Bhutan officials hold meeting with Assam authorities

Siliguri, December 25: A Bhutanese delegation led by S. Thinley, Chief District Officer (dzongda) of Sarpang district, held a closed-door meeting with officials of Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa and Udalguri of BTAD, Assam.

These districts in Assam have territorial relation with Bhutanese side. The meeting was held on Monday at Kokrajhar Circuit House.

It reviewed the security arrangements and ongoing preparation to ensure elections are held in Bhutan scheduled for December 31.

The Indo-Bhutan joint co-ordination committee meeting also discussed issues like cross-border insurgency and the need for strengthening the security arrangements along the border.

The Bhutan border will remain sealed with next two or three days. Strict vigilance will be at the place on public movement inside Bhutan. The officials said it was necessary in order to prevent sneak-in by insurgents or rebels before the election and prevent any chaos or disruption in the election process.

The officials from both the sides agreed on sharing of information and intensify patrolling by the security forces on both sides of the border. Coordination between security forces and administration authorities from both the countries will be improved for this purpose.

Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of all the four districts of BTAD, and senior officers of the security agencies of Unified Command Structure represented the Assam local authorities. Bhutan News Service