| |
SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 21, November 23, 2015
Data and
assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form
with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal
|
ULFA:
Major Jolt
Ajit
Kumar Singh
Research
Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
In a dramatic
development, on November 11, 2015, Bangladesh Guard Border
personnel handed over Golap Baruah alias Anup Chetia,
the ‘general secretary’ of the undivided United Liberation
Front of Asom (ULFA)
and his two prison mates — Babul Sharma and Laxmiprasad
Goswami aka Shakti Prasad who were arrested along
with him in Bangladesh in 1997 — to personnel of India’s
Border Security Force (BSF) near the Dawki border point
in the Sylhet District of Bangladesh. Chetia was brought
to the Indian capital, New Delhi, on the same day. The
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) placed him under
arrest in New Delhi a day later, in connection with a
murder incident in 1998 in Golaghat (Assam). On the same
day, a court in Delhi issued a six day transit remand
to the CBI to hold Chetia. Chetia was brought to Guwahati,
Assam, on November 18, 2015, where a special CBI court
forwarded him to a further five days in CBI custody. Chetia
has long been wanted in India to stand trial in various
cases of extortion, abduction, murder and attempt to murder.
Chetia
was first arrested in Kolkata (then Calcutta), capital
of the Indian State of West Bengal, in March 1991 for
allegedly aiding and abetting the murder of Kolkata-based
tea planter Surendra Paul and Non-Governmental Organization
(NGO) activist Sanjoy Ghosh. Later that year, he was released
by the then Assam Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia to facilitate
the first ever peace talks between the Government and
the ULFA. As the talks failed, Chetia disappeared and
took shelter in Bangladesh. On December 21, 1997, he was
arrested by Bangladeshi authorities along with his two
bodyguards from his plush apartment in North Adabar under
the Muhammedpur Police Station in Dhaka, on charges of
illegally crossing into Bangladesh, unauthorized stay
in Bangladesh, illegal possession of a satellite telephone
and illegal possession of foreign currency. He was sent
to jail. Even after completing his jail term on February
27, 2007, he continued to remain in jail till his deportation,
as a court in Bangladesh had ordered, in August 2003,
that Chetia be kept in custody until a decision was made
on an asylum plea filed by him. However, on May 13, 2013,
in a petition submitted to the Rajshahi Central Jail,
where he had been in detention, Chetia stated: “Earlier,
I wanted to stay in this country. I have changed my mind
and I have decided to live the rest of my life with my
children in my country (India).”
Chetia
is the seventh top leader from the undivided ULFA who
have been ‘deported,
or handed over to Indian authorities, from Bangladesh
so far. In November 2009, the then ‘foreign secretary’
of ULFA, Sasadhar Choudhury, and the then ‘finance secretary’
Chitraban Hazarika, had been handed over to Indian authorities
at BSF’s Gokul Nagar post, before they were brought to
Guwahati by an Assam Police team. On December 4, 2009,
the then ‘chairman’ of undivided ULFA, Arabinda Rajkhowa,
and the outfit’s then ‘deputy commander-in-chief’ Raju
Baruah, were handed over to Indian authorities at Dawki
by the then Bangladesh Rifles. ULFA ‘captain’ Antu Chaudang
and ‘second lieutenant’ Pradeep Chetia were handed over
to Indian authorities on February 5, 2011.
Chetia
was one among the six founding members of the undivided
ULFA, which was established on April 7, 1979, by Bhimakanta
Buragohain, Rajiv Rajkonwar alias Arabinda Rajkhowa,
Samiran Gogoi alias Pradip Gogoi, Bhadreshwar Gohain,
Paresh Baruah and Chetia, at the Rang Ghar in Sibsagar,
with the objective of establishing a "sovereign socialist
Assam" through armed struggle. While Rajkhowa and
Chetia were ‘deported’ from Bangladesh, Pradip Gogoi was
arrested from Kolkata on April 8, 1998. Bhimakanta Buragohain
died on December 19, 2011, of cardiac arrest after his
release from jail in December 2010. He was arrested by
the Royal Bhutan Army during Operation
All Clear which was executed against
insurgent groups operating in India’s northeast from safe
havens in the southern regions of Bhutan, between December
15, 2003, and January 3, 2004. He was subsequently handed
over to the Indian authorities in January 2004. Bhadreshwar
Gohain gave up militancy in the early 1980s and was elected
as a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the Assam
State Assembly Elections of December 1985 on an Asom Gan
Parishad (AGP) ticket. Subsequently, he went on to serve
as the Deputy Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly
between April 1, 1986, and April 10, 1990.
