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                         Vol.4, No.31 [*] June 4, 1999
                         -----------------------------

                    Peace is not only better than war,
                       but infinitely more arduous.
                          - George Bernard Shaw
   -------------------------------------------------------------------

1  CHINA BUILDING BORDER ROAD NEAR ARUNACHAL PRADESH      [S:4-JUN-99]
   -------------------------------------------------
   SOMEWHERE ON  THE INDO-TIBETAN BORDER:  Chinese authorities is busy
   building a new road along the border, beyond the McMahon Line,  the
   much-disputed  original  international  border,  which  the Chinese
   refuse to recognize.  Survey by the Indian Army revealed that there
   has been no violation of the Line  of  Actual  Control  which  runs
   along the Zimithang and Lungrula sectors.
   
   For the last one year or so, China has been engaged in massive rock
   blasting  and hill cutting for the construction of the crucial road
   link to its forward combat forces along the  Thagla  Ridge  from  a
   camp  called  Gordon to Broken Heart camp near the Zimithang sector
   of Arunachal Pradesh.   Chinese  authorities  confirmed  to  Indian
   officials  over  the hotline that construction of the frontier road
   was in progress.  Senior Indian Army  officials  believe  that  the
   construction is of civilian nature.
   
   However,  on  completion of the road, mobility of Chinese forces on
   the Tibetan border with India will be greatly enhanced.    It  will
   also  ensure  uninterrupted  supply  to  all  forward points of the
   Chinese Army.  Indian Army sources said that the road may run right
   up to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, believed to be
   the main storage station of heavy artillery and missiles  including
   Intercontinental  Ballistic  Missiles of long and medium range, and
   also of advanced Chinese fighter aircraft.
   
   The Indian Army is closely watching whether the Chinese  intend  to
   link the road to the already existing Lhasa-Tawang (India) highway,
   which  was  built  by  the  Chinese to link India directly with the
   Tibetan   capital   after   the   Chinese   aggression   of   1962.
   Interestingly,  the  highway  reduces the road distance to Lhasa to
   508 km and Beijing to 4,306 km.  The highway, on  the  Indian  side
   now ends at a frontier post followed by `no man's land'.
   
2  HINDI-SPEAKING PEOPLES' BODY FORMED AT BARAK VALLEY    [S:2-JUN-99]
   ---------------------------------------------------
   SILCHAR:   Around  837,000  Hindi-speaking populace of Barak Valley
   which includes 200,000 tea workers  have  been  brought  under  the
   banner  of  Barak  Valley Cha Janajati Hindi Bhasi Samiti for their
   socioeconomic and political betterment.
   
   President of the newly-floated platform, Bishwanath  Upadhyay,  the
   veteran  octogenarian  Indian National Trade Union Congress leader,
   told newsmen at Silchar that the decision to form the committee was
   taken  unanimously  by  the  representatives  of  trade  unions  of
   Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Asom Gana Parishad.
   
   Justifying the need of such organization, Upadhyay said,  `The  tea
   workers  of  this  valley  have  been  neglected by different trade
   unions who  always  worked  hands-in-glove  with  the  management.'
   Otherwise,  he posed the question, `why can't the Plantation Labour
   Act, 1972 be implemented yet?' He pointed  out  that  the  benefits
   under the Act are not meant for the 35 per cent non-tea-workers who
   live within the tea belts.
   
3  SHAMBHU OJHA TO APPEAR BEFORE CBI                      [S:2-JUN-99]
   ---------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:   Responding  to  the  Central  bureau of Investigation's
   (CBI) ultimatum to former State  Transport  Minister  Sheo  Shambhu
   Ojha   to   appear   before   the  apex  investigating  agency  for
   interrogation into the Abhishek Verma abduction case, Mr  Ojha  has
   expressed  his willingness to appear at the CBI office at New Delhi
   on June 16.
   
   The  CBI  is  investigating  the mysterious abduction of the school
   student from Kendriya Vidyalaya, Khanapara in Guwahati on March  8,
   1995.   Mr  Ojha  who  was  earlier grilled by the CBI sleuths, was
   evading the CBI since January this year after the  agency  informed
   him that he would be interrogated with a lie detector next time.

4  FORMER CONGRESS MLA THREATENS EDUCATION OFFICER        [S:2-JUN-99]
   -----------------------------------------------
   GUWAHATI:  Former Congress  MLA,  Padmeswar  Doley  threatened  the
   deputy  director of Elementary Education, Ms Helena Begum with dire
   consequences for her refusal to comply with his  orders.    Tension
   and utter chaos prevailed at the Elementary Education at Kahilipara
   in Guwahati  following  the  incident on June 1. 
   
   Sources said that when Ms Begum refused  to  provide  the  list  of
   junior  basic  training of teachers, the Congress leader shouted at
   her with filthy language and threatened her of her life.  Ms  Begum
   is contemplating to move the State Women Commission seeking justice
   to this unruly behaviour of the former MLA, sources added.
   
5  INTER-STATE BUS STAND OPENED AT JORHAT                 [S:2-JUN-99]
   --------------------------------------
   JORHAT:  The  Inter-State  bus  stand  constructed  by  the  Jorhat
   Development Authority at Bahatiyagaon was inaugurated by the  State
   Power  Minister  Hitendranath Goswami on June 1. The bus stand will
   also be simultaneously used as the private bus stand,  solving  the
   town's traffic problem to some extent.
   
______________________________[Mozz-BG]_________________________________
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