[Previous entry: "Raising expounds on Delhi-ULFA talks"] [Next entry: "Nagas to disobey Manipur Government"]

11/04/2005: "Naga leader threatens to end negotiations with India By Subir Bhaumik, BBC News,"

Naga leader threatens to end negotiations with India By Subir Bhaumik, BBC News, Bangkok
Naga separatist leader Thuingaleng Muivah says he is giving Delhi “ only a few more months” to decide on his proposals for reaching a final political settlement – or else, he says, the talks will break down and his fighters will return to the jungles.
“No one should take the Nagas for granted,” he warned in an interview with this correspondent in this capital city of Thailand.
The ceasefire between the Indian government and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), that Muivah leads, ends on January 31st next year .
“This is the last tenure of cease-fire we will have with India. Unless Delhi can reach a settlement within this date, they will have to take responsibility for the breakdown of talks ,” Muivah told the BBC on Thursday.
Muivah’s NSCN has been negotiating with the Indian government since June 1997 to end the five decade old Naga insurrection. Significantly, every time, the ceasefire has been extended by a year since the talks started, but in July this year, the NSCN refused to extend it beyond six months.
“ We have made some concrete proposals and then we have revised them after taking into account the limitations of the Indian government. We have come down quite a bit from our demand for absolute sovereignty but if the Indians think they can just keep us on the conference table to buy time, we are not game,” Muivah said.
The NSCN general secretary said his group has suggested a “special federal relationship between Nagaland and India “ as the basis for a settlement.
“We have agreed to accept Indian currency and proposed joint responsibility for defence of Nagaland. As far as external affairs is concerned, we have agreed to leave it to India unless some issue involves the interest of Nagaland,” Muivah said. He said the NSCN will not be opposed to deployment of the Indian army in Nagaland but a "Naga force" should, in their opinion, take care of "internal security."
But what is it that’s now holding up settlement after eight long years of negotiations and what is that issue that Muivah cannot come down?
“Our demand for the unification of all Naga-inhabited territories is something we can never compromise on ? The Indian government is wary of redrawing the boundaries of Nagaland, because it wants to please the Manipuris and the Assamese at the expense of the Nagas. We cannot accept a settlement if the Nagas, who were divided first by the British and then by the Indians , are not reunited in one administrative unit,” said Muivah.
Muivah argues that the Naga-areas of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are all “Naga-compact areas” – they were merely put under different administrations at different times in history.
“ We only want to unify our people, our lands, not snatch anybody else’s land, “ said the NSCN chief when his attention was drawn to the stiff resistance his proposal for a "Greater Naga state" has generated in the other states.
Manipur erupted in violent street protests three years ago when the Naga ceasefire was extended to that state along with the rest of the country. All political parties and insurgent groups in that frontier state oppose the slicing away of its Naga-majority districts to join them with Nagaland. Similar unanimity in resisting the “Greater Naga state” proposal is also in evidence in Assam.
“How can the Manipuris and the Assamese expect to inherit these Naga territories which were integrated by force? They should be reasonable,” Muivah said.
The rebel leader said former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee accept the “uniqueness of Naga history” – the fact that Nagas were never Indians or part of any Indian empire until the British forcibly conquered them.
“We want this historical appreciation to be the basis of a settlement. No one should expect the Nagas to accept Indian constitution as it is, but we want to be friends with India and we want a permanent relationship. It is now upto India to accept our proposals for a final settlement, but this is last cease-fire we have signed and a settlement must come within this period or else things will fall apart,” Muivah said.
The Naga insurrection is India’s oldest ethnic armed struggle having last more than fifty years now. Negotiations between the Indian government and the separatist Naga National Council (NNC) went on for several years in the 1960s before it broke down. Weakened by internal dissensions and Indian military pressure, the NNC signed an accord with the Indian government in 1975 in the northeastern town of Shillong.
But the hardliners in the movement led by Muivah and Issac Chisi Swu (now NSCN chairman) broke away to form the NSCN and continue the armed resistance, until they responded to appeals by Naga civil society groups to start negotiations eight years ago.
Muivah threatens to end negotiations with India BBC News
BANGKOK, Nov 03: Thuingaleng Muivah says he is giving Delhi “ only a few more months” to decide on his proposals for reaching a final political settlement – or else, he says, the talks will break down and his fighters will return to the jungles.
“No one should take the Nagas for granted,” he warned in an interview with this correspondent in this capital city of Thailand.

