Meghalaya, Assam ministers to discuss border dispute

October 14th, 2009 SONAHAT - Thousands of students formed a human chain in the Sonahat region in Assam on Tuesday to demand fences along India-Bangladesh border. Insurgency-hit Assam shares a 272-kilometer long border with Bangladesh of which about 70 per cent has been fenced with barbed wire.

September 19th, 2009 GUWAHATI - The Assam government Saturday alleged that Bangladesh has encroached upon 499.79 acres of Indian land, including two tea gardens, and urged New Delhi to take up the matter with Dhaka urgently. "Our records show that Bangladesh is in illegal possession of 189.06 acres in Assam's Dhubri district while the remaining is in Karimganj district," state Revenue Minister Bhumidhar Barman told journalists.

August 19th, 2009 GUWAHATI - An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale shook India's northeast Wednesday, officials said. An official at the regional seismological centre in Shillong, capital of Meghalaya, said the tremor took place at 4.15 p.m.

August 18th, 2009 AGARTALA/SHILLONG - The chief ministers of northeastern states have asked for tightening of security along India's border with Bangladesh and Myanmar, with the boundaries being frequently misused by insurgents from the region. India should persuade Bangladesh through national and international channels to prevent terrorists from the northeast from taking shelter in that country, says Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

July 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Fencing of about 1,800 kilometers along the Indo-Bangla border has been completed under Phase-II of the project, Border Security Force (BSF) issued statement informed here on Sunday.he BSF also says that infiltration and cross border movement of militancy along porous stretch of border in Meghalaya and Assam continues to raise concerns. The statement stated that BSF had planed to complete 2,579.22 kilometer of border fencing and 1,422.45 kilometer of road construction along the border under Phase-II at a cost of Rs 4,393.67 crore by 2010.

July 11th, 2009 AGARTALA/GUWAHATI - The Tripura and Meghalaya governments have asked the Assam government to take action against the policemen who gunned down a truck driver and his assistant in Guwahati Thursday night after the truck hit their vehicle, officials said Saturday. "A personal security officer (PSO) of superintendent of police (CID) in Assam shot dead a truck driver and his assistant in Guwahati late Thursday night after the loaded truck hit the police official's car by mistake," said Tripura Director General of Police Pranay Sahaya.

June 11th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Three militants, including two ULFA cadres, were killed and another injured in two separate encounters in Assam on Thursday. According to police, the five National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militants exchanged fire at around 4:00 a.m.

May 30th, 2009 GUWAHATI/IMPHAL - There is resentment among a section of the Congress in the northeast over the poor representation from the region in the Manmohan Singh ministry. A Congress ally in Assam has also threatened to withdraw support to the Assam government over the issue.

May 23rd, 2009 GUWAHATI - Congress leaders including Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and his Manipur counterpart Okram Ibobi Singh are camping in New Delhi to lobby for more ministerial seats for the northeast in the Manmohan Singh government. In the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government there were two cabinet ministers and one minister of state from the eight northeastern states in the 87-member union council of ministers.

May 16th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Counting of votes for 24 parliamentary seats in the northeast began Saturday amid heavy security arrangements, officials said. Counting of votes began at 8 a.m.

May 13th, 2009 SHILLONG - Senior Congress leader DD Lapang was sworn in as Chief Minister of Meghalaya on Wednesday. State Governor R S Mooshahary administered the oath of office and secrecy to Lapang at Raj Bhavan.

April 16th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Voting for the first phase of elections in India's insurgency-hit northeast ended Thursday with millions of people casting their votes amid stray incidents of violence and despite the rain in some places. 'Voting has ended rather peacefully in six of the seven northeastern states with heavy polling recorded,' an election official said.

April 16th, 2009 GUWAHATI - Voting in the first phase of elections to 24 parliamentary seats from six of the seven insurgency-hit northeast states ended Thursday, with heavy polling recorded in 10 seats amid incidents of stray violence. 'Voting has ended rather peacefully in six of the seven northeastern states with heavy polling recorded,' an election official said.

March 20th, 2009 AIZWAL - In a bid to resolve the border dispute between Mizoram's Kolasib district and Assam's Hailakandi district, talks would be held in the border village of Phaisen on Friday. The Additional Superintendent of Police of Kolasib Lalthafamkima, said that a joint verification of the disputed site would be done by the Sub-Divisional Officer (Civil) of Vairengte and his Hailakandi counterpart.

March 2nd, 2009 SHILLONG - Bangladeshi frontier guards Sunday returned to their posts after a mutiny Feb 25-26 left more than 100 people dead, an Indian official said. Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) troopers were off duty from their posts along the border with India after Wednesday's mutiny in their headquarters at Dhaka.