__  
               /  \    _____ _____ ____      _    _      
              /    \  (  __/(  __/(_   \    / \  / \
             /  __  \  \  \  \  \  / __ O N L I N E \
            (__/  \__)/____)/____)(______)(__/    \__) 
                     Vol.2, No.35 [*]  August 1, 1997
                     --------------------------------

         The attempt to silence a man is the greatest honour you
           can bestow on him. It means that you recognize his 
                superiority to yourself.  - Joseph Sobran
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  EC'S NO TO AASU ON ELECTORAL ROLLS REVISION	        [PTI:30-JUL-97]
   -------------------------------------------
   
   Election  Commission  on  July  29 asserted the guidelines issued for
   intensive  revision  of  electoral  rolls  in  Assam  were   strictly
   according  to  Constitution,  Laws of the land and in consonance with
   Supreme  Court  judgements,  reacting  to  media  reports  indicating
   possible  opposition  by  the AASU which had launched an agitation in
   Assam in 1979 on the foreign nationals issue.  He said the commission
   could not go outside these  parameters  and  had  taken  nearly  nine
   months  to  prepare the guidelines for the intensive revision to make
   them fool proof.
   
   AASU viewed the EC directive to include the  Indian-born  descendents
   of  the  post-1971  illegal  migrants  as citizens for the purpose of
   preparing the electoral rolls in the  State  as  negating  the  basic
   objective of the Assam Accord to keep the 'illegal immigrants' out of
   the electoral rolls.
   
   Meanwhile,  a  delegation  of  AGP,  comprising  Animal Husbandry and
   Veterinary Minister Surendra Nath Medhi, Rural  Development  Minister
   Sahidul  Alam  Chowdhury  and party vice president Durgadas Boro left
   for New Delhi on July 30 where they will join  party  MPs  and  Union
   Minister  Birendra  Prasad Baishya and call on the CEC to demand that
   the guidelines for the rolls revision be amended.   Mr  Baishya  will
   lead the delegation.
   

2  AVARD-NE LEAVE ASSAM ON ULFA TERMS		          [S:31-JUL-97]
   ----------------------------------
   
   Eight  volunteers of AVARD-NE boarded a New Delhi bound flight at the
   Borjhar Airport bringing to an end their year-long tenure of  service
   in the voluntary sector on Majuli.  Although the ULFA had not set any
   deadline  for  the  AVARD-NE  pullout  of  the State, its volunteers,
   realizing the futility of prolonging a stay they would have to  bring
   to  an  end,  anyway,  chose  to  pack up and leave almost overnight.
   There  are  just  about  two  AVARD-NE  workers  who  were  from  the
   northeast.
   
   Amid  conflicting  reports and speculation that Sanjoy Ghose had been
   executed following a trial by a 'people's court' somewhere  in  Upper
   Assam,  ULFA  chief  Paresh  Barua is understood to have also assured
   Sanjoy's aunt, and India's permanent representative to  the  UNO,  Ms
   Arundhati Ghose, that her nephew was alive and well and that he would
   be released  soon.    Sanjoy  was  abducted  on July 4 by the ULFA on
   suspicion of being a RAW agent.
   
   Significantly, although Sanjoy set foot on Majuli towards the  latter
   part  of  1996, the Army had already combed the island earlier in the
   year following reports that it had been venue of a ULFA meet.
   
   Interestingly,  one  of the conditions laid down for Sanjoy's release
   is that henceforth, all NGOs would have to seek  permission  of  ULFA
   before starting  work  in  Assam.    Since  the  ULFA does not have a
   forwarding  address  to  which  to  send  applications  seeking  such
   'permission'  this all but spells the end of work in voluntary sector
   in the State, leaving the rebel outfit to  monopolize  on  the  Robin
   Hood image it enjoyed before the AVRAD-NE came to work in Assam.

3  TEA GARDEN MANAGER ABDUCTED BY BLT		         [AT:30-JUL-97]
   ----------------------------------
   
   The manager of Maneka Tea Estate in Nalbari district was abducted  by
   suspected  Bodoland Liberation Tigers (BLT) militants on July 29 from
   near the garden situated under Daranga Mela police outpost.   Sources
   said that three motorcycle-bourne armed militants stopped the manager
   and  the  adviser  when  they  were  coming out of the garden after a
   regular inspection and abducted them on  motorcycles.    After  being
   chased  by  the  police,  the militants left the adviser and took the
   manager towards Bhutan.
   

4  NDFB's FUND RAISING NOTICE TO TEs		          [S:29-JUL-97]
   ---------------------------------
   
   As part of its stepped up activities the National Democratic Front of
   Boroland  (NDFB)  has  embarked on a fund raising drive by slapping a
   hactare-basis levy  on  tea  gardens  in  the  Bodo-dominated  areas.
   Issuing  letters  to  a  number  of tea garden managers, the Bodoland
   Liberation Army (BLA), war cell  of  the  NDFB,  has  asked  them  to
   'donate' to the coffers of the Bodoland.
   
   The letters which are signed by a mystical Sergeant DB,  the  Section
   (B) Commander  of  the BLA, say:  We would like to notify you as your
   Tea Estate is situated in Boroland, that sir, you are  to  donate  to
   the  Boroland  treasury  of the NDFB Government a sum of Rs.2,500 per
   hectare, failing which you may be liable to punishment  according  to
   the people's Revolutionary Court of Boroland.  Once again, requesting
   you to cooperate.
   

