Sunday 11 January 2015

PM seeks Bhutan’s help to counter Bodo militants

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi Saturday sought support from Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay to counter violence perpetrated in Assam by Bodo rebels. Government officials here said that Modi discussed the security situation in Assam with Tobgay on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat meet in Ahmedabad.

"The two PMs discussed the need for close cooperation and coordination over security related issues," said a senior government official.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj too had spoken to Tobgay after the massacre of 64 people by NDFB (S) insurgents who were reported to have taken shelter in the forests on the Assam-Bhutan border. Tobgay, sources said, assured Modi that his government would work proactively to wipe out the presence of insurgents anywhere in the country.

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NDFB is believed to have set up a few bases in the dense forest along the Indo-Bhutan border.

Indian officials have maintained that whenever security forces carry out offensives against NDFB, the cadres of the group often sneak into the Bhutanese territory making it difficult to track them down. In 2003-04, Bhutan had carried out an operation against ULFA militants and wiped out their bases from that country. The ULFA leadership had to leave Bhutan after a number of its operatives were killed by the Bhutanese Army.

Tobgay and his delegation are visiting Ahmedabad to participate in the Vibrant Gujarat meet. During his 9-day visit, he will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee and meet several Cabinet ministers. The Bhutanese PM will also visit Varanasi and Bodh Gaya.

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