Thus, apart
from Paresh Baruah, all the other founding members of
undivided ULFA are no more associated with the ‘movement’.
In fact, the parent organisation vertically split into
two when, on February 5, 2011, leaders of undivided ULFA
led by 'vice-chairman' Pradip Gogoi, along with 'foreign
secretary' Sashadhar Choudhury and 'central publicity
secretary' Mithinga Daimary announced that the outfit's
general council had endorsed the resolution of the central
executive council (CEC) to sit for talks with the Central
Government without any precondition. The then ULFA 'commander-in-chief'
Paresh Baruah described the general council itself as
unconstitutional and rejected the resolution. The 'formal'
split of the group took place in August 2012, when Paresh
Baruah 'expelled' Arabinda Rajkhowa and appointed Abhijit
Barman as the outfit's 'chairman'. Thus emerged two factions
of ULFA – the Anti-Talks (ULFA-ATF) and Pro-Talks (ULFA-PTF)
factions, led by Paresh Baruah and Arabinda Rajkhowa,
respectively. The ULFA-ATF renamed itself as ULFA-Independent
(ULFA-I), following its 'central executive committee'
meeting between April 2 and 5, 2013.
Not surprisingly,
the ‘movement’ has weakened considerably. While ULFA-PTF
is now engaged in negotiations with the Government, the
Baruah led ULFA-I is struggling for survival, as is evident
from the fact that it has been forced to play second fiddle
to the Khaplang faction of the Nationalist Socialist Council
of Nagaland (NSCN-K)
in the newly formed United National Liberation Front of
Western South East Asia (UNLFWESEA). UNLFWESEA has scored
some ‘successes’ in keeping insurgency alive in the region.
On June 4, 2015, 18 Army personnel were killed and another
11 were injured when militants ambushed a convoy of 46
troopers of the 6 Dogra Regiment of the Army, at Moltuk,
near the India-Myanmar border, in the Paralong area of
the Chandel District of Manipur. The attack was attributed
to UNLFWESEA.
It is expected
that Chetia will join the peace process between the Government
and the ULFA-PTF which got underway in 2010 with ULFA
softening its demand over sovereignty. Assam Director
General of Police Khagen Sarma, who according to reports
is steering the peace talks, observed, "Chetia will
go for the peace process and that is why he had to be
brought in." ULFA-PTF ‘vice chairman’ Pradip Gogoi,
after meeting Chetia, asserted, on November 18, 2015,
“Chetia will certainly cooperate".
Chetia’s
participation is likely to have a positive impact on the
peace process. An unnamed Government source was quoted
as stating, “It would definitely be a boost to the talks
with ULFA and further weaken Baruah’s position. Whatever
little hope Baruah had of some support from his community,
Chetia being from the same community and being the original
founder of ULFA weakens Barua that much further… Chetia’s
presence and endorsement of the talks was important for
Assam.”
Assam Chief
Minister Tarun Gogoi also noted, "… He [Chetia] is
very influential and his presence will help the India-ULFA
talks see a solution. He is more influential than the
chief of ULFA anti-talks faction Paresh Barua." Moreover,
ULFA-PTF ‘foreign secretary’ Sashadhar Choudhury noted
that Chetia’s participation will legitimize the peace
process: “…if Chetia joins then the peace process will
be legitimized more than the existing one.” Choudhury
also said that it now depends on the Government if it
wants to resolve the Assam problem or not, adding, “I
do not think that the Government is trying to intentionally
delay the peace process but if it wants a quick solution,
it needs to speed up.”
