November 13, 2008	Thursday	Ziqa'ad 14, 1429

GUWAHATI, Nov 12: Indian police arrested a senior Bhutanese refugee leader on Wednesday in connection with bomb attacks in the northeastern state of Assam that killed 86 people last month.

Tenzing G Zangpo, general secretary of the Druk National Congress (DNC) of Bhutan, was arrested along with a senior leader of separatist Indian group, the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), from Guwahati.

Identifying those behind the Oct 30 blasts has been difficult in a region riddled with several long-running armed insurgencies complicated by backing from Islamist groups based in neighbouring Bangladesh.

“Zangpo has been sent to police custody for 10 days for interrogation,” a police officer said.

Zangpo’s party, banned in Bhutan, represents thousands of Bhutanese of Nepali origin who fled to Nepal after being persecuted in Bhutan for demanding democracy.

The DNC moved to distance itself from Zangpo.

“Druk National Congress has nothing to do with his personal activities. His personal activities are neither shared with the party nor approved by the party,” said another general secretary of the DNC by phone from Nepal.

Police said the other arrested rebel leader was the “home secretary” of the NDFB, a tribal outfit fighting for an independent homeland for the Bodo tribesmen in Assam.

The NDFB and a splinter group of the United Liberation Force of Asom (ULFA) — both known to have bases inside Bangladesh and Bhutan — have signed ceasefire deals with New Delhi.

In 2003, Bhutan used its military to flush out NDFB and ULFA militants from its territory after prompting from India.—Reuters