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11/09/2006: "THE UNLOVED SISTERS The Telegraph"
THE UNLOVED SISTERS The Telegraph
The challenge for the new Union minister for the North-east lies in understanding the specific needs of individual states, writes Sumanta Sen The recent changes in the Union cabinet saw Mani Shankar Aiyar getting the portfolio for the North-east in addition to his existing charges. The bureaucrat-turned-politician is reported to have a good idea of the region, having toured it with his friend and former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi. Obviously, the present prime minister, as also the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance, thought he would be able to better direct the government than others before him as to what path should be followed in an area where New Delhi has so far appeared to be largely clueless.
There is till date no reason why Aiyar’s credentials as an administrator should be questioned. But the question is, what is it that the government expects him to achieve? If the government expects him to tone up development work to such a degree that the various divisive forces would get isolated from the people, then once again it is making a big mistake. Or, to be more precise, it is refusing to acknowledge the fallacy of its argument that lack of development lies behind all the troubles in the seven states — the eighth state, Sikkim, is a recent member of the club and does not share the problems of the others.
Lack of development is a national phenomenon and not a feature of life in the North-east alone. The problem relates essentially to the issue of ethnicity, an issue that has had a natural birth in some states and has been imposed on the people in others. Lack of development is cited by the forces of insurrection as merely another “instance of India’s absence of interest in our welfare”, but this is always accompanied by the assertion, “we can expect nothing by remaining a part of India.” So where does Aiyar and his fair idea of the region come into the scenario? It should not be forgotten that his predecessor had an equal or better knowledge of the North-east, as he hails from Meghalaya, one of the original seven sisters.
State-wise, what is the situation today? The Naga rebels have been fighting with the Union government since independence and at present, there is a ceasefire but no solution in sight. A solution is extremely difficult to arrive at as the rebels are demanding a Greater Nagaland, including areas in Manipur and Assam. There is also the question of autonomy, but first, there has to be an agreement on the demand that the existing boundaries be redefined. Also, the prolonged talks in Bangkok and elsewhere with the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isaak-Muivah) are only giving the rebels the much-needed breathing space for training for the days when the period of peace would be over, maybe next year. There is also the question of what the rival Khaplang group may do even if an agreement is reached with the Isaak-Muivah faction.
Actually the problem in Nagaland is deeper than it appears on paper. A fiercely independent people with their own established system of administration, which even the British had not disturbed, the Nagas, irrespective of tribes, had never mentally come to terms with the fact that decisions regarding their lives would be taken not by their elders but by unknown elements in distant Delhi. It is because of this that the NSCN enjoys support and sympathy at the grassroots level and the ‘tax’ that it levies is not always seen as extortion. Development of infrastructure is only of secondary importance here.
In Assam, the issue is much simpler, it is wholly one of law and order. The Assamese are not tribals, they had always been a part of the Indian mainstream. So all claims of being a part of the larger Mongoloid family, and hence different, should have been dismissed long ago and the United Liberation Front of Asom treated the only way it deserved. Here New Delhi would do well to understand that it is more Shivraj Patil than Mani Shankar Aiyar who has a role to play. The ceasefire in the state has ended, army operations have been resumed and it is only to be hoped that Operation Rhino is not repeated and the troops called back to the barracks. Yes, Assam has problems such as the annual floods, but they are not just “Assamese problems”. Incidentally, what was the Centre seeking to achieve by listening to a few individuals who represented the Ulfa and who were clearly seeking to ensure that the ‘boys’ did not face justice as they should for their many heinous deeds?