On November
10, 2015, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren
Rijiju stated, “Talks with ULFA will be held after the
Diwali festival and the Centre is soon likely to wind
up talks with the pro-talks faction of the ULFA.” According
to reports, the proposed date for the next round of peace
talks between ULFA-PTF, the Centre and the Assam Government
is November 24, 2015. It is expected that the process
will be expedited in the context of this latest positive
development in the form of Chetia's’ deportation.
Significantly,
however, Baruah’s ULFA-I remains active, principally from
safe havens in Myanmar, and unless this group is brought
to the table, or neutralized, this stream of violence
in Assam will persist.
|
AP-Telangana:
Maoists' Fading Fortunes
Fakir
Mohan Pradhan
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
The Communist
Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
abducted six local leaders of the Bhadrachalam division
of Telangana State’s ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS),
including constituency in-charge Maane Ramakrishna, from
Pusuguppa, a village on the fringes of forest in Charla
mandal (block administrative unit) in Telangana’s
Khammam District, late on November 18, 2015. The TRS leaders
had reportedly gone to the village to discuss about Government’s
scheme to build two-bedroom houses in the village. A letter
issued in the name of Maoist 'spokesperson' Jagan listed
three demands – stringent action against Police officials
involved in alleged “fake encounters”, immediate halt
to combing operations in the entire tribal belt spanning
Adilabad and Khammam Districts and an end to “fake encounters”.
The Maoists warned of “serious consequences” if their
demands were not met. They also accused the TRS Government
of repressing people’s movements and pursuing “feudal
and pro-imperialist” policies.
The TRS
leaders were, however, abruptly released by the Maoists
near the Chhattisgarh border within Khammam District on
November 21, following fervent appeals by their families.
The Maoists, however, reportedly issued a renewed warning
to persons at the helm of affairs against “fake encounters”.
Earlier,
an Assistant Beat Officer of the Forest Department, identified
as Bukya Mohan, had been abducted by the Maoists from
Chennapuram village in the Charla mandal of Khammam
District late on November 9. Mohan along with his colleagues,
had gone to the village, located on the fringes of the
forest in connection with his official duties when the
incident occurred. Less than 24 hours after being whisked
away, however, he returned home safely.
Meanwhile,
in the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, Maoists
had abducted Isaac, son of a pastor, from Yetapaka on
October 31, after they failed to abduct his father Kannaiah.
Three pastors from the neighbouring villages later went
to the forest to persuade Isaac’s abductors to release
him. Rumours emerged that they were also abducted. However,
on November 12, Police disclosed that the pastors had
returned to Yetapaka along with Isaac earlier in the day.
According to the Police, Maoists freed Isaac unconditionally.
Police had attributed Isaac’s abduction to the arrest
of Eruvu Siva Reddy, CPI-Maoist 'State committee' leader,
who was arrested on October 11 from Yetapaka in the East
Godavari District.
The Maoists
had also abducted three local leaders of the Telugu Desam
Party (TDP) of G.K. Veedhi mandal from their homes
in Kothaguda village in the Visakhapatnam District of
Andhra Pradesh (AP) on October 5. TDP is the ruling party
in AP. The Maoists demanded that the Government make it
clear that it would not exploit the bauxite resources
in the Agency, and that TDP men would quit the party and
join the agitation against the proposed mining.
After some
grandstanding and a few threats, the Maoists finally handed
over abducted TDP mandal unit president Mamidi
Balayya Padal, party senior leader Vandalam Balayya and
District Committee member Mukkala Mahesh to the Girijan
Employees’ Association leaders, on October 14, after
holding a Praja court (People’s court) in an interior
forest area in Chitrakonda, Odisha. The Maoists announced
in the Praja court that the TDP men were being
released on ‘humanitarian grounds’ following appeals from
the Girijans (tribals), political parties and former
Tribal Welfare Minister M. Manikumari. The released leaders
were told strictly not associate themselves with any political
party and should involve themselves in the ongoing anti-bauxite
mining agitation with their fellow Girijans.
