NALBARI, May 9 � About 200 surrendered ULFA militants of the outfit�s 709 battalion for the first time after their surrender met the ULFA leadership which had convened the meeting at Helacha village in Nalbari district today.
The commander of the 709 battalion Hira Saraniya reportedly invited the surrendered militants for a meeting at the temporary base at Helacha for their cooperation in the peace talks with the Central Government. The deputy commandar-in-chief of the outfit Raju Baruah and foreign secretary Sasha Chaudhury also called upon the former colleagues to extend their full cooperation to the outfit. The former militants from Nalbari and Baksa districts attended the meeting.
While addressing on behalf of the surrendered militants Bikash Dutta, Jitu Talukdar and Mrigen Haloi assured the leadership to extend support to peace talks. Highly-placed sources further said that the ULFA leadership had changed their views towards the surrendered militants only in the interest of the common public. The sources further said that in order to strengthen the relations between these two groups, a coordination committee has also been formed.
The meeting with the surrendered militants, which was held for the first time in the State, is considered a major development in the outfit�s ongoing peace process with the Centre.