The ceasefire between the Indian government and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), that Muivah leads, ends on January 31st next year .

“This is the last tenure of cease-fire we will have with India. Unless Delhi can reach a settlement within this date, they will have to take responsibility for the breakdown of talks ,” Muivah told the BBC on Thursday.

Muivah’s NSCN has been negotiating with the Indian government since June 1997 to end the five decade old Naga insurrection. Significantly, every time, the ceasefire has been extended by a year since the talks started, but in July this year, the NSCN refused to extend it beyond six months.

“ We have made some concrete proposals and then we have revised them after taking into account the limitations of the Indian government. We have come down quite a bit from our demand for absolute sovereignty but if the Indians think they can just keep us on the conference table to buy time, we are not game,” Muivah said.

The NSCN general secretary said his group has suggested a “special federal relationship between Nagaland and India “ as the basis for a settlement.

“We have agreed to accept Indian currency and proposed joint responsibility for defence of Nagaland. As far as external affairs is concerned, we have agreed to leave it to India unless some issue involves the interest of Nagaland,” Muivah said. He said the NSCN will not be opposed to deployment of the Indian army in Nagaland but a "Naga force" should, in their opinion, take care of "internal security."

But what is it that’s now holding up settlement after eight long years of negotiations and what is that issue that Muivah cannot come down?

“Our demand for the unification of all Naga-inhabited territories is something we can never compromise on ? The Indian government is wary of redrawing the boundaries of Nagaland, because it wants to please the Manipuris and the Assamese at the expense of the Nagas. We cannot accept a settlement if the Nagas, who were divided first by the British and then by the Indians , are not reunited in one administrative unit,” said Muivah.

Muivah argues that the Naga-areas of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are all “Naga-compact areas” – they were merely put under different administrations at different times in history.

“ We only want to unify our people, our lands, not snatch anybody else’s land, “ said the NSCN chief when his attention was drawn to the stiff resistance his proposal for a "Greater Naga state" has generated in the other states.

“How can the Manipuris and the Assamese expect to inherit these Naga territories which were integrated by force? They should be reasonable,” Muivah said.

The rebel leader said former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee accept the “uniqueness of Naga history” – the fact that Nagas were never Indians or part of any Indian empire until the British forcibly conquered them.

“We want this historical appreciation to be the basis of a settlement. No one should expect the Nagas to accept Indian constitution as it is, but we want to be friends with India and we want a permanent relationship. It is now upto India to accept our proposals for a final settlement, but this is last cease-fire we have signed and a settlement must come within this period or else things will fall apart,” Muivah said
NSCN (I-M)'s campaign in full swing Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Dimapur, November 02: The NSCN-IM's grass-roots level awareness campaign is in full swing in Naga inhabited areas for the last many weeks.

One of NSCN-IM's key figures and Kilo-kilonser (home minister) Rh Raising informed Newmai News Network today in Dimapur that its been one month now that the awareness campaign has been going on in Nagalim. Elucidating purpose of the campaign, the Kilonser said Naga intellectuals and leaders understand the latest position and development of the ongoing peace process between the Nagas and the government of India but majority of the Nagas are ignorant about what had been the real issue.

Well known for his diplomatic skill and level headedness, Rh Raising said "the people that is, the Naga populace should know what is what and the issues before us".

The outfit's leader further said that through the ongoing campaign the common Naga populace should understand "Nagas' real issues." When asked about the much hyped ULFA and the government of India's proposed talk and whether that talk, if happens, will overshadow the IM-GOI dialogues, Rh Raising said that the issues of the ULFA and the Nagas are quite different.