Manipur is the third state which needs to be looked into. Here are the Meiteis, Nagas and Kukis, who have no love lost between them but are all eager to create problems for the Centre. Then there is the United National Liberation Front led by those close to the former ruling family and which maintains that the 1949 treaty by which Manipur joined the Indian Union has no legal validity. It has a fully armed cadre of around two thousand, and though at present there is a ceasefire agreement, the training camps are not idle. Then in the south-east, there are the Kuki rebels running their camps along the Myanmar border. Here also, there is a ceasefire agreement in force but that does not mean that the Kukis have gone slack on their determination to carve out a separate homeland. And overall, there is the simmering discontent at the presence of the army and the special powers it enjoys. Yes, it cannot be denied that the army had at times behaved like an army of occupation, but the question is, why did the army arrive in the first place. Human rights activists and the “do gooders” never address this query. In Tripura and Meghalaya, things are a bit quiet these days but that does not mean that the ethnic kettle has been taken off the fire. And Arunachal Pradesh has emerged as a major conduit for arms smuggled in from Myanmar. This being the picture, how can development be expected to bring peace? It is not as if money has not been spent on the North-east. The Manmohan Singh government announced a huge package a few months ago. The time perhaps has come to take a close look at what fuels insurgency in the North-east. The troubles in Assam and Tripura had begun after the ‘Seven Sisters Bihu’ at Shibsagar in 1979, a meet which was attended by the then ambassador of Thailand and American embassy officials, and of course, political activists from the two states. The World Baptist Alliance publication, The Church Precedes the Empire, had appeared a year earlier. In this, the efforts of the Tripura Upajati Juba Samity towards freeing tribals from communist influence had been praised. Today, Bangladesh is being blamed, and rightly, for sheltering rebels from the North-east, but what about the help and encouragement from other forces?
All this may appear to be ancient history, but the present cannot be seen in isolation from the past. New Delhi has been blind all these years and it would do well now to adopt a multi-pronged approach. If in the case of Nagaland, the need is for accommodation, it is firmness that is required in Assam and Manipur. And one thing should be clear: merely pouring in funds for development will not lead anywhere.
Nagas defy festival boycott call OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Imphal, Nov. 7: Despite a boycott call by the apex body of the Naga community in Manipur, Naga artisans and cultural troupes are taking part in the four-day Manipur tourism festival. However, they are not participating in large numbers.
Manipur Governor S.S. Sidhu inaugurated the festival here yesterday.
The United Naga Council (UNC) has asked all Naga tribal leaders to ensure that members of their respective groups did not take part in the festival, which is being sponsored by the Manipur government.
The boycott, the UNC said, was a part of its non-cooperation and disobedience movement, which began in November last year.
Much to the relief of the organisers, most of the people belonging to virtually all communities, including Nagas, turned up to take part in the cultural programmes. They also opened stalls at the handloom and handicrafts exhibition-cum-sale section. Nearly 10 stalls were set up by people from Ukhrul, Senapati, Chandel and Tamenglong, all Naga-dominated districts. Nagas residing in the valley opened stalls displaying colourful Naga garments, pottery, decorative items and dry flowers, all of which proved major attractions.
One of the stalls is owned by 50-year-old Liuram Diamond of Ukhrul, who won a national award for pottery in 2000. “Business is good here. I sold different types of earthen pots worth around Rs 6,000 on the opening day. It is usually very difficult to sell my products otherwise,” the national awardee said.
The Crafts Council of Nagaland, funded by the Nagaland government, also came to participate in the fair.
It was evident that the participants were, by and large, not worried by the UNC boycott call. “I don’t think the UNC will be angry with us for coming here. It is a festival that gives us an opportunity to meet people and also sell our products. The UNC has a different role, just as we have a different role,” said a Naga woman participant from Senapati district.
The group from the Dimapur-based Crafts Council of Nagaland was apparently unaware of the UNC boycott. “Is that so? This is a tourism festival. We, in Nagaland, have also organised similar tourism festivals every year and we have invited groups from Manipur. There is no harm in taking part in such programmes,” said Visier Vimera of the council when asked to comment on the boycott call.
Organisers said Naga artistes took part in yesterday’s cultural programmes, adding that they would take part in tonight’s cultural programme as well. “Yes, our troupe comprises a cultural group,” confirmed a Naga woman participant from Senapati district. Today’s programmes include performances of Ras Leela and indigenous games of Manipur.
