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                          Vol.3, No.30  [*]  May 15, 1998
                          -------------------------------

               Don't tell me peace has broken out, when I've
                      just bought some new supplies.
                             - Bertolt Brecht
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

1  LINKS ESTABLISHED WITH SOME MILITANT OUTFITS: CM       [AT:14-MAY-98]
   ------------------------------------------------
  
   The  Assam Chief Minister P.K.Mahanta announced in the State Assembly
   on May 13 that links have been established with some militant outfits
   and the process of talks has started at various stages.  He said that
   the State Government has no objection if  the  ultras  talk  directly
   with  the Central Government for a political solution of the problem.
   He also told that  the  State  Government  cannot  talk  directly  to
   neighbouring countries like Bhutan and Bangladesh directly from where
   some of the problems originate.
   

2  DON'T INFRINGE ON ASSAM'S TERRITORY: ULFA TO NSCN(IM)   [S:15-MAY-98]
   -----------------------------------------------------
   
   The  ULFA  warned  the NSCN(I-M), of dire consequences if it tried to
   meddle with the `territorial integrity and political sovereignty'  of
   the people  of  Assam.   In a faxed statement, ULFA chairman Arabinda
   Rajkhowa said, the ULFA had for  long  been  keeping  silent  on  the
   activities  of the NSCN(I-M) in Assam's soil for the greater interest
   of the insurgency movement of the Northeast, but it had decided  that
   enough was enough after the NSCN(I-M) killed the elder brother of the
   ULFA's  finance  secretary  Chitraban  Hazarika,  Mr John Hazarika at
   Halflong on May 5.
   
   Mr  Rajkhowa  said,  the  ULFA had remained silent when the NSCN(I-M)
   committed the Merapani massacre and had been systematically  evicting
   people  from  Golaghat  district by threats and intimidation with the
   hope that it would realize its  folly  of  laying  claim  to  Assam's
   territory.  But  no more.  The NSCN(I-M) was infringing on the rights
   of the people of Assam which the  ULFA  will  resist  with  its  full
   might.

3  NALBARI AGP LEADER SHOT DEAD			          [AT:15-MAY-98]
   ----------------------------
  
   Nalbari district unit leader of the ruling AGP Mr Sarat Rajbonshi was
   shot dead by suspected ULFA militants in front of the Sankardev Sishu
   Niketan  in the Boglos Road Chowk in Nalbari district at around 12:50
   pm on  May  14.    Meanwhile,  unidentified  miscreants  kidnapped  a
   12-year-old  student  of  the  Little  Flower School Sankar Jain from
   Diphu town.  The incident occurred at around 8:30 am on May  14  when
   the student was on his way to the school.
   

4  EXTORTIONIST ARRESTED IN GUWAHATI		          [AT:14-MAY-98]
   ---------------------------------
   
   The  Chandmari  police  caught  two youths red-handed while they were
   trying to extort money from Dr Aloka  Goswami  of  Silpukhuri  around
   9:30 pm  on  May  12.    The youths have been identified as Harakanta
   Kalita alias  Haren  Bora  and  Deepak  Rajbongshi.     Besides,   an
   accomplice  of  the  duo,  Pradeep  Sharma was picked up from the Pub
   Sarania locality in Guwahati city.  The later is suspected to  be  an
   active member of the ULFA's Nalbari Lachit branch.
   

5  GOVT SUBMITS RS.1.61 BILLION PROJECT TO CENTRE	  [AT:14-MAY-98]
   ----------------------------------------------
  
   The State Government has submitted a Rs.1.61 billion project  to  the
   Central Government for development of the Guwahati city.  Replying to
   a  call  attention  notice  in the State Assembly, the Chief Minister
   admitted that the unplanned growth of the city is the main cause  for
   the waterlogging  problem.    He said that the Government is aware of
   the problems  caused  by  the  water  logging.    He  said  that  the
   Government  has  taken  up  schemes  for  construction of underground
   drains in some parts of the city but progress of construction of  the
   same has been affected due to paucity of funds.
   

6  IS GUWAHATI MUNICIPAL CORPORATION PENNY-WISE?          [AT:15-MAY-98]
   ---------------------------------------------
   
   The  newspaper  hawkers  of  Guwahati  has  threatened to boycott the
   Guwahati  Municipal  Corporation  (GMC).  The  GMC  authorities  have
   introduced  a daily levy of Rs.5 on each of the newspaper hawkers and
   another levy of Rs.10 on each of the newspaper  agents  operating  in
   the  Adabari Bus Terminus from May 14. This very `penny-wise' step of
   the GMC authorities to improve the Corporation finance will certainly
   not help the municipal body to get a respite from the  on-going  fund
   crunch,  but  it  will  rather  rob the poor hawkers off an amount of
   Rs.150 per month, said the hawkers.
   

7  COPTIS TEETA -- THE WONDER HERB OF MISHIMIS	          [AT:14-MAY-98]
   -------------------------------------------
   
   The  wonder  medicinal  herb, Coptis Teeta found in the Dibang valley
   district of Arunachal Pradesh has  a  strong  potential  to  cure  an
   unaccountable number  of  diseases.   The Mishimi tribe of the entire
   Dibang valley has been effectively using it  for  ages  in  different
   types of  fevers and backaches.  Mr Y.Lingi said, `This is a powerful
   medicinal herb which can cure many diseases including malaria,  pains
   and different types of fever.  It is specially useful in remote areas
   where there is no health unit.'
   
   According  to  a report of the Botanical Survey of India, the rhizome
   of Copis Teeta, locally known as Mishmee Teeta, contains alkaloids of
   berberine group, besides other ingredients.  It has a antifungal  and
   antibacterial properties and can cure cold, fever, tropical diarrhoea
   and inflammation of eyes.
   

8  LIVE WW-II BOMB CREATES PANIC IN KOHIMA		 [UNI:14-MAY-98]
   ---------------------------------------
  
   A bomb, dating back to the second world war and  weighing  about  250
   pounds,  created a stir in Kohima, the capital town of Nagaland after
   it was unearthed by the labourers on May 12. The local administration
   requested the Army to defuse the bomb. However,  the  Army  engineers
   expressed  their  inability  to defuse such a huge bomb and requested
   their higher-ups to send an  expert  bomb  disposal  squad  from  the
   Centre. 
   
   Meanwhile,  the  district administration along with the Army cordoned
   off an area of 50 metre radius.  They also  advised  people  residing
   within the  danger  zone  to  temporarily  vacate  their houses.  The
   police also banned plying of all vehicles in that area  fearing  that
   vibration might activate the bomb.

______________________________[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.assam.org/assam/news/index.html
________________________________________________________________________