The NSCN-IM home minister analytically stated that the nature of the proposed ULFA talk with the GOI should be first understood as to what ground they might hold the dialogue.

"You see, the ongoing Naga talk is based on the unique history of the Nagas and ours is a political issue.

We Nagas are never a part of the Indian union — we are never Indians and cannot be Indians but I do not know whether ULFA thinks Assam is part of India or for that matter, I do not know what the ULFA situation is or even I do not know whether the Assam problem is that of law and order issue," elaborated Raising.

Interestingly, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio has triggered a debate on the issue recently.

Neiphiu Rio's views which carried in The Telegraph in the October-31 edition has opened the flood-gates where he had warned New Delhi "against allowing its dialogue with the ULFA-constituted team of mediators to overshadow the Naga peace talks." However, the NSCN-IM set up seems to be least bothered, if not at all with regard to the ULFA-constituted People's Consultative Group talks with the government of India as no reaction has come forth from the Naga outfit till date.
DoNER ministry supports 624 projects in NE region
Aizawl | November 04, 2005 10:37:38 AM IST Webindia

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) under Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) funds so far has supported 624 projects across the North Eastern region at a cost of Rs 3738.17 crore. According to the DoNER ministry sources here, funds to the NLCPR accure from the unspent balance of the ten per cent Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) which each ministry is mandated to spend in the NE region for the various infrastructure development works. Out of the total approved amount, DoNER has released Rs 2417.12 crore to various projects in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
Among the eight NE states, Assam has the highest share by getting Rs 826.52 crore for its various infrastructure development, while Meghalaya is the least among the NE states by getting Rs 190.39 crore. During the current fiscal, budgetary provision for NLCPR is Rs 650 crore.
While Mizoram has a moderate share of Rs 447.38 crore among the NE states. Out of the total amount alloted to Mizoram, Rs 350.74 crore has already been released for 60 various projects in the areas such as education, health, power, roads, water supply and agriculture. Power sector projects in the state has received the highest Rs 125.32 crore from NLCPR funds, which is followed by water supply, education health and agriculture sectors.
Agricultural and allied activities in the state would utilise only Rs 23.60 crore from the funds. There was no regular budgetary provision of NLCPR upto 2001-2002, the official sources said adding after creation of DoNER in September 2001, regular budgetary provision for NLCPR was made from 2002-2003. UNI SNR TJP RL DB1010
State level ex-servicemen rally at Dimapur
Kohima | November 04, 2005 11:31:11 AM IST Webindia

