Assam Tourism Minister asks UK, Australia to withdraw travel advisory against state

Terming the clubbing together of Assam with some disturbed parts of the country, Sarma urged his counterparts in the two countries to address this “careless oversight” and avoid inadvertently alluding Assam as a forbidden destination.

“Assam is a fine abode of natural beauty while its peace loving people give immense love and affection to all those who come here. Any misrepresentation of the actual situation creates unnecessary fears besides impacting the tourism potential of the state, as this can have a spiralling effect,” the Assam Minister said.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) issued advisory to its citizens and said that although the overall security situation in the North-East of India is improving, some areas within the North-Eastern states, especially in Manipur and Assam, still experience sudden and random outbreaks of violence.

There have been several incidents of violence in Assam including a shooting in Kokrajhar on Aug 5 resulting in 14 deaths, and grenade explosions in Lakhimpur, Karbi Anglong and Guwahati. Review your security arrangements carefully, seek advice from the local authorities and avoid large crowds.

Terming the Kokrajhar incident as a rare occurrence and one which can sadly be experienced by any modern society, the Assam Tourism Minister said that the law and order situation in Assam is perfect and any fear or apprehension is unfounded.

The Australian advisory said, “We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to these areas due to the risk of armed robbery, kidnapping, extortion, and separatist and insurgent violence, including in rural areas. Insurgent groups have attacked civilians and bombed buildings in these states. On 5 August 2016 terrorists attacked a market at Balajan Tinali in Kokrajhar district in the state of Assam killing at least 14 civilians.”

“I wish to reassure my distinguished friends in the Governments of UK and Australia that Assam is a wonderful land of peace loving people comprising various tribal groups, rich flora and fauna, magnificent cuisines, mesmerizing landscapes and the world famous Kaziranga National Park, which is home to the very rare single horned Rhino. The diverse ethnic & cultural groups of Assamese society have co-existed with enormous harmony and displayed exemplary bonhomie for decades together. Any representation of minor skirmishes as state wide disturbance amounts to inexplicable exaggeration and causes unnecessary anxiety for our esteemed tourists who wish to visit the state,” the minister said.

“We shall highly appreciate if the two country immediately withdraws the said advisory,” Sarma said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)