BAD DAYS AHEAD FOR UNITED LIBERATION FRONT OF ASSAM HARDLINERS

[It is worth mentioning that the Indian government recently supplied 52 military truckloads of arms and ammunition to the Myanmar government. India continues to maintain a strategic and military relationship with that country’s regime despite the brickbats from the international community. Expressing resentment at New Delhi’s continued military relationship with Nay Pie Taw, Myanmar’s new capital, hundreds of pro-democracy Myanmarese and Indian activists demonstrated in New Delhi on 22 July 2011, arguing that “supplying arms to the most brutal military dictatorship may have grave consequences to millions of innocent lives”.]

 By Nava Thakuria

ULFA Paresh Baruah's separatist fighters.
Image courtesy Firepost

It’s almost official: bad days are ahead for Paresh Baruah, military chief of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom. Slowly losing ground in Bangladesh, he is also under attack by government forces in Myanmar. The elusive Barua, who had been hiding out in Dhaka for many years recently left and is said to be holed up somewhere on the Burma-China border. Given the increasing strategic relationship between Dhaka and New Delhi, he is finding it difficult to maintain activities in Bangladesh, where once he and his armed outfit enjoyed a free run with the help of other Ulfa political-wing leaders. Recent media reports have once again revealed that the Ulfa in general and Barua in particular invested heavily in various Bangladeshi enterprises. The outfit’s general secretary, Anup Chetia (now in a Bangladesh jail), took the initiative to invest in some avenues in Bangladesh that would be beneficial for the outfit, which is fighting for a Swadhin Asom from outside India. Chetia is also said to have cultivated pro-Ulfa Bangladeshi politicians and even a section of the media in Dhaka.

A report prepared by Indian security and intelligence agencies with the help of Bangladesh’s National Security Intelligence, divulges that Baruah has investments in real estate, the health sector, textiles, shipping, power projects and restaurants – all worth $20 million and with, of course, fake identities. The report discloses that the Ulfa leader invested around $14 million in three Dhaka-based real estate firms – namely, Basundhara Real Estate (17 per cent stake), Eastern Housing Project (nine per cent stake) and Jamuna Group Housing Project (two per cent stake). His money is also said to be invested in  Chowdhury Shipping ($2.5 million), Kasem Textiles ($1.7 million), Samrita Hospital ($200,000), and a Chinese restaurant, Wimfray ($100,000). It also said Barua annually receives nearly $500,000 through a money transfer agency for spending on various activities. News from Burma (Myanmar) says separatist militant outfits from the North-east are facing attacks from the Myanmarese army. With Myanmar President Thein Sein due to visit India next month, the attacks on Ulfa and other outfits in the jungles of northern Myanmar are expected to intensify. A recent statement from the Ulfa camp revealed that their hideouts inside Myanmar had been attacked by government forces but it claimed that all of their cadres escaped unhurt. Another Ulfa statement claimed that Barua had not sustained any bullet injuries in the offensive as was widely reported in the media.

Apart from Barua’s outfit, the NSCN (Khaplang), Manipur People’s Liberation Army, United National Liberation Front and Prepak have training camps in Myanmar’s Sagaing division, where nearly 300 are undergoing intensive arms and ammunition training. To prove its claims, the Ulfa statement added a photograph of Barua, the second of the notorious leader to be released in the last few months. The email statement, issued by close Barua associate Arunoday Dahotiya went on to allege that New Delhi had supplied a huge amount of arms and money to the Myanmar regime to go on the offensive against the militants.

It is worth mentioning that the Indian government recently supplied 52 military truckloads of arms and ammunition to the Myanmar government. India continues to maintain a strategic and military relationship with that country’s regime despite the brickbats from the international community. Expressing resentment at New Delhi’s continued military relationship with Nay Pie Taw, Myanmar’s new capital, hundreds of pro-democracy Myanmarese and Indian activists demonstrated in New Delhi on 22 July 2011, arguing that “supplying arms to the most brutal military dictatorship may have grave consequences to millions of innocent lives”.

Born in 1979 with the intent of rendering Assam independent of India, the Ulfa today is a divided house, with Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and his followers having joined in the peace process with New Delhi. But Barua continues to stick to the primary demand. Dahotiya’s email claimed that New Delhi paid a special economic package worth as much as Rs 20,000 crore to flush out the rebel camps from Myanmar, adding that the Myanmar government had been offered Rs 100 crore “to kill Paresh at the earliest”.

It also said that New Delhi had, for some time now, maintained the practice (of paying neighbouring countries in need) and paid a Rs 1,000-crore package to Bhutan to destroy Ulfa, following which Thimpu flushed out the outfit’s camps in December 2003. Dahotiya also claimed New Delhi had recently offered money to the Dhaka government led by Awami League Chief Sheikh Hasina, with a request to take action against Ulfa leaders and cadres sheltering in that country. Accordingly, Dhaka handed over many militant leaders. No official statement was issued by the Bangladesh government.

