Bhutan can seek India's help to evict ultras: Mahanta

GUWAHATI, JULY 10.The Assam Chief Minister, Mr. Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, today expressed the hope that Bhutan would take early action, in the wake of the July 4 resolution passed by its National Assembly, favouring military action for evicting ULFA and NDFB militants from the country's territory.

However, if Bhutan found it difficult to launch Army operations on its own, it should not hesitate to take help from the Indian Army, Mr. Mahantha told reporters here. He urged the Centre to discuss with Bhutan the possibility of launching joint military operations. Senior officials from Delhi had already visited Bangladesh and Myanmar to impress on their Governments the need for throwing out the Indian militants. The Myanmarese Army had forced the Naga rebels to cross over to India and they took shelter along Nagaland and Arunachal's borders with Myanmar.

Mr. Mahanta did not think that top ULFA leaders living abroad were interested in peace talks as they were prisoners in the hands of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. ``The ball is in their court. Unless they express their willingness to talk, there can be no question of discontinuing the anti-insurgency operations.''

A 10-page account, compiled from a Bhutanese weekly and purporting to be a report on the National Assembly proceedings was released at the press meeting.The Home Minister, Mr. Lyonpo Thinley Gyamtsho, said he had held two rounds of talks with the ULFA.

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