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Manipur govt may not extend ceasefire

Reversing its stand, the Manipur government Friday said it may not extend the unilateral ceasefire against militant outfits in the state which expires Saturday, saying many of these groups had acted against it.

"We may not," Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam told reporters here when specifically asked whether the cease-fire would be extended. He made the statement soon after a 30-minute meeting with Union Home Minister L K Advani in New Delhi.

He said, "Many outfits have come out openly against the ceasefire, while some others have not responded" and added that he had expressed his government's concerns to the home minister.

The chief minister's statement came in the backdrop of the state cabinet's decision on Thursday to extend the ceasefire for one more month from April 1. The cabinet decision followed an all-party meeting on March 27, which had also decided to extend the ceasefire as a step towards initiating the peace process in the region.

Official sources said the turnaround by Koijam might have been caused by a major bomb blast near Imphal on Thursday in which three persons including two army personnel were killed.

The blast was followed by an exchange of fire between militants and securitymen in an adjacent area.

About his meeting with Advani, Koijam said he also discussed measures to tone up the state administration and bring it back on rails.

The state government had decided to take several austerity measures including downsizing of the government and structural reforms.

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