Naga talks in limbo, peace eludes Nagaland By Syed Zarir Hussain Telugu Portal
Kohima, Nov 6 (IANS) India's remote northeastern state of Nagaland has been in turmoil for close to six decades now and peace still eludes the mountainous border region. The Naga peace talks are in its 10th year now, but there is no sign of a breakthrough with neither the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) nor New Delhi appearing to have any concrete agenda to resolve the violent insurgency in the region.
The NSCN-IM and New Delhi entered into a ceasefire in August 1997 that has been renewed regularly. The present ceasefire expires in June 2007. The central government and the NSCN-IM have held more than 50 rounds of peace talks to end one of South Asia's longest-running insurgencies that have claimed around 25,000 lives since India's independence in 1947. The latest round of talks ended in Amsterdam last month although the negotiations failed with New Delhi rejecting demands for self-governance.
The NSCN-IM, led by guerrilla leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, had proposed "a special federal arrangement" which enables the Nagas to govern themselves. There has been no official statement from New Delhi after the Amsterdam talks. The NSCN-IM wants a special federal relationship with India, with a separate Naga Constitution, and would like the Naga rebel soldiers to jointly guard the international borders alongside Indian security forces.
The NSCN-IM has been struggling for nearly six decades to have a "Greater Nagaland" by getting parts of three neighbouring states sliced off to unite 1.2 million Nagas. The demand is strongly opposed by the states of Assam, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh.
"The government of India is trying to tire out the Nagas by dragging the peace process. It is more than nine years and the government does not have any clear agenda to solve the problem," NSCN-IM leader Kraibo Chawang told IANS. "The Nagas are getting restless by the day."
While the NSCN-IM has been adopting a belligerent posture on its demands, the government is yet to come up with a concrete strategy to resolve the insurgency. Dragging the talks could turn out to be counter-productive and derail the entire peace process with the NSCN-IM time and again threatening to go back to the jungles. The road to peace in Nagaland is turning out to be a real bumpy one with the Indian government now faced with even bigger challenges in preparing a definite roadmap to address the rebels' demands. Conceding their demands would be a tough proposition as any move to merge Naga-inhabited areas in the northeast could lead to a rebellion in the neighbouring states. Moreover, the question of allowing the Nagas to have their own constitution will in all probability not be acceptable to New Delhi.
"The government could think of a massive development plan in the form of financial packages and even consider granting greater autonomy," an analyst said. The NSCN-IM is also in a sticky wicket - having climbed down from its demand for an independent Naga homeland outside the Indian union, the rebel leadership is now harping on the theme of Greater Nagaland and a special federal relationship. Fresh turmoil in Nagaland seems inevitable unless the rebel leadership shows flexibility and the government negotiators too work overtime with a certain amount of seriousness to find a solution.
Naga group seeks probe Nagarealm.com
Kohima, NOV07 : The powerful Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights has demanded an independent investigation into the “inhuman atrocities” committed by jawans of the Naga India Reserve Battalion (IRB) in Chhattisgarh.Strongly condemning alleged human rights violations such as killing, rape, forceful relocation to camps and brutal and arbitrary butchering of domestic animals, the organisation’s secretary general, Nepuni, and its convenor, Lanu Sashi Longkumer, have demanded an immediate probe into the atrocities. The organisation accused the Centre and the state of duping people with their “manufactured diversions”.
It charged Chhattisgarh director-general of police O.P. Rathor with launching a disinformation campaign against reports of rights violation. In a letter written to the Nagaland government, Rathor had dismissed reports of human right violations and lauded the Naga jawans for tackling the Maoists. The organisation also questioned the “alliance” of Naga IRB jawans with Salwa Judum, a state-sponsored movement against Maoists. “The state leadership can’t allow this partnership of Naga soldiers with a band of non-accountable criminal elements,” the leaders said. It also reiterated its demand for withdrawal of the jawans. [telegraphindia]
NNP calls for common regional forum The Imphal Free Press
IMPHAL, Nov 8: The Naga National Party has called for a common forum for the regional parties to bring better understanding for the common welfare of the people in the light of the forthcoming 9th Manipur Legislative Assembly elections. Expressing the feeling NNP said that the situation in the state is like sailing over rough ocean surface. a statement of the party today said, "In order to minimize the unfortunate tension prevailing among the various communities living in the north eastern states of India, the NNP feel that regional interest based political parties can play a vital role in defusing all the unwanted situations by dealing with such delicate and volatile situations according to the regional and local interests."
