1 TRANSLATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND ... - APFA News

The Minister pointed out that past Bhutanese generations, despite facing
immense difficulties in their daily lives, had fought 12 wars with the Tibetans in
the north and 11 wars with British in India to defend the security and
sovereignty of the country. As a result, they had handed over the legacy of a
secure and sovereign nation to the future generations. Likewise, the Bhutanese
people today must also overcome the serious security threat posed by the ULFA
and NDFB militants and hand over a secure and sovereign country of the Palden
Drukpa to future generations. It would be a matter of great shame if the
Bhutanese people cannot safeguard the security of our country at a time when
we are enjoying unprecedented progress and prosperity due to the blessings of
the Guardian Deities and the wise leadership of His Majesty the King, said the
Home Minister.
As reported earlier, it was a cause for concern that the ULFA and NDFB leaders
did not come for talks despite repeated reminders sent to them, even two years
after the ULFA leaders had given their word that their top leaders would come
for talks in Thimphu. Meanwhile, instead of leaving Bhutanese territory, they
had increased the number of camps and the strength of their cadres. They had
also acquired more arms and carried out extensive training in the jungles inside
Bhutan. They had become more blatant in their activities, openly carry guns
under various pretexts while coming to the nearby towns and villages, behaving
as if they had the right to stay in Bhutan until they achieved their objective of an
independent Assam and Bodoland.
Taking cognizance of the situation, the Royal Government had made necessary
preparations in the event of armed confrontation with the militants if all
peaceful efforts to resolve the problem were to fail. A summary of the steps
taken are given below:
i. The Royal Bhutan Army has been making all necessary preparations on
which the Goongleon Gongma had been briefing the house.
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