* The author is a Guwahati-based journalist and serves Eastern Panorama as Contributing Editor

MAHARASHTRA,THE MOST CORRUPT STATE IN INDIA : KARNATAKA STANDS SECOND IN ROW

[Without paying money, one can never get the things done here in this district, he or she will only undergo lot of harassment. These officials have no fear of law and openly promote corruption, thanks to the politicians from this district who have protected them all along. The journalists in the district are no less, taking advantage of maximum corruption in this district, they too are making hay when the sun is shinning here. Extortion by journalists is here to stay.]

 By Abdul Razzaq

We thank to all of those who really exposed the hard fact about the rise in corruption in Kodagu district in Karnataka. I do hail from this district and am fully aware and much concerned about the growing corruption in our district.

Once a great district which gave birth to great nationalists and internationally acclaimed Field Marshall, Cariappa is heading for becoming the most corrupt district in Karnataka due to rampant corruption in each and every state government department.

Many may be astonished to hear that this Kodagu is the district of assembly constituency of Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker Shri K.G.Bopaiah.

I shall post below a research find and fully agree with those who conducted the survey, If I had the power, I would have honoured each and everyone of those who conducted survey here.

The government officials working in Kodagu district in any department are highly corrupt, which include from the rank of DC, AC, information department and also commissioners, officials, engineers of Madikeri's CMC and  no need to praise police department, they are first among the equals.

Without paying money, one can never get the things done here in this district, he or she will only undergo lot of harassment. These officials have no fear of law and who openly promote corruption, thanks to the politicians from this district who have protected them all along. The journalists in the district are no less, taking advantage of maximum corruption in this district, they too are making hay when the sun is shinning here. Extortion by journalists is here to say.

The Lokayukta and his men are turning blind eye towards this district, if they seriously raid, they can surely expose lot of scams. There have been some raids in the past, but we do not know how those government officials got tipped off one day in advance over Lokayukta raid.

Two years back, some officials in Madikeri CMC learned about a possible Lokayukta raid impending the next day. The officials, engineers knowing it in advance, burned down the files overnight blaming it for short circuit due to incessant rain in the district. Fake documents, fake invoices are commonly found in CMC, AC & DC, information department etc. They were billed or prepared by over 500 times to loot the state exchequer and later collect their commission from the beneficiary. It has become a common practice and I am sure the politicians are not aware about this. These are some officials who demand money from men and sexual favour from women. If those women favoured, work is done, if they refuse to oblige them, their images are tarnished by officials supported by their share holder journalists.

Such people are ruling the roost without fear. Even if some people are suspended for one or the other reason, they bounce back with political back up. I could recollect 6-7 cases, some were reinstated, and some corrupt people transferred who were suspended by the intervention. Some highly corrupt officials are still allowed to continue their jobs, just because they have ministers in the government. Even few journalists play a vital role in 'the promotion of corruption' in the district, they use their clout to influence police department to close some otherwise serious cases, which one can even equate with the similar infamous case in North India of Ruchika-Rathore case.

Many would also agree with the survey find that sexual exploitation is on the rise in this part of the world and most of the cases are forced to close/suppress under duress. Some well known guest houses, home stays encourage prostitution under the pretext of running a holiday resort. No official can either deny it, because it is a source of income for few to remain quite as long as they are receiving money.

This district of Kodagu, which was one time famous for people getting into defense forces to serve the country, is getting into wrong hands of people who are all out to ruin this great district.

If it is not checkmated immediately, this district will ruin in future. We wish the anti-corruption movement continued and exposed the babus here who under the umbrella of corrupt politicians make huge amount of black money at the cost of tax payers of Karnataka.

  

A survey company from Mumbai conducted a survey between 16th August 2011 - 31st August 2011, during the agitation of Shri. Anna Hazare. Below I shall post some important data to the readers:

Maharashtra is the Most Corrupt State in India, Karnataka Stands Second.

Percentage of level of corruption district wise.  It is calculated based on number of people spoken to.  Over 250-300 people were interviewed in each district of the state.(The data below may seem to be unrealistic as we do not know about the methodology adopted. How would we be able to calculate corruption in certain district of a state ? But they still speak something of rampant corruption in the districts of the state. We just wanted to keep the author's view as expressed in this article. - Editor.)

Coorg 89%,’  Kolar 83.5%, Gulbarga 79.3%, Koppal 79.0%, Bellary 77.8%, Bangalore Rural 76.9%, Bidar 74.2% , Shimago 74.1%, Hassan 74.0%’ Chamrajnagar 73.9%,  Yadgir 73.8%, Ramnagaram 73.4%, Chikballapur 73.0%

Bagalakot 72.7%, Chikkamaglur 71.3%, Gadag 71.3%, Belgaum 71.1%, Bijapur 70.9%, Raichur 70.8%,  Chitiradurga 70.4%, Haveri 69.7%,  Mandya 69.7%, Chikkodi 68.9%,  Tumkur 68.4%, Dharwad 65.1% , Davanagere 64.8%,  Mysore 64.6%,  Uttar Kannada 64.3%,  Mangalore 63.7%,  Udipi 61.0%

District with highest cases of sexual exploitation and where women feel insecure ( It is calculated based on number of people spoken to. Over 100 women were interviewed in each district of the state)

Mangalore : 71.4%,  Coorg : 69%,  Uttar Kannada : 64%,  Kolar : 59%’  Mysore : 56%, Ramnagaram : 55%,  Mandya : 53%