A state level ex-servicemen rally would be held at the headquarters of 3 corps at Rangapahar on November 9. The rally has been approved by the Nagaland Governor and president of Rajya Sainik Board, Nagaland. Official sources said the rally for ex-servicemen is jointly organised by the Rajya Sainik Board and the headquarters of 3 corps to provide opportunity to meet old comrades and for interaction between serving and retired soldiers.
The inaugural function would be addressed by several VIPs. The highlights of the rally would be presentation of gifts to widows, medical and dentist consultation and treatment, pension adalat, grievances cell, information on recruitment in armed forces and canteen facility. Ex-servicemen from all over the state were expected to join the rally, sources said. UNI AS TJP RL KP1102
NSCN (IM) labels allegations as misleading The Morung Express News
Dimapur: The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) in a release issued on Thursday rebutted the allegation that the outfit had instigated the violence in Karbi Anglong with a motive to pave way for a unified Naga homeland. Johnny Dilbung, the MIP Kilonser of the NSCN said, "The antagonists have been trying to incite discord and dichotomy on communal and religious lines besides other destructive designs by taking the outbreak of recent ethnic conflict in between the Karbis and the Dimasas, and trying to implicate the NSCN as responsible for generating the genocidal situation for achieving our aspiration." Reacting to the statement made by the Guwahati based Janajati Faith and Cultural Protection Forum (JFCPF) which was carried by this paper, Dilbung argued that there neither ever subsist any intention that would benefit the Nagas through a conflict between their neighbours nor there exists any smaller or greater Nagalim. The JFCPF had earlier said the NSCN was inciting the violence between the Karbis and Dimasas in an attempt to create chaos in the region and thus make leeway towards the formation of ‘Greater Nagaland.’
"Historical facts cannot be altered according to the convenience of one’s inane perception or conclusions," Dilbung clarified and repeated the customary stand that Nagas are only fighting for what is inalienably theirs. He stressed on the point that recent anti-people propagandists were attempting to dislodge the on-going initiatives towards the expediting and ushering in of an amicable situation in the long drawn Indo-Naga political imbroglio.
The release further said the allegations made against the outfit were bereft of evidences in support of accusation and the continued ‘illogical and ill-motivated’ statements through the media.
Bangladeshi immigrants in Mokokchung The Morung Express
Nagaland is overwhelmed by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. Their number has been multiplying in geometric proportions over the past few years and Nagaland is in all probability fast becoming the next Tripura. Now, like any other major town in Nagaland, Mokokchung town too is under demographic siege by these shrewd Bangladeshis. Some true sons of the soil circulated a leaflet in Mokokchung town recently bringing to light the evil designs of the Bangladeshi intellectuals to create an Islamic State in North East India in collaboration with international Islamic organizations like the Muslim World League, the International Islamic Relief Organization and the dreadful international terrorist organization of Al Qaeda. These fundamentalist Islamic organizations are reportedly implementing their policies through the ISI and the DGFI agents.
Among many other facts, the leaflet also mentions the truth that Bangladeshi social scientists have thoroughly studied the Naga culture, social practices and customary laws so as to debase the very fabric of the traditional Naga society. As is Mokokchung town today, one is awe-struck that every second person you come across in the heart of the town is an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant with forged documents validating their identity. Now then, is it not the responsibility of the Administration and the Police to control this? Or, are you being bribed? Your apathy and indifference towards the problem makes one wonder if you are a good beneficiaryof the the 35 Crore US Dollars sanctioned by the ISI through the Islamabad based Islamic Development Bank of Pakistan for realizing their long cherished dream of carving out a "Greater Bangladesh" or "Bangistan". ILPs issued and checked without any proper scrutiny is one clear proof that you are being bribed and that you are not being honest to yourself and to God.
