[Assam] A feed back to the BBC on the history of Assam.

[AssamWatch]

Dear BBC,   I refer to your news item in the URL http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4094918.stm , “Assam's victims of 'religious hatred'” in which your reporter writes ‘the British conquered the province in the nineteenth century’. Mr. Bhaumik appears not to be very knowledgeable on the history of Assam to say that the British conquered the province.   The brief history of the annexation of Assam is actually as follows:   The then King of Sovereign Kingdom of Assam, sought help from the British East India company offering financial rewards to eject the forces from the Kingdom of Ava who were occupying parts of Assam at that time. This was successfully done on 24 February 1826 and a Treaty of Peace was signed between the East India company officers and the Burmese at a place called Yandaboo. In this treaty Assam has been referred to as a Principality(presumably of the Kingdom of Ava). The then King of Assam was not a signatory in this treaty. Following this treaty East India company deployed soldiers to protect the throne of the Ahom Kingdom for a sum of Rs.50,000 (per annum). As the monarch failed to pay the company the promised sum for 3 consecutive years, in 1834 the monarch was asked to step down unceremoniously and the Kingdom ( Principality as per the Treaty of Peace) was annexed (from the available history in a doubtful manner) by the East India Company and named it ‘The Chief Commissionership of Assam’.   I trust this feed back will help you to issue an amendment on the above report to help keeping the history of Assam intact.   With very many best wishes to the BBC.   Dr. M. Hazarika Co-Ordinator Assam Watch(UK)

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