At the
Praja court, the Maoists had reportedly declared that
they had to resort to these abductions since the people’s
voice against the bauxite mining proposal was being stifled
and the Police had made all efforts to disrupt the meetings
organised by the YSR Congress and Left parties at Koyyru
and Darakonda respectively. Maoists also opposed the plans
of erecting more cell phone towers in the Agency and to
open petrol filling stations at Sileru, Peda Bayalu and
G.K. Veedhi. The petrol pumps were meant to provide fuel
to vehicles engaged in bauxite mining activities, the
Maoists contended.
According
to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database,
undivided Andhra Pradesh, and after its bifurcation both
AP and Telangana, had recorded very few incidents of abduction
over the past years: one each in 2005, 2006, and 2007;
eight in 2008; none in 2009; two in 2010; two in 2011;
one in 2012; none in 2013; three in 2014; and five, thus
far, in 2015. Significantly, most of the abductions were
either ‘unspecified’ or for specific reasons like allegations
of being Police informers. However, in the recent abduction
of TDP leaders in Andhra Pradesh and TRS leaders in Telangana,
the Maoists laid out specific demands before the respective
States Governments for the release of the abducted persons.
While the Maoists kept the TDP leaders hostage for seven
days and TRS leaders for two days, the hostages were released
in both cases for reasons other than the States meeting
their demands.
The Maoists
had gone ahead with the abductions, despite the 4th
Central Committee meet resolution that made it clear
that no abductions should be carried out for political
and economic demands. The Maoists resolved,
We
must not put political and economic demands when
we take up this struggle form [‘arrest of political
prisoners’, i.e., abductions]. We must not take
this up with the view of exposing the Government
politically (for propaganda). Doing so would send
wrong signals to the fighting people. Any struggle
form taken up by us should aim to mobilize the people
as much as possible. Even while getting the political
prisoners released we must primarily try to mobilize
the people and take up the struggle even while utilizing
the lawful opportunities.
|
It is interesting
to take note of the Andhra Pradesh Government’s action
in the wake of the abduction of TDP leaders. After the
release of the abducted TDP leaders on October 14, the
AP Government came out with a Government Order (GO) on
November 5, permitting bauxite mining in the Agency area
in direct contravention of the Maoist demand. As expected,
this created a furore in the area engineered by opposition
political parties, and human rights and girijan organisations.
Responding to the protests, the AP Government put the
proposed mining plan on hold on November 16. In other
words, the State has not committed itself to abandoning
the proposal for bauxite mining in the Agency area, though
it has yielded to opposition pressure to defer the project.
Not surprisingly, the Opposition is demanding the scrapping
of the GO.
Bauxite
mining in Agency area has remained a contentious issue
in Andhra Pradesh. The Maoists have been trying to exploit
the situation to their advantage by taking a strong stand
against permission to start mining. In fact, AP Director
General of Police (DGP) J V Ramudu expressed apprehensions
that the bauxite mining issue could spur Maoist efforts
to regain their lost ground in the Visakhapatnam Agency,
though he added that the Police was ready to face the
situation in such a case.
The actions
of the AP Government make it clear that the State is confident
of dealing effectively with the remaining traces of Maoist
activities in the State. In fact, the State has not lost
any Security Force (SF) personnel to the Maoists in 2015
(till November 22), as was the case in 2014 and 2013,
while the Police killed one Maoist cadre in 2015. The
Maoists have killed five civilians in this period. In
2014, the Maoists killed five civilians and suffered five
fatalities. Crucially, 112 Maoists have surrendered in
AP in 2015, till date. The State has also made 42 arrests,
including a CPI-Maoist ‘State committee’ member and ‘secretary’
of the party's Khammam District committee, Eruvu Shiva
Reddy alias Kiran (38), from the East Godavari
District, on October 11.