While inviting all the regional political parties of both hills and plain, it appealed to like minded parties and party workers, well wishers to open up and join hands with them to fight the coming election in the state with confidence for a brighter future where each party and community respects each others aspirations and concern and avoids unnecessary confrontation with each other. The NNP has been contacting various leaders belonging to different regional parties and other parties in Manipur as well as in other states, the statement said hoping that people will support their effort for a peaceful future.
The regional parties know better and understand the need of their respective situations, the NNP statement said sharing its opinion that specially in states like Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh etc. it is mandatory for the regional parties to focus their priorities according to the needs of the people they represent which is also the expectation of the people. Stating that NNP is preparing mentally, physically and financially to participate in the forthcoming election, the party opened its doors to all the regional parties, like minded parties and well wishers to come forward and join hands to thrash out all differences and find out a workable strategy that will enable all concerned to work peacefully and harmoniously in the region and strive for faster development on all fronts, the party reiterated.
"Together," the statement said, "we can address our issues to the centre and seek for peaceful solution in a constructive way which will not be possible to be handled by a person or independent parties."
Rio given clean chit by ECI on office of profit Kuknalim.com
KOHIMA, Nov 8:: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has given a clean chit to Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio on his disqualification issue saying he was not subject to disqualification for holding Office of Profit. Mr Rio is also chairman of the Bamboo Development Agency and president of Nagaland Sports Council. According to official sources here today, the ECI has given its opinion after examining the allegations.
Leader of Opposition in Nagaland Assembly I Imkong and 14 other Congress Legislators in a petition to state Governor Shyamal Datta on March 28 last demanded disqualification of Mr Rio for holding office of profit. The Governor had sought the opinion of the ECI under Clause (2) of Article 192 of the Constitution on the petition submitted by 15 Congress legislators on the question of alleged disqualification of Mr Rio for being a member of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly under sub-clause (a) of clause (1) of Article 191 of the Constitution. After having considered the facts on record as contained in the opinion of the ECI and having been fully satisfied therewith, the Governor in an order yesterday said ''Mr Rio is not disqualified from being a member of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly'', sources said. (UNI)
Future of Centre-NDFB talks still uncertain By R Dutta Choudhury Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, Nov 8 – With less than a month to go for the expiry of the extended term of the ceasefire agreement between the Government of India and militant outfit National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), uncertainty still looms large over the future of the peace process as formal talks on political issues are yet to start. The term of the ceasefire agreement, which was extended for a period of six months, will expire on November 30 and both the Government and the NDFB are blaming each other for the delay in commencement of formal talks.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, general secretary of the NDFB, Govinda Basumatary said that the outfit was not at all satisfied with the attitude of the Government towards the peace talks. He said that the national council of the NDFB would have to take a decision on whether to go for further extension of the ceasefire agreement. “If majority of the national council members decide to go for further extension of the cease-fire agreement, we will go for that,” he added.
Commenting on the delay in starting formal talks, Basumatary said that the Government was to be blamed for the delay. He said that the NDFB was still waiting for a formal invitation from the Government for formal talks and “we are still expecting that at least one round of formal talks will be held before the expiry of the term of the ceasefire agreement.” He alleged that the Government was more interested in extending the ceasefire agreement rather than finding a political solution to the problem by starting the dialogue as soon as possible.
