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NSCN-Centre cease-fire extended for another year

          New Delhi: The ceasefire between Central security forces and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang faction) was extended for another year today to bring peace to Nagaland. The decision was taken after a meeting here between an NSCN (K) delegation and senior Home Ministry officials on April 23. The cease-fire enters its fourth consecutive year. The Centre is already involved in a dialogue process with the NSCN (Isak-Muivah) group. The next round of the talks with the NSCN (I-M) will he held after the formation of the new government. The NSCN (K) was formed on April 30, 1988, consequent to an assassination attempt on Thuingaleng Muivah, the General Secretary of what emerged as the rival outfit NSCN (I-M). Its primary objective is the establishment of a Greater Nagaland, comprising Nagaland and Naga-dominated areas of neighbouring states and contiguous areas in Myanmar.

Tripura insurgents hold peace talks with Governor (Go To Top)

          Agartala: A faction of a prominent insurgent group fighting Indian rule in Tripura on Wednesday held peace talks with the state governor. Leaders of Nayan Basi Jamatia faction of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) met Dayanand Sahay as a part of the ongoing peace process. Sahay said the talks were positive. "I am sure that it is going to bring about peace and prosperity for the whole of the state which it had been suffering so long," Sahay told reporters in state capital Agartala. Both Nayan Basi Jamatia and Montu Koloi, two factional leaders of the NLFT, had earlier this month, met Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani in New Delhi for the first time to seek a solution to their problems. Jamatia, chief of Nayan Basi faction, hoped a solution to their problems is possible wthout secession. Jamatia and Koloi command 250 to 300 cadres of the rebellious group.

          The NLFT has been one of the main insurgent groups of Tripura. It was formed in 1989 and ever since has been responsible for a large number of violent incidents and killings. Tripura, plagued by insurgency for two decades, shares an 870- kilometre long border with neighbouring Bangladesh, accused of sheltering militant groups active in India's north-east. The group, along with dozens of other separatists are fighting for either autonomy or independence in India's heavily forested and hilly north-eastern region where many political movements are linked to tribal feuds or ethnic fights.

Doctors accused in Bilkis case surrender in Ahmedabad (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The two absconding doctors in the Bilkis Yakub gangrape-cum-massacre case, who were chargesheeted by the CBI, have surrendered before a court in Ahmedabad, CBI soucrecs said here today. The duo, Dr Arun Kumar and his wife Dr Sangeeta Prasad, surrendered before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Ahemdabad last evening, who remanded them to judicial custody till April 30. The CBI had filed a chargesheet on April 19 against 20 persons including the two doctors. The agency had alleged that the medics had "not performed properly" the post-mortem examination of the victims killed in mob fury in village Panivela near Ahmedabad. The court while sending the two doctors to judicial remand directed the Investigating Officer of the CBI to remain present on April 30 when their remand expires, sources said, adding the agency would try to seek their custodial remand then. Meanwhile, a three-member Central team, led by joint director of Intelligence Bureau Yashowardhan Azad, is currently on a visit to Gujarat to "ascertain the level of security" being provided to the witnesses of post-Godhra riot cases, as per the directions of the Supreme Court. The team, which also includes top rank officials from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) landed in Ahmedabad last night and today visited three "worst affected" areas during violence, including Naroda Patiya and Gulbarg society in city, according to official sources.

India, Germany formalise extradition treaty (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: India and Germany on Wednesday exchanged instruments of ratification of an extradition treaty signed nearly three years ago. The documents were exchanged by German ambassador to India, Heinor Richter and J.S. Sharma, Secretary in Indian External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi. Under the treaty, any person wanted in his country of origin for a criminal offence, other than political in nature, liable to imprisonment of one year or more, can be extradited by the other country. The treaty was signed on June 27, 2001 in Berlin during Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani's visit to Germany.

          India has been on an extradition treaty signing spree with countries across the globe as it struggles to bring to book several wanted people, some economic offenders while most others part of mafia gangs, accused of hienous crimes including the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blasts. In recent years, New Delhi has been able to extradite gangsters from the UAE including Aftab Ansari, Iqbal Hasan Kaskar and Ejaz Patha, and other wanted men from the United States. However, it has failed to extradite Abu Salem and his girlfriend Monica Bedi from Portugal in the absence of an extradition treaty, despite giving Lisbon an assurance that the accused would not be given capital punishment. India has submitted arch rival Pakistan a list of 20 wanted men including New Delhi's most wanted, mafia don Dawood Ibrahim. Islamabad, which does not have an extradition treaty with New Delhi, denies the presence of anyone among the list, on Pakistani soil. Besides, New Delhi wants the Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger rebel chief V. Prabhakaran in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 but Colombo says Prabhakaran is elusive, though the LTTE chief addressed a rare news conference last year in a fortified and secret location.

Pakistan to cut Army strength (Go To Top)

          Islamabad: In a move that would help the country save millions of dollars, Pakistan has decided to reduce its half-a-million-strong Army by 50,000 troops this year, a step that would also improve its "teeth to tail" ratio and combat efficiency. A decision to that effect was taken at a two-day meeting here of top Generals, chaired by President Pervez Musharraf, who is also the Chief of the Army. "The restructuring plan envisages the Army to be lean but lethal and hard hitting. It will improve the teeth to tail ratio, in which tail is being reduced by about 50,000 men to allow sizeable savings in funds," a defence statement issued last night said. All top brass of the Pakistan army from Major Generals and above took part in the meeting at the Army headquarters at Rawalpindi.

Former Lanka rebel party takes up top Cabinet posts (Go To Top)

          Colombo: From Marxist insurgents to the seat of power, Sri Lanka's People's Liberation Front (JVP) completed its return to the political mainstream on Wednesday when it took four posts in the island's new Cabinet. But its new-found strength could be a roadblock to President Chandrika Kumaratunga's bid to restart peace talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels to end 20 years of civil war. A hardline Sinhalese nationalist party, the JVP was one of the most vocal critics of the former government's peace efforts. The party-which tied up with Kumaratunga's United People's Freedom Alliance ahead of April 2 elections-boosted its seats from 16 to 40 in the 225-seat parliament, moving from fringe party to political force. But it opposes any devolution of power to the rebels, who have been fighting for a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, raising fears the party's influence could derail the peace process.

70 dead in Thailand after police-extremist clashes (Go To Top)

          Bangkok: Over 70 people were reported killed on Wednesday morning after suspected Islamic militants clashed with police in the Muslim-dominated southern Thai provinces of Yala and Pattani. Reports reaching here quoted senior police officials as saying that groups of 20 youths dressed in black and armed with guns, swords and machetes carried out the attacks on several police stations at dawn. Police in Pattani blamed attacks on three outposts on "bandits". Pattani police chief Major General Paitoon Pattanasophon said that clashes took place in at least five places in the province, leaving at least 15 insurgents, three policemen and one soldier dead. One battle was reported to have erupted near a mosque in Pattani's Kruesei district. Pattani and Yala are, along with Narathiwat, the only Muslim- majority provinces in predominantly Buddhist Thailand. It was the bloodiest day in the south where almost daily attacks by gunmen have left more than 100 people dead this year.