In Telangana
too, the Maoists are making fervent attempts to a shadow
of their earlier dominance. After a gap of a decade, the
first killing of a civilian by Maoists took place in Tiryani
mandal (Adilabad District) on October 30, reportedly
by a dalam comprising 10 to 14 armed extremists.
However, total civilian killings by the Maoists were down
at two in 2015, as of November 22. Significantly, while
the SFs have not suffered any casualties, two Maoists,
both new recruits, were killed in an encounter
on September 15, 2015. Further, a new recruit, Kodamagundla
Vivek (19) of Suryapet in Nalgonda, was killed near the
Chhattisgarh border.
The recent
spate of abductions by Maoists in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
are part of increasingly anxious efforts by the Maoists
to engineer a revival in their erstwhile areas of dominance,
but have failed abysmally, exposing and underlining their
increasing weakness.
|
Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
November 16-22,
2015
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
BANGLADESH
|
|
Islamist Terrorism
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
INDIA
|
|
Assam
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Manipur
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
5
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
0
|
6
|
6
|
Total (INDIA)
|
1
|
2
|
11
|
14
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
8
|
FATA
|
0
|
5
|
0
|
5
|
KP
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
4
|
Sindh
|
2
|
4
|
6
|
12
|
PAKISTAN
(Total)
|
|
|
|
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
|
BANGLADESH
Two
war
criminals
hanged
in
Bangladesh:
The
Government
on
November
22
executed
two
war
criminals,
former
Bangladesh
Nationalist
Party
(BNP)
standing
committee
member
Salauddin
Quader
Chowdhury
and
Jamaat-e-Islami
(JeI)
Secretary
General
Ali
Ahsan
Mohammad
Mujahid,
after
completing
all
legal
procedures,
in
line
with
the
International
Crimes
Tribunal
(ICT)
verdicts.
Chowdhury
and
Mujahid
were
the
third
and
fourth
high-profile
political
leaders
to
be
executed
for
the
crimes
against
humanity
they
had
committed
during
the
1971
Liberation
War.
The
other
two
were
JeI
leaders
Abdul
Quader
Molla
and
Muhammad
Kamaruzzaman.
Dhaka
Tribune,
November
22,
2015.
IS
warns
of
fresh
attack
in
Bangladesh:
The
Islamic
State
(IS)
has
warned
that
the
terror
group
is
preparing
for
fresh
attacks
in
Bangladesh.
In
the
latest
edition
of
its
online
propaganda
magazine
'Dabiq,'
the
extremist
groups
strategic
expansion
to
countries
like
Bangladesh
is
discussed
at
length.
The
extremist
group
dedicated
an
entire
article
titled
"The
Revival
of
Jihad
in
Bengal"
to
their
activities
in
Bangladesh
or
Bengal
as
it
refers
to
the
country.
Dhaka
Tribune,
November
21,
2015.
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed
urges
people
to
help
Government
efforts
in
eliminating
militancy
and
raising
awareness
against
the
menace:
Prime
Minister
Sheikh
Hasina
Wajed
on
November
18
urged
people
to
help
the
Government
efforts
in
eliminating
militancy
and
raising
awareness
against
the
menace.
"It's
my
fervent
call
to
you
all
that
your
support
is
needed
in
curbing
terrorism
and
militancy
as
well
as
supplement
our
anti-terrorism
and
anti-militancy
steps.
Besides,
you'll
also
have
to
help
capture
those
involved
in
terrorism
and
militant
acts,
put
them
behind
bars
and
finally
ensuring
their
due
punishment,"
she
said.
The
Daily
Star,
November
19,
2015.
INDIA
Four
women
Maoists
killed
in
Chhattisgarh:
Four
woman
cadres
of
the
Communist
Party
of
India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist)
were
killed
in
an
encounter
with
Security
Forces
(SFs)
in
Sukma
District
of
Chhattisgarh
on
November
22.
