New Delhi, April 5: The Meghalaya government has begun preparing a policy to turn the state into a favoured tourist destination and to open up new avenues for employment and income-generation.

Meghalaya tourism minister and former chief minister, F.A. Khonglam, said the policy was necessitated by the “lack of response” in the sector “despite the state’s tremendous potential”.

“It is surprising that the previous governments did not think of formulating a policy that would clearly spell out the thrust areas in this sector. Now that the exercise has begun, we expect it to be completed before...

Agartala, April 5: The dissident faction of the National Liberation Front of Tripura, led by Nayanbasi Jamatya, is continuing its low-key offensive though speculation is rife that its militants might soon surrender to the security forces.

A group of militants of the Nayanbasi faction last night abducted a Tripura State Rifles (TSR) jawan from Tufaniamura area under Takarjala police station of Bishalgarh subdivision.

Despite combing operations by police and the TSR, the hostage remained untraced. A tribal civilian, suspected of involvement in the abduction, was arrested by police.

Police...

IMPHAL, April 4 – Formed three years ago with an objective to bring all the Kuki underground outfits operating in this border and volatile state into one common platform, the United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) has once again appealed to all kuki groups to come forward to achieve its common goal. “Our main motto is Kilungkhat Galjo in our local tongue which signifies re-unification among the Kuki outfits under one common agenda” says S S Haokip, Commander in-Chief of the UKLF.

There are around five Kuki underground outfits in Manipur even though the Kuki population is comparatively lesser...

TURA, April 1 — Unscientific mining continues in the rich coal belt area of Nangalbibra in South Garo Hills despite Tuesday’s tragic event in which seven coal miners died inside a rat hole while digging for coal. These rat holes have sprung up in virtually every hill in Nangalbibra. Each hole is spacious enough to squeeze in one person at a time only. The miners were digging deep inside a mountain at Rongsa Awe, one of the richest coal belt areas of Garo Hills, when they accidentally dug into the walls of a abandoned mine shaft that was filled with water. Heavy water rushed into their hole and...

Silchar/Guwahati, April 4: The army was called out in North Cachar Hills district of Assam and asked to be on standby in nearby Cachar as the orgy of ethnic violence continued to torment tribal-inhabited villages and the body count mounted.

Alarmed by the worst ethnic flare-up in the state since the Bodo-Adivasi clashes in Lower Assam, the Assembly decided to send a peace mission to the affected areas tomorrow. Speaker Prithibi Majhi will lead the delegation.

Police officials in Silchar said panic-stricken Dimasas lynched a Kuki tribesman, mistaking him for a Hmar, in Diongmukh village of...