Army operation enters Arunachal Pradesh

Guwahati, Jan 12 (UNI) Army used heavy duty MI-8 helicopter to ferry troops inside the jungle of Arunachal Pradesh as the operation to intercept ULFA cadres is on full swing.

Meanwhile, official sources said from Dinjan army base, the operation is in full swing and the troops have been air dropped inside the Arunachal jungle to intercept the fleeing ULFA cadres who are returning to their Myanmar base near the NSCN (K) camp.

The source however, did not inform specifics of the operation because of strategic reason. Columns of soldiers moved in trucks and on foot to look for bases operated by the United Liberation Front of Asom in Assam State, said Major General N C Marwah, the army commander leading the operations.

According to the state government, 73 people had been killed in Asom since rebel-led shooting and bombing attacks on January 5. They included 61 Hindi-speaking migrant workers, eight officials killed separately by a land mine and 4 ULFA militants killed by soldiers.

Meanwhile, peace initiator Dr Indira Goswami has relaunched a new effort for peace roping in Verappa Moily to pursuade the Prime Minister to make a fresh formal appeal so that ULFA could be persuaded to come to the negotiation table.

Addressing a news conference today, she said she had talks with Mr Moily and convinced him to impress upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to issue a fresh appeal to ULFA for talks.

''I think that will help me to convince the ULFA to come to the negotiating table. He would just have to send a fresh letter with no changes to his earlier stands,'' she said. She and Mr Moily are friends for decades.

The state government is unlikely to respond to this effort as the intelligence agencies term the effort as the ULFA's tricks to buy time.

''There will be no talk for now. Now there will be operation'' said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. More than 20,000 army, police and paramilitary soldiers have been combing the ULFA strongholds in Upper Asom.

Meanwhile, the protests by political parties have continued and it was today the turn of all political parties of the state to address separate press conferences. Some demanded special session while AGP and BJP demanded dismissal of the government.

UNI