tullis@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (12/21/85)
The background to these events in Assam should be considered. 1) The Assamese state is geographically distant from the heart of political affairs in India and has had little influence on the Indian National government. 2) They had a great deal of illegal immigration by Bengalis over a period of many years. Mostly the immigrants were hard working and took land that was not in use (yes, real wilderness). Much of Assam is quite undeveloped even today. 3) Problems arose when the number of illegal immigrants became so large that they became a potent political force. Indira Gandhis party courted their votes, as they were so numerous, and then looked the other way and did not try to block continueing illegal immigration. Since the Indian national government has the responsiblity for patrolling the borders, the state of Assam could do little. 4) The students, who had a higher education and came from the Assamese upper and middle classes, started agitation to stop the immigration and throw out the immigrants who were by their massive numbers taking political and cultural control of the Assamese state away from the Assamese. 5) The protest quickly spread into a statewide strike. The Assamese shut down oil production, blocked the roads and airports, cut telephone communications into and out of Assam; the state government workers went on strike, the banks, tea gardens, and other businesses shut down. The Assamese implemented a nonviolent statewide protest that lasted approximately 2 years from the time it started to the time it was totally suppressed. 6) The Indian national government lost some 900 million dollars in oil revenues alone, not counting all the other Assamese resources that were cut off by the Assamese. So, the Indian army was sent in to secure the continued flow of oil, to open the roads, airports, etc. Trusted workers from other Indian states were sent in to keep things running. Foreigners were not permitted into the state of Assam. A news blackout was imposed. 7) The Assamese, however, continued to resist in various ways. It was obvious that the national government would have to do something other than leave the army sitting there. So they compromised and agreed to rewrite the voting list and enforce keeping illegal immigrants out of Assam. What this has to do with Israel I don't see. It was a complicated mess that derived from the special political, cultural, and geographical situation.