The Bodo & Ulfa Problem

Bhutan Bodo & Ulfa Conflict The people of Mongar support strong action against the militants

The people of Mongar are fully prepared to support military action against the militants from Assam to make them leave Bhutan before they destroy its security and well-being as a sovereign, independent nation.

Discussing the militant problem at the Eighth Plan review meeting in the dzongkhag on February 7, the people of Mongar expressed their readiness to provide direct support for any military action against the ULFA and Bodo militants whose continued presence was seriously undermining the security and the sovereignty of Bhutan. They added that all peaceful efforts made by the royal government, including the implementation of the first three steps of the four-point resolution passed by the National Assembly, had so far failed to convince the militants to leave Bhutan."More militants could enter Bhutan while we wait for them to respond to the process of dialogue initiated by the government," said Kesang Dorji of Chali geog. "It is evident that they will not leave our territory by merely asking them to do so and therefore we will have to resort to military action to make them leave our country." "They have refused to leave Bhutan despite all the peaceful initiatives taken by the royal government," said Wangchuk Dukpa, a Mongar-based civil servant. "Their presence is endangering the security of our country and it is time for the government to take firm action." He added that he would gladly risk his life for the greater cause of safeguarding the security of the country.

Pointing out that the militant problem has reached a critical stage, former Councillor, Dasho Lungten Tshering, said that if the militants refused to leave through the process of peaceful dialogue then Bhutan would be left with no other option but to resort to military action.

While military action would become inevitable if the militants continue to remain firm on not leaving Bhutan, Dasho Lungten Tshering said that Bhutan must assess whether any outside parties, such as the sympathisers of the militants in Assam, would come to the assistance of the militants if hostilities break out with them.

Briefing the people's representatives on the militant problem, the home minister, Lyonpo Thinley Gyamtsho, said that the royal government was disappointed with the outcome of the talks held with the militants up till now. They not only showed their reluctance to attend the talks but had stated that it was not possible for them to leave their camps in Bhutan until they had achieved their goal of independence of Assam. If they refused to leave Bhutan despite all the efforts made by the royal government to resolve the problem through dialogue there would be no other option left but to resort to military action, said the home minister, expressing concern that armed action against the militants would result in untold sufferings to the people as well as disruption of developmental activities in all the affected dzongkhags. Dispelling the notion that the interior dzongkhags would not be affected the home minister pointed out that some militants had already started entering the southern parts of Mongar dzongkhag. "There are also many people from Mongar and all the other dzongkhags serving in the armed forces whose lives would be at stake in the event of military action against the militants."

According to Lyonpo Thinley Gyamtsho, Bhutan was going through one of its most difficult periods in history and urged every Bhutanese to unite and provide unflinching support to His Majesty the King and the royal government in resolving the problem through whatever course of action has to be taken.

His Majesty the King explained that while Bhutan would be left with no other option but to resort to military action against the militants if all efforts to make them leave through peaceful means were to fail, armed conflict with the militants would have serious consequences such as loss of many lives and great economic hardships, which the Bhutanese people must fully understand. The militants have supporters in Assam which is India's biggest north-eastern state with a population of about 25 million. If armed conflict breaks out with the militants it will not be safe for Bhutanese people and vehicles to enter Assam.

His Majesty said that if the militants were to stay indefinitely in the country as it is not possible for them to achieve their goal of independence of Assam, it would result in more militants entering and establishing other camps in Bhutanese territory. The militants were now becoming more blatant and aggressive about their presence inside Bhutan. They were moving about more frequently in the border towns and villages, openly carrying arms and dressed in camouflage uniforms.

Contrary to the opinion expressed in some quarters that the royal government had failed to react when the presence of the militants was known in 1994, His Majesty said that sending Bhutan's security forces to evict the militants at that time would have been a serious miscalculation. At that time there were no army camps along the southern borders and the total strength of troops deployed because of the ngolop problem was only about 400 to 500 soldiers spread between Diafam and Kalikhola. The militants were well-armed, trained in guerrilla warfare and had battle experience. The royal Bhutan army with its small presence and existing weapons would have fared badly at that time if it had been used to remove the militants.

His Majesty reminded the people that since then Bhutan's security along its southern borders had been greatly strengthened. Several RBA camps had been established from Kalikhola to Daifam, the strength of the soldiers deployed in the militant affected areas had been increased and the quality of arms and ammunition had been improved.

His Majesty said that the ULFA and NDFB militants were not Bhutan's enemy but citizens of a neighbouring state of India with which the Bhutanese people have always enjoyed close and friendly relations. The problem was that they were armed militants who had illegally entered Bhutan and were refusing to leave, thereby seriously threatening its security and sovereignty. The grave security threat posed by them would only be removed with their departure from Bhutanese soil. Ultimately, the security and sovereignty of the country will depend on the mettle and dedication of its people, His Majesty said. If the Bhutanese people think alike and show unwavering Thadamtsi in the service of the Palden Drukpa even at the cost of their lives it will be possible to resolve the militant problem and safeguard the security and well-being of the country.

His Majesty informed the people of Mongar that a storage facility with a capacity of about 800 metric tonnes will be built in Mongar this year to stock essential food items which will be supplied to the people in Mongar and Kurtoe if the security situation deteriorated and prevented the movement of Bhutanese people and vehicles through Assam.

The new godown will also be used to store agriculture produces that the government will buy from the people in the two dzongkhags if they cannot sell them directly to Assam. Mongar dzongkhag imports about Nu 30 million worth of food items from Assam annually while its export of agriculture produce is about Nu 12 million. Many members of the GYTs and DYT attending the Eighth Plan review meeting felt that the progress and security of their dzongkhag and the country will be seriously affected unless the militants from Assam are made to leave the country.

Speaking with the people in Mongar Kuensel found that initially many of them had been unsure about how to resolve the militant problem. But as the security threat posed by the continued presence of the militants inside the country became more and more serious over the last few years, they realised that strong action will have to be taken to make them leave Bhutan.