Mokokchung based social and tribal apex bodies should also wake up to the world of reality, lest you find a Bangladeshi-Occupied-Mokokchung when you finally wake up from your long deep slumber. The Ao Senden should answer as to whom Mokokchung belongs to- Nagas or Bangladeshis. Is it not we, your very own sons and daughters, who should rightly inherit this beloved fatherland of ours and not the Bangladeshis? The Watsû Mungdang, instead of squandering herself in attending to unnecessary activities, like organizing a petty beauty pageant, should rather learn to face reality and deal with the real hard issues, lest you remain for all eternity as just another petticoat organization as you are! The Ao Kaketshir Mungdang, instead of busying yourself in nitty-gritty activities should pull up your sleeves and fight the issue tooth and nail or humbly dissolve yourself and give way to the Bangladeshis. Its not that we must live to fight, but that we must fight so that we may live – in peace. We must not allow any misconceived notions of secularism, pacifism, sentimentalism and emotionalism blind us from the reality. Compromising themes like mutual and peaceful co-existence, humanitarian grounds and other such mediocre andcowardly excuses do not have any room as far as preserving our beloved homeland, our nationality and our people, race, culture, heritage and identity is concerned. The bottom line is, we need a hard and fast "Either-Or". Its either we Nagas, or them Bangladeshis. Or, should we simply leave the matter as it is and allow the bastardization of Naga society right in front of our very own eyes? No. Let the great mass of the people of Mokokchung arise in unison, one more time. Kuknalim. Lijaba Ao, Mokokchung
Th. Muivah threatens to end negotiations The Morung Express on BBC Article
"This is the last cease-fire we have signed and a settlement must come within this period or else things will fall apart"
BANGKOK, NOV 3 (AGENCIES): NSCN General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah says he is giving Delhi "only a few more months" to decide on his proposals for reaching a final political settlement – or else, he says, the talks will break down and his fighters will return to the jungles.
"No one should take the Nagas for granted," he warned in an interview with BBC News correspondent Subir Bhaumik in the capital city of Thailand.
The ceasefire between the Indian government and the NSCN ends on January 31st next year.
"This is the last tenure of cease-fire we will have with India. Unless Delhi can reach a settlement within this date, they will have to take responsibility for the breakdown of talks," Muivah told the BBC on Thursday. The NSCN has been negotiating with the Indian government since June 1997 to end the five decade old Naga political problem. Significantly, every time, the ceasefire has been extended by a year since the talks started, but in July this year, the NSCN refused to extend it beyond six months. "We have made some concrete proposals and then we have revised them after taking into account the limitations of the Indian government. We have come down quite a bit from our demand for absolute sovereignty but if the Indians think they can just keep us on the conference table to buy time, we are not game," Muivah said.
The NSCN General Secretary said his group has suggested a special federal relationship between Nagaland and India as the basis for a settlement. "We have agreed to accept Indian currency and proposed joint responsibility for defence of Nagaland. As far as external affairs is concerned, we have agreed to leave it to India unless some issue involves the interest of Nagaland," Muivah said. He said the NSCN will not be opposed to deployment of the Indian army in Nagaland but a "Naga force" should, in their opinion, take care of "internal security."
But what is it that’s now holding up settlement after eight long years of negotiations and what is that issue that Muivah cannot come down? "Our demand for the unification of all Naga-inhabited territories is something we can never compromise on. The Indian government is wary of redrawing the boundaries of Nagaland, because it wants to please the Manipuris and the Assamese at the expense of the Nagas. We cannot accept a settlement if the Nagas, who were divided first by the British and then by the Indians, are not reunited in one administrative unit," said Muivah. Muivah argues that the Naga-areas of Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are all "Naga-compact areas" – they were merely put under different administrations at different times in history. "How can the Manipuris and the Assamese expect to inherit these Naga territories which were integrated by force? They should be reasonable," Muivah said.
The NSCN leader said former Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee accepted the "uniqueness of Naga history" – the fact that Nagas were never Indians or part of any Indian empire until the British forcibly conquered them. "We want this historical appreciation to be the basis of a settlement. No one should expect the Nagas to accept Indian constitution as it is, but we want to be friends with India and we want a permanent relationship. It is now upto India to accept our proposals for a final settlement, but this is the last cease-fire we have signed and a settlement must come within this period or else things will fall apart," Muivah said.
Centre extends ban on 4 Manipur ultra groups Our Staff Correspondent Assam Tribune
NEW DELHI, Nov 3 — With no let up in the activities of the insurgent outfits in Manipur, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today extended the ban on four militant outfits of the State for another two years. Addressing newsmen after a meeting of the CCS chaired by Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee said that the Centre has decided to extend the ban on United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) and Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL).

