IMPHAL, July 19: A high powered central team led by former Union Home Secretary NN Vohra today reviewed the situation in Manipur with high ranking state officials in the context of escalation in insurgent activities. The nine-member Central 'task force on internal security' discussed the situation in the state with Chief Minister W Nipamacha Singh soon after arriving in Imphal this morning by a special plane. The discussion covered issues related to law and order, the threat posed by the activities of the underground groups to India's internal security and help extended to the UGs by foreign...

IMPHAL, July 19: The United National Liberation Front, UNLF, has once again sought the forgiveness of the families of the victims of its mistaken ambush on a Tata Sumo passengers on June 25 in which ten people were killed. In a press released by the central Committee of the organisation, the UNLF said as much as it is an incident which the bereaved families will find difficult to forget, it will also leave a scar that will not easily heal on the UNLF. Explaining the circumstances that led to the unfortunate attack, the UNLF said it had laid an ambush on the vehicle mistakenly identifying it as...

GUWAHATI, July 19: The recent spate of violence in the Karbi Anglong district of Assam during the past three days has once again exposed the explosive law and order situation prevailing in the two hill districts. At least 60 persons have lost their lives in the districts since April. And while in the first few incidents, the victims were either Nepalis or Biharis, the situation has drastically changed during the past two days with the Karbi tribals now becoming target of retaliatory attacks. The latest reports of violence have come from Serapathar village under Kheroni police station, where at...

NEW DELHI, July 19: The Army is slowly readying for a major operation to dislodge the ULFA insurgents from their camps in Bhutan now that the kingdom's Parliament is speaking about forcing them out. Sources said the operation has to be "well thought out as it will be difficult to surprise the insurgents". More important, it will have to be a joint operation along with the Royal Bhutanese Army. "Patience is the key. We have to remember this is an operation in another country. A botched operation will be a major embarrassment," an official said. The terrain and the defensive positions of the...

KOHIMA, July 19: To break the stalemate over the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, the much awaited meeting of the Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CFMG) with the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM) was held in a cordial atmosphere in Dimapur yesterday, reports UNI. The meeting has decided to open a ceasefire monitoring cell of the NSCN(IM) near Dimapur, official sources said today. CFMG chairman PD Shenoy, representatives of the Nagaland government, officials of the security forces and the leaders of the NSCN(IM) took part in the meeting which was described as vital for peace...