IT is time to pack up for ULFA, NDFB and KLO from Bhutan. The King has served them the notice. The National Assembly session has decided to tell the unwanted guests to leave Bhutan. Oblique is the message: leave or face eviction. What action the Bhutan government will take if talks fail is unclear. It is possible that there could be military action. Among all the Indian ultras, ULFA has the biggest presence with eight camps and 1,560 cadres. The National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) also has eight camps. But these are home to about 740 militants. The Kamtapuri Liberation Organization (KLO) has three camps with 430 activists. Bhutan Home Minister Lyonpo Thinley Gyamtsho told the National Assembly that four rounds of talks have been held with ULFA. “We also spoke to Arabinda Rajkhowa and stuck a deal”, he stated. The home minister further informed the Assembly that there were four rounds of talks with the ULFA leaders including one with the chairman, Arabinda Rajkhowa. During the 3rd round, in June 2001, the two sides had signed the agreed minutes which stipulated that the ULFA must remove four of their nine camps within December, 2001, and reduce their cadres in the remaining five camps, he revealed. According to the home minister, ULFA had closed down the four camps by December 31, 2001, and the Bhutanese military had burnt down the vacated camps.

On the other hand, the Bhutan Government held two rounds of meetings in October, 2000, and May 2001. NDFB president D R Nabla was present in the second meeting. However, the NDFB leaders had not given any commitment to leave Bhutanese territory and had refused to come for talks thereafter.

Regarding Kamtapuri Liberation Organisation (KLO), the ministry of home affairs had sent two letters, in June and September, 2002, to the KLO leaders asking them to close down their camps and also inviting a delegation led by the KLO chairman and commander-in-chief, Tushar Das, to come to Bhutan to discuss a peaceful solution to the problem. Subsequently, on March 25, 2003, a four-member Bhutanese delegation led by the Zhung Kalyon, Dasho Rinzin Gyeltshen, held talks with mid level KLO leaders. The government reiterated its serious concerns over the illegal presence of KLO militant camps in Bhutan, the urgent need for a peaceful solution to the problem, and the importance of the KLO chairman coming to Thimphu for talks at the earliest. But there was no response from KLO.

“The militants have shown a total disregard for the continuous initiatives and efforts on the part of the Bhutanese Government to find a peaceful solution to the problem,” said the home minister. “They neither respect nor fear the government and the Royal Bhutan Army. They believe that, since no action has been taken against them so far, none will be taken by the royal government of Bhutan in the future.” The home minister reminded the Assembly that the three militant outfits shared the same separatist objectives that could never be fulfilled. “Therefore, it can only be concluded that the ULFA, NDFB and KLO militants intend to stay on Bhutanese territory for a long period of time.”

Military action, felt the home minister, would bring unimaginable suffering to the people. “In December, 2000, with no provocation, 15 innocent Bhutanese people were gunned down and 19 injured in Bhutanese buses on the Assam highway,” he said. “That will be nothing compared with what might happen if we start military operation against the militants. There will be loss of property, schools and hospitals will be closed down, economic development will be impeded, and more than 66,464 people will be directly affected in 304 villages in 10 dzongkhags.”

Lyonpo Thinley Gyamtsho also informed the Assembly that the government had taken steps to strengthen the security forces of Bhutan. Under the spiritual leadership of His Holiness the Je Khenpo, the clergy was performing kurims for the well being of the nation and people. The people across the country had been briefed in public meetings, service facilities and installations were protected, a number of actions had been taken after three rounds of security coordination meetings in Gelephu, Samdrup Jongkhar and Gedu, the council of ministers had approved a contingency budget up to Nu 2,000 million, two refugee camps and 12 transit camps were being prepared, 150 risoops had been appointed. This resolution of the National Assembly emerged from behind the closed doors of the Assembly hall after four days of exhaustive debate.

His Majesty the King intervened several times to share his views and to advise the members as they examined in depth a wide range of nuances and implications of the problem.

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