SHILLONG, Feb 6 � Shutting down all but one option, a stern Meghalaya Government today asked the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) to immediately surrender unconditionally or face the worst reprisal.
Home Minister HDR Lyngdoh after a meeting with top officials of his department said today �the GNLA has only one option, that of laying down arms unconditionally, or will be neutralised.�
Lyngdoh made the statement after the Central Government declared and banned the GNLA as a terrorist organisation and the State Government has gone back to its command centre to rework its operations against the outfit.
The Minister said the Army�s help was not required and the State and paramilitary forces were capable enough to handle the situation.
The State Government had earlier made numerous appeals to the GNLA to come forward and talk to address their demands and grievances, but to no avail.
�Now that the outfit has been declared as a terrorist outfit and banned that option of negotiation is closed. We have no further intentions of talks. If the GNLA doesn�t lay down arms we would intensify our operations to nail them,� the Home Minister asserted.
Meanwhile, the Home Minister claimed the credit for the release of the two engineers abducted by the GNLA. He said it was due to the pressure built around the terrorists that they buckled under pressure and released the government officials.
Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited Assistant executive engineer, Apus Pohthmi and junior engineer, Bonnieface Majaw was released by the GNLA on Saturday. �The strategy we adopted compelled the GNLA to release the officials. We didn�t go for an all-out offensive because of the risk involved in getting the two engineers without harm,� he said.