Police
recovered
four
bodies
of
uniformed
Maoists,
along
with
a
303
service
rifle
and
two
12-bore
rifles.
Police
claimed
that
Ayatu,
the
'divisional
committee
member'
of
'Darbha
division'
of
the
CPI-Maoist,
was
shot
from
close
range
and
sustained
multiple
bullet
injuries
during
the
encounter
but
managed
to
flee
leaving
behind
a
truck
load
of
camp
items
of
the
Maoists
on
the
spot.
The
Hindu,
November
23,
2015.
150
Indian
youths
under
the
scanner
for
following
IS
propaganda,
says
report:
According
to
a
report
prepared
by
the
intelligence
agencies,
nearly
150
Indian
youths,
mostly
from
South
India,
are
believed
to
be
attracted
to
the
Islamic
State
(IS)
and
sympathetic
to
the
group's
activities.
"Most
of
them
are
in
regular
contact
with
some
IS
activists
through
online.
Hence,
we
have
kept
all
them
under
surveillance
of
security
forces,"
an
unnamed
official
said.
Firstpost,
November
19,
2015.
IS
may
join
hands
with
LeT
for
terror
attacks
in
India,
says
Army
Official:
General
Officer
Commanding
(GOC)
of
Nagrota
based
16
Corps,
Lt.
Gen.
R
R
Nimbhorkar
said
on
November
19
that
Islamic
State
(IS)
might
join
hands
with
Pakistan
based
Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT)
to
carry
out
terror
attacks
in
India.
He
said
the
terrorists
have
only
one
motive-to
spread
terror
and
they
could
join
hands
to
achieve
their
goal.
Daily
Excelsior,
November
20,
2015.
India
6th
worst-hit
country
by
terror
out
of
162
countries,
according
to
Global
Terrorism
Index
2015:
According
to
the
third
edition
of
the
Global
Terrorism
Index
2015
(GTI),
India
was
ranked
6th
out
of
162
nations
most
affected
by
terrorism
in
2014.
India
witnessed
a
slight
increase
in
terror-related
deaths,
up
by
1.2
per
cent
in
2014
to
reach
a
total
of
416,
the
highest
number
of
terrorist
incidents
and
deaths
since
2010.
In
addition,
there
were
763
incidents
which
represents
a
20
per
cent
increase
from
2013.
In
India,
the
two
deadliest
Islamic
terrorist
groups
in
2014
were
Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT)
and
Hiz-bul-
Mujahideen
(HM).
Mid-day,
November
20,
2015.
David
Headley
will
testify
in
26/11
case,
according
to
his
Attorney:
David
Coleman
Headley,
the
Pakistani-American
Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT)
opeartive
serving
a
35-year
jail
term
in
the
US,
would
testify
before
a
Mumbai
court
through
video
conference
in
the
November
26,
2008
(26/11)
Mumbai
(Maharashtra)
terror
attack
case,
his
attorney
said
on
November
20.
"I
have
seen
the
reports
(about
a
Mumbai
court
asking
that
he
be
produced
via
video-conference
on
December
10).
Headley
will
comply
with
the
terms
of
his
plea
agreement,
which
is
a
public
document,"
John
T
Theis
said.
Times
of
India,
November
21,
2015.
UMHA
to
build
central
database
on
terror
funding,
says
report:
The
Union
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs
(UMHA)
decided
to
build
a
central
database
on
terror
funding
by
collating
financial
components
of
various
terror
attacks
in
India
in
the
past.
"The
process
has
begun.
More
agencies
are
being
roped
in.
It
will
take
some
time
but
creation
of
a
central
database
on
terror
funding
will
go
a
long
way
in
tackling
terrorism
in
the
country,"
said
an
unnamed
UMHA
official.
Meanwhile,
India
has
frozen
assets
worth
Euro
300,000
(over
INR
2.12
core)
of
over
three
dozen
entities
on
charges
of
terrorist
financing
and
money
laundering
of
illicit
funds,
according
to
a
report
by
Financial
Action
Task
Force
(FATF).