5  BANDHS ILLEGAL, SAYS KERALA HC			[PTI:28-JUL-97]
   ------------------------------
   
   In a landmark judgement, a full bench of Kerala High  Court  declared
   that calling and enforcing of bandhs was illegal and unconstitutional
   and   that  the  organizers  were  liable  to  compensate  the  State
   Government and the private citizen for the loss suffered by them.
   

6  INTER-STATE RAILWAY TRACK			          [S:30-JUL-97]
   -------------------------
   
   The  Union  Defence Ministry has given its clearance to the more than
   500-km-long inter-State railway track to be laid in  the  NE  region.
   The  track  will run along the Indo-Bangladesh border, touching Assam
   and Meghalaya.  Troubled at the  growing  opposition  to  some  other
   railway  projects  to  be  laid  in  the  Garo Hills, Meghalaya Chief
   Minister Salseng C Marak said that the  inter-State  railway  project
   will  be  a  boon  to  the  region  as the rural economy of Assam and
   Meghalaya will get a boost.   The  railway  line  will  originate  at
   Pancharatna in Goalpara district.
   

7  RECORD PRICE FOR ORTHODOX TEA			  [S:31-JUL-97]
   -----------------------------
   
   An  attractive  line  of  Orthodox  STGFOP  produced by Rangchali Tea
   Estate of Bemolapur Tea Company was sold by Eastern Tea  Brokers  Pvt
   Ltd, at a record price of Rs.800 per kg in Guwahati Auction Centre on
   July 30.    This  was  the  highest  price realized in the history of
   Guwahati  Tea  Auction  centre   since   its   inception   in   1970.
   Traditionally,  orthodox  teas  are sold outside Guwahati centre. 
   

8  DOCUMENTARY FILMS ON EMINENT ARTISTS		          [S:30-JUL-97]
   ------------------------------------
   
   The  students  of Academy of Visual Art, Guwahati are making a series
   of documentary films on the living eminent artists of  Assam.    Each
   documentary  will cover the creative life of the artists, discussions
   on  their  works  by  eminent  art  critics,   poets   and   literary
   personalities like Dr Birendra Kumar Bhattacharjya, Naba Kanta Barua,
   Nilomoni  Phukan,  Dr  Biren  Dutta,  Hiren Bhattacharjya and others.
   Each film will be of 30-minute duration shot under the able  guidance
   of artist-cum-filmmaker Gauri Barman.
   

9  CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY INVITES DR RC DAS		 [AT:31-JUL-97]
   --------------------------------------
   
   The School of Education, University of Cambridge has  invited  Dr  RC
   Das, former Director of Public Instruction and a reputed educationist
   of  the  State,  to  visit  their  Department for a discussion on the
   philosophy of Pragya, his book on peace-education, which has received
   high appreciation and special admiration from the  Secretary  General
   of  UNO,  the  UNESCO,  Nobel  laureate  Mother Teresa, South African
   President Dr Nelson Mandela, the Human Education Centre, UK.
   
   The UNESCO regional headquarter at Bangkok has also informed  Dr  Das
   that  many  countries  of  Asia  and  the  Pacific  Region have shown
   interest in the idea and theme of Pragya -- A quest for  world  peace
   through education.    Pragya  presents  a  unique system of education
   through the process of value oriented education.
   

10 ROC AWARD FOR ANJAN NATH			         [AT:31-JUL-97]
   ------------------------
   
   Dr Anjan K Nath was recently awarded  the  ROC  (Republic  of  China)
   Premier's  Medal for excellence in teaching and continued service and
   contribution for the cause of education  in  the  Republic  of  China
   (Taiwan).   Dr  Nath  teaches  English language and literature at the
   Tunghai University.  An avid homeopath, Dr Nath  is  also  pioneering
   the  teaching  and  propagation  of  homeopathic  medicine  in Taiwan
   through the auspices of the Department of Acupuncture, China  Medical
   College.   Dr  Nath  is  the  youngest son of late RM Nath, the noted
   engineer, philosopher, historian and antiquarian of Assam.

11 FAVOURITE ASSAM BOYS RETAIN TITLE		         [AT:30-JUL-97]
   ---------------------------------
   
   Favourite Assam successfully defended their title defeating Punjab in
   the final (42-34) of the boys section of the XXIV Sub-junior National
   Basketball Championship which concluded at the Nehru Stadium complex,
   Guwahati on  July  29.  In the girls section, Madhya Pradesh retained
   their crown defeating Punjab  by  40-33  points,  while  hosts  Assam
   remained content with third position.
   

12 APOL TO SPONSOR SWIMMER ELVIS ALI		           [S:1-AUG-97]
   ---------------------------------
   
   The  reigning  junior  national champion, Elvis Ali Hazarika has been
   awarded a two-year sponsorship by  the  Assam  Polyester  Cooperative
   Society Limited  (APOL),  starting  from  August  1997.   A cheque of
   Rs.2,000, the first monthly installment of the sponsorship money, was
   given to him by the chairman of the APOL on July 31 at Guwahati.
   
   It may be mentioned that Elvis bagged five golds, two silvers and was
   adjudged  the  individual  champion  of the recently concluded junior
   aquatic national championship in his group.  He  also  won  a  silver
   medal in  the  National  Games at Pune.  Elvis will be taking part in
   the Asia-Pacific meet in Taiwan to be held from August 24.

______________________________[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
________________________________________________________________________