SHILLONG, Dec 23: Bhutanese students have been fleeing Shillong over the last couple of days in the wake of Northeast-based ultra outfits having decided to serve a ?quit notice? on the Bhutanese nationals living in the region. Nine extremist organizations of the region, including the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), have decided to serve ?quit notice? on Bhutanese nationals residing in the Northeast faced with continued onslaught by the Royal Bhutanese Army in the Himalayan Kingdom. The ULFA, while demanding immediate cessation...

MANAS, Dec 23: Notwithstanding the broken-down infrastructure, the flow of foreign tourists to Manas Tiger Reserve is increasing day by day. Its name and fame attract tourists from various corners of the world. But now the famous attraction of the State is crying for urgent repair of its infrastructure. Almost all the infrastructure, the approach road from Barpeta Road town, the bridges along the road, forest bungalows, the internal facilities for tourists all are in a bad shape in sharp contract to the naturally endowed splendid beauty of the reserve. The Manas Tiger Reserve, in the foothills...

Jalpaiguri, Dec. 23: If Bhutan was their sanctuary, Bangladesh was the armoury ? in a manner of speaking. Indian intelligence has been saying that arms for insurgents in India?s Northeast have been coming in through Bangladesh, but the recent crackdown by Bhutan on rebel camps has again brought into focus the role of transit and landing points on the smuggling route on the soil of the eastern neighbour.

Dhaka has denied these charges. But, after Bhutan responded to persistent Indian requests to act against the northeastern militants, the pressure on Bangladesh could go up with Delhi using the...

NEW DELHI, Dec 23: It is again bad news for Assam with the Central Government drastically slashing down its demand for assistance of Rs 1,134.45 crore to Rs 70 crore for relief and restoration work in the wake of floods this year. In a written reply to a question tabled in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Swami Chinmayanand said that Government of Assam had submitted a memorandum seeking assistance for relief and restoration measures for various sectors, including infrastructure, in the wake of floods this year. The high level committee that met in October to consider the demands...

Nagaon, Dec 23: The last batch of Khasi-Pnar refugees returned to their homes in Karbi Anglong yesterday after spending over two months in Meghalaya. Over 4,000 Khasi-Pnar residents of blocks I and II of Karbi Anglong had fled their homes and taken shelter in the Jaintia Hills after being served extortion notes by the militant United People?s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), which professes to represent the Karbi community. The result was a backlash against Karbis residing in Meghalaya.

The situation, however, appears to be limping back to normality with the final batch of about 500 refugees...