The
body
has
conducted
a
mid-session
review
of
various
countries
and
economic
powers
of
the
world
in
the
wake
of
the
increased
activities
of
Islamic
State
(IS)
around
the
globe.
The
Indian
Express,
November
21,
2015;
Daily
Excelsior,
November
20,
2015.
Government
of
India
decided
not
to
sign
separate
agreements
with
different
militant
outfits
of
Nagaland:
The
Government
of
India
(GoI)
decided
not
to
sign
separate
agreements
with
different
militant
outfits
of
Nagaland,
but
if
any
outfit
is
willing
to
join
the
peace
process,
they
would
be
welcome
to
do
so,
said
the
Centre's
interlocutor
for
Naga
talks,
R
N
Ravi,
who
is
also
the
chairman
of
the
Joint
Intelligence
Committee
(JIC).
Ravi
said
that
the
Government
is
for
a
comprehensive
solution
of
the
Naga
political
issues
and
it
is
of
the
view
that
signing
separate
agreements
with
different
outfits
would
only
complicate
matters.
The
Assam
Tribune,
November
23,
2015.
NEPAL
Four
persons
killed
and
many
others
injured
in
Police
firing
as
agitating
UDMF
cadres
clashed
with
Police
in
Saptari
District:
Four
persons
were
killed
and
many
others
were
injured
in
Police
firing
as
agitating
United
Madhesi
Democratic
Front
(UDMF)
cadres
clashed
with
Police
along
Bharadaha-Rupani
road
in
Saptari
District.
Three
UDMF
cadres,
identified
as
Birendra
Ram
(18),
Nageshwor
Yadav
(28)
and
Shiva
Shankar
Das,
were
killed
in
Police
firing
on
November
21,
whereas
critically
injured
local
Dilip
Sah
(30)
succumbed
to
bullet
injuries
on
November
22Six
UDMF
cadres
and
20
Police
personnel
were
also
injured
in
clashes.
The Himalayan
Times,
November
23,
2015.
PAKISTAN
Zero
tolerance
for
IS
in
Pakistan,
says
DG
ISPR
Lieutenant
General
Asim
Bajwa:
Pakistan
has
a
zero
tolerance
for
Islamic
State
(IS)
militants
-
also
known
as
Daesh
-
and
the
terrorist
group
has
no
acceptance
in
the
country,
said
Director
General
(DG)
Inter-Services
Public
Relations
(ISPR)
Lieutenant
General
Asim
Bajwa
on
November
20.
"There
is
a
zero
tolerance
for
Daesh
in
Pakistan.
Not
even
a
shadow
of
Daesh
will
be
allowed
in
Pakistan,"
the
DG
ISPR
said,
adding
that
the
Pakistani
society
has
totally
rejected
it
and
there
was
no
acceptance
of
the
terror
group
in
Pakistan.
The
News,
November
21,
2015.
SRI
LANKA
Government
delists
several
pro-LTTE
Tamil
organizations
and
individuals
proscribed
by
previous
Government:
Government
by
a
gazette
extraordinary
issued
on
November
20
delisted
several
alleged
pro-Liberation
Tigers
of
Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE)
Tamil
organizations
and
individuals
proscribed
by
the
previous
Government
in
2014.
The
previous
government
on
March
21,
2014,
had
listed
16
organizations
and
424
individuals
under
the
UN
Act
No:
45
of
1968.
The
Extraordinary
Gazette
notification
issued
by
the
Secretary
to
the
Defense
Ministry
replaces
the
previous
notification
and
bans
eight
organizations
and
155
individuals.
Colombo Page,
November
21,
2015.
The South
Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR) is a weekly service that
brings you regular data, assessments and news briefs on
terrorism, insurgencies and sub-conventional warfare, on
counter-terrorism responses and policies, as well as on
related economic, political, and social issues, in the South
Asian region.
SAIR is a project
of the Institute
for Conflict Management
and the
South
Asia Terrorism Portal.
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