From Our Correspondent
Imphal/ASSAM: CorCom, ULFA-I have today announced boycott of the 73rd Independence Day Celebrations of India in the entire region with a General Strike starting from 130 hours of August 15 to 1830 hours. However, essential services: flood relief works, medical, electricity, water supply, fire services, press, and religious ceremonies and practices shall remain outside the purview of the General Strike.
A joint statement issued by Co-ordination Committee (CorCom) and United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA-I) said, “By controlling the indigenous economies of the indigenous peoples the WESEA region has become a captive market. All the indigenous products of the region and their resources have been exploited and made dependent on Indian capital, and these colonised regions had been incapacitated to devise means for self-reliance.
All these cunning measures to make the WESEA people completely dependent on India under these new economic paradigms, the peoples had been made to feel that if Indian support is not there, the people cannot thrive on their own. All the precious economic resources had been looted by the Capitalist forces for their profit. To perpetuate this organised loot, more military personnel had been sent to suppress the people of these regions. At the same time, they are also developing a Comprador class of indigenous bourgeoisie to enhance these activities.”
It added, “After taking over the virgin lands of Western South East Asia (WESEA), the Indian state had been sending in hordes and hordes of non-indigenous over populous communities to swarm over the fragile indigenous population. Efforts to destroy the racial purity of the indigenous populations through wilful miscegenation practices are also encouraged.
The indigenous populations of Tripura had long been outstripped by migrants for long. Tripura’s indigenous populations had been reduced to 30 pc of the current populations even though they were a majority before.
Such conditions are now all over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland undergoing the threat of non-indigenous excess populations swarming all over WESEA.
After a long prevalence of a culture of dependence on India the WESEA is becoming forcibly a part of the Hindutva Empire.” It added,
Meanwhile, security forces in Upper Assam have scaled up its operations in the run-up to Independence Day, leading to the arrest of two active cadres of United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) at Mangaon Tekri in Tinsukia.
The operation, based on specific inputs from sources, was launched by the Army and Assam Police earlier this week
The apprehended ULFA (I) cadres have been identified as “SS Corporal” Polo Asom alias Rohit Kuli of Sadiya district and “SS Pvt” Ridip Asom alias Pranab Jyok Baruah of Dhemaji district, a statement issued here said.
Polo Asom has been active since 2011 while Ridip Asom has been active since 2019.
Two live Chinese-made hand grenades were seized from their possession.
The insurgents along with recovered grenades were handed over to police for further investigation.
The Army has stepped up security ahead of Independence Day to counter the insurgent groups from disrupting peace in Upper Assam
AR seizure
Troops of Assam Rifles and Special Narcotics department, Mizoram, apprehended two persons, including a resident of Bangladesh, with arms from Chhinga Veng, Aizawl on Wednesday.
The arrested persons have been identified as Lalhmangaiha, 24, from Lanwgtalai, Mizoram and his accomplice as Limona, 31, a resident of Bangladesh.
During the search operation, 199 live rounds of .22 ammunition were recovered.
The two persons along with the recovered ammunition have been handed over to Aizawl police for investigation.