Mukherjee said that the ban was extended as the outfits still continued to indulge in unlawful activities in the North Eastern Region (NER). The UNLF one of the oldest Meitei insurgent outfits of the North-east was set up by Arambam Samrendra Singh in 1964 to fight for independence. The outfit later split along ideological line. While Samrendra Singh sought to focus on ideological consciousness before launching an armed struggle, others like Oinam Sudhir Kumar differed before parting ways. Samarendra Singh was gunned down in heart of Imphal town in 2001. The UNLF aims to establish an independent socialist Manipur. Similar also is the case of the PLA who is one of the guiding force behind organising revolutionary fronts covering the entire North East and unite all ethnic groups, including the Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis, to liberate Manipur.
The PLA, which formed a political body called the Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), runs a government-in-exile in Bangladesh. The KYKL, is also a Meitei insurgent outfit formed in 1994 following merger of the Oken faction of the UNLF, the Meiraba faction of People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) the Ibo Pishak faction of the KCP. However, the outfit suffered early reverses when two of its top leaders including chairman’ N. Oken and ‘commander-in-chief’ N. Thouba Singh were reportedly detained.

KCP was formed under the leadership of Ibohanbi in 1980. Owing its ideological allegiances to communism, the insurgent outfit however, is very easy on ideology. Like PREPAK it fights for the ouster of outsiders. It is not a very major outfit and reportedly boasts of strength of less than 100 cadres.
Meanwhile, Mukherjee said that the Union Government has decided to raise 25 battalions of India Reserve Battalions (IRB), for deployment in the North-east, Jammu and Kashmir and Naxal affected areas.

. No reason to exclude sovereignty from ULFA-Centre talks’ Assam Triune
GUWAHATI, Nov 3 — There can’t be any earthly reason for not discussing the issue of sovereignty by the Central Government with the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), said noted political thinker and former Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University (GU) Dr DP Barooah here today. He was speaking to The Assam Tribune on the issue. “If one were strong on one’s convictions about anything, including sovereignty, why one should shy away from it,” wondered the noted political thinker.

Everybody knows that even after recognising the supremacy of the Constitution of India, the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was permitted to have its separate constitution and flag. The J&K constitution under its Article 3 has declared the state to be an integral part of India. The voluntariness of a union is based on the voluntary participation of its member units, said Dr Barooah.
However, the Indian union did not launch itself as a voluntary union. Dr B R Ambedkar stated this in the Constituent Assembly. “My view is that India is a nation state-in-the-making. Because, the constitutional legacy of the freedom movement and the objectives resolution of the Constituent Assembly relating to the creation of fully autonomous states, including residuary powers, were not written into the Constitution by its makers.

“ I believe the post-independence feelings of alienation and economic grievances in various states of India, including the NE, sprang precisely from the denial of rightful status of autonomy to the states or ‘federating’ units. Therefore, a fresh look at the fundamental overhaul of the Indian Constitution is the need of the hour in the interest of national and social harmony,” he said.
Giving a background of the concept of sovereignty, he said that the modern state system arose after the end of the 30-year war among the European nations in 1648 AD. The modern state system is based on its sovereign characteristic, meaning thereby, — an independent state is not subject to the control of any other state whatever. The United Nations is based on the sovereign equality of its member states whether big or small.

But today, he said, the concept of sovereignty naturally had to make room for accommodating the international laws, say relating to human rights. The concept of absolute sovereignty is precisely not there in its crucial meaning. For one thing, a sovereign state is bound by international laws or covenants to which it is a party. Secondly, when international agreements are signed to which states are parties, naturally, the states concerned surrender their sovereignty in the context of obligations they undertake to abide by, said Dr Barooah.

In this context, one may cite the instance of the new GATT agreement signed at the end of the Uruguay round whence arose the WTO. An agreement under the WTO regime is the GATS. If one looks at the definition of ‘services’ as enunciated under the GATS, it is found that sovereign governments will have no unlimited say in all trade-related matters dictated by the WTO. Which is why, one is prone to say that under the WTO regime, states party to WTO (and these are mostly third world countries) will have no other function to discharge other than the executive, the judicial and the administrative matters. This shows that this definition of ‘services’ in GATS is an infringement of the economic sovereignty of a country, said DR Barooah.

Continuing, he said, combine this with the World Bank and the IMF conditionalities. A country, receiving external aid from these international financial institutions suffers in matters of economic sovereignty, he observed. So, the concept of sovereignty, as it stood originally and at the time of Henry Maine’s definition of sovereignty, — “ If a determinate human superior not in the habit of obedience to a like superior, receives habitual obedience from the bulk of the society, then that society, including the superior, is sovereign and independent.”

