to be a long drawn battle for Murkhang.

2  AASU ACTIVISTS STAGE DHARNA				[UNI:8-MAY-97
   ---------------------------
   
   The AASU staged a three-hour dharna at  Dispur  on  May  8  demanding
   withdrawal  of  the  Unified  Command  structure, Army and the 'black
   laws' from the State.  A large number of students, AASU activists and
   senior leaders of the organization including its president Sarbananda
   Sonowal and general secretary Samujjal Bhattacharjya took part in the
   dharna.
   

3  MASS CYCLE EXPEDITION				[AT:8-MAY-97]
   ---------------------
   
   The State-wide cycle expedition to press for withdrawal  of  'Unified
   Command'  besides  punishment  to  those  involved  in the killing of
   journalist Parag Kumar Das has taken the back seat today, informs  in
   a press release by the organization.
   

4  CBI INTERROGATES OVER 50 PERSONS AT NAGAON		[AT:8-MAY-97]
   ------------------------------------------
   
   The  CBI  team  investigating  into the LoC scam questioned more than
   fifty persons in Nagaon during the last four days  who  had  received
   bank  drafts  on  behalf of different organizations, institutions and
   associations during the period from November 1990 to April 1991.  The
   team cross-checked about seventy such drafts in the Nagaon UBI branch
   in the denominations of Rs.30,000 and  Rs.50,000  amounting  to  more
   than Rs.2.5  million.   The drafts were mostly sent from Guwahati and
   Simaluguri by persons having no particular address.  However, the CBI
   could not trace out the whereabouts of some of the beneficiaries  who
   it  is  suspected  encashed  the  drafts in bogus names to divert the
   money for election purposes.
   

5  AUSTRIAN AMBASSADOR CALLS ON CM			[S:8-MAY-97]
   --------------------------------
   
   Mr  Karl Peterlik, Ambassador of Austria in India called on the Chief
   Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta at Janata Bhawan on May 7.  This  was
   a only a courtesy call when the Ambassador is currently on a visit to
   the Northeast for the first time.
   

6  MORE FORCES FOR NORTHEAST				[UNI:8-MAY-97
   -------------------------
   
   The  Central  Government  has  sanctioned  raising  of   six   Indian
   battalions for the north-eastern States in January.  Accordingly, two
   battalions  have been sanctioned for Assam and Arunachal Pradesh each
   and one each for Manipur and Tripura,  at  a  total  cost  of  Rs.540
   million, an official report said.
   

7  STATE GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES NEW DA RATES		[S:8-MAY-97]
   ---------------------------------------
   
   The State Government announced modified dearness allowances,  on  May
   7,  to  all  state  government  employees with effect from January 1,
   1997.  According to the modified rate, the  employees  drawing  basic
   pay  up  to Rs.3,000 per month would get 112 per cent of their pay as
   DA.  Similarly, the employees drawing basic pay from Rs.3,000  up  to
   Rs.5,000  per  month  would get 84 per cent of pay as DA subject to a
   minimum of Rs.3,360 per month.  The employees drawing above  Rs.5,001
   would  get  72  per  cent of pay subject to a minimum of Rs.4,200 per
   month.
   

8  BIJOY BHAGAWATI PASSES AWAY				[S:9-MAY-97]
   ---------------------------
   
   Renowned Gandhian, freedom fighter, former Union Minister  and  trade
   union  leader  Padma  Bhushan Bijoy Chandra Bhagawati died of old-age
   ailments at his residence at Tezpur at around 12:40 pm on May 8.   He
   was 95.    Mr Bhagawati, who had been ailing for quite some time, was
   one of the last surviving doyers  of  the  freedom  struggle  in  the
   State.
   

9  NORTHEAST ROCKED					[AT:9-MAY-97]
   ----------------
   
   An earthquake of moderate intensity  measuring  5.6  on  the  richter
   scale  shook the Northeast region for a few seconds at 0825-hours IST
   on May 8. No casualty or damage to property has been reported so  far
   from  any  part  of  the  area.

10 RUNWAY RECOMMISSIONED				[PTI:7-MAY-97
   ---------------------
  
   The runway of Dibrugarh airport was recommissioned on May 7  after  a
   gap of  three  years.    An  Indian Air Force aircraft followed by an
   airbus from Calcutta landed on the runway which was reconstructed  by
   the Border Road Organization under a project called 'Project Udyak.'
  
 
11 NE FILM FEST						[UNI:7-MAY-97
   ------------
   
   A five-day Northeast film festival begins in Calcutta from May 9 with
   the  screening of noted Assamese film director Bhabendranath Saikia's
   Sarothi.  The festival will be inaugurated by Calcutta Mayor Prasanta
   Chatterjee while the function is  likely  to  be  attended  by  among
   others film directors Mr Saikia and Gautom Bora.
   

12 ST MARY'S COLLEGE DIAMOND JUBILEE			[AT:8-MAY-97]
   ---------------------------------
   
   St Marry's College, Shillong, established in 1937, will celebrate its
   diamond jubilee in October 1997.    The  celebrations  envisages  the
   participation of  all  past students of the College.  Interested past
   students may contact  Dr  A.Begum,  convener  of  the  Past  Students
   Committee at the College address by May 31.
   

13 BOOK RELEASED					[AT:8-MAY-97]
   -------------
  
   Noted  litterateur  and  journalist, Chandra Prasad Saikia released a
   social novel written by Ms Senehi Das at a function held on May 4  in
   Guwahati.   The novel has been based on life of Late Lokheswar Barua,
   noted freedom fighter  and  the  first  Speaker  of  the  independent
   Assam's Legislative Assembly.


______________________________[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://www.cs.uccs.edu/~kalita/assam/news/news-from-assam-index.html
________________________________________________________________________