Coming to the Indian Constitution, he said, “I am of the view that sovereignty of the Indian state is shared between the Centre and the states. And after the constitutionalisation of the Panchayati Raj institutions by the 73rd and the 74th amendments to the Constitution in 1992, I am of the view that state authorities are to be shared at the district level also covering the local authorities. This I say having regard to the definition of ‘the state’ as given in Article 12 of the Constitution of India. “Therefore, my view is that if someone irrespective of individual or collective entities wish to discuss secularism, socialism and democracy as given in the preamble to the Indian Constitution, what earthly reason could be there for not discussing the issue,” said Dr Barooah.
ASDC, BPPF train guns on GovtKarbi Anglong violence Sentinel
GUWAHATI, Nov 3: The Autonomous State Demand Committee and the Bodoland People’s Progressive Front, in a press release, held the Government of Assam responsible for the carnage in Karbi Anglong. In the release, these organizations alleged that the Government was deliberately neglecting to arrest the killers of the three Dimasa youths who had been killed on September 26 even though the nearby villagers had reportedly informed of their (the culprits) presence to the Manja police outpost.
Similarly, the killing of five Karbi people on October 2 and three more Karbis on October 3 were also deliberately ignored by the Government, the release alleged. And this "criminal negligence" had led to the loss of a number of innocent lives and torching of houses of hundreds of villages. It said that the series of incidents only proves that the Congress(I)-led State Government had deliberately allowed the band of killers to roam freely. Stating that about 50,000 people had become homeless who were now living in relief camps, the ASDC and the BPPF demanded that the Government provide adequate food, water, clothes, medicine, sanitation and proper security to the camp inmates and compensation to the families of the dead and the injured.
The release also demanded special arrangements for the school-going students to resume their studies and relocate the relief camps which were at present in educational institutions. It also demanded protection of the standing crops left behind in the fields and also to the people at the time of harvesting their crops. Adequate security forces must be deployed in the vulnerable areas to instill confidence in the people and bring back normalcy, it said. The joint release stated that it should be realized by the common people that killings, torching of houses or threatening each other would harm both the Karbi and the Dimasa and greatly hamper realization of their ethnic aspirations. The ASDC and the BPPF earnestly appealed to the Karbi and the Dimasa people in general and the leading organizations of both the communities in particular to make all-out efforts to bring back their age-old harmony and peace.
Relief activities on in KA Sentinel
DIPHU, Nov 3: The Karbi Anglong district administration recently convened a press meet at the conference hall of DC, Karbi Anglong to brief the media about the on-going relief and rehabilitation measures taken up by the district administration. Dr Prem Charan, Commissioner, Hills Development, who has been monitoring the relief and rehabilitation work was also present.
GD Tripathi, DC, Karbi Anglong told the mediapersons that 57 relief camps were set up at various places of the district out of which 41 were set up in Diphu subdivision, three in Bokajan and 13 in Hamren subdivision. Altogether, 45,100 inmates are now in these relief camps. He also said that 280 MT of rice, 51.5 MT of dal, 24.5 MT of salt, 33.2 quintals of sira, 28.24 quintals of sugar, 50.34 kgs of mustard oil, 167 PVC water reservoirs, 500 cooking utensils, 1,000 buckets and mugs, 7,600 blankets, 3,000 bamboo mats, 7,000 mosquito nets, 8,000 plates were distributed to the inmates of relief camps.
The Joint Director, Health, who attended the meet informed the press that 14,327 inmates of the relief camps had suffered from different ailments, 119 pregnant women had been treated, seven cases of delivery had been successfully conducted. Anti-epidemic measures had been taken; DDT, phenyl, bleaching powder, etc. had been used for ensuring sanitation. A total of 43 doctors were rendering their service in the camps, out of which 14 doctors were called from Guwahati, two doctors from Golaghat and three doctors from Guwahati Medical College. He also informed that seven children and one adult died in the relief camps recently. The PHE engineer, who was also present in the meeting, informed the mediapersons that the department had taken steps for installation of six tube-wells in the relief camps. The department provided bleaching powders and carried water by trucks to the relief camps. The DC also revealed in the meeting that 20 companies of para-military forces and three columns of Army were deployed throughout the district.