The Government, on its part, alleged that the failure on the part of the NDFB to submit the charter of demands despite repeated requests delayed the process of talks. On the other hand, the NDFB general secretary countered the argument and said that talks can start even before submission of the charter of demands. He pointed out that talks with other militant groups started before submission of the charter of demands and the Government adopted a different yardstick in case of the NDFB. Basumatary said that the liberation of Boroland is still the main demand of the NDFB and the outfit has not given up the demand. As such, the Government is aware of the demand and there is no need for submitting a charter of demands, he added. He said that the Government wanted the NDFB to submit its demand formally for the talks to begin and for that the national council would have to meet. He said that the national council meeting of the NDFB was scheduled to be held in September this year, but it was delayed and now the outfit is planning to hold the meeting in December. The NDFB general secretary said that the Government of India was yet to inform the outfit about the whereabouts of the members missing since the operations in Bhutan in December, 2003 including the publicity secretary B Erakdao. He said that the NDFB would raise the demand again whenever the Government invites the outfit for talks. However, he clarified that the outfit would not impose that as a pre-condition for talks.
Basumatary revealed that a meeting of the cease-fire monitoring committee, headed by the Joint Secretary (North east) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, was held on November 3 and both sides made certain allegations and counter-allegations regarding implementation of the ground rules of the cease-fire pact. He said that the Government of India has not yet given permission to the NDFB to establish three more designated camps to keep its cadres during the cease-fire period despite repeated requests by the outfit.
AASU calls for peace By A Staff Reporter Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, Nov 8 – The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) today made a fervent appeal to both the Government and the ULFA to create a violence-free atmosphere in the state. In a statement it said that killing the innocent people through explosions could not be accepted under any circumstances. There should be stern action against those involved in such activities. No society can support the killing of innocent people including the children as a medium of protest, it said. It also regretted that both the government and the ULFA had been making the situation complicated with their politics of killing and vengeance and thus making the future of a negotiated settlement of the insurgency problem uncertain.
The AASU also warned the security forces to desist from the repressive measures against innocent people. It has also warned agitational programmes against the atrocities perpetrated by the security forces. It has also demanded an equal treatment to all section of the state’s people from the Central Government.
Rabha students’ body demands higher status By A Staff Reporter Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, Nov 8 — The All Rabha Students’ Union (ARSU) along with the All Rabha Women’s Council (AWRC) and the Sixth Schedule Demand Committee for the Rabhas (SSDCR) has demanded immediate measures for upgrading the status of the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. These organizations have also announced a series of programmes to mount pressure on the Governments to meet their demand. According to the programme chalked out by the Rabha organizations, they will observe a 12-hour bandh in the RHAC areas falling between Lakhra in the city on the east and Jayramkuchi in Goalpara district on the west on November 20. Meghalaya bounds the RHAC on the south and areas about 5 km north of NH-32 are the northern limit of the Autonomous Council.
On November 27, these organizations will hold a mass rally at Boko Gandhi Maidan, which will be followed by a State Assembly gherao programme on December 13 next. These organizations have also threatened a 72-hour road blockade within the RHAC areas between December 22 and December 25 to prevent transportation of the items like river sand, river silt, coal, boulders, timber, bamboo, banana, raw rubber, orange, ginger, chilli, arecanut, supari, coconut and paddy etc. They will also stage dharnas in front of the offices of the SDCs in the Rabha-dominated areas for three hours between 10 am and 1 pm on January 4 next. This will be followed by a satyagraha in front of the offices of the Deputy Commissioners and SDO (Civil) in the districts of Kamrup, Sonitpur, Udalguri, Baksa, Bongaigaon, Chirang and Kokrajhar on January 19. On January 30, they will lock all the Government offices other than those of the DCs and the SDCs, within the RHAC areas and on February 20, they will block the National Highway-37 between Mirza and Pancharatna.
Disclosing these, ARSU president Tankeswar Rabha, AWRC chairperson Panchami Bala Rabha and SSDCR president Gauri Shankar Rabha told this newspaper here today that they had also been demanding an end to the conspiracy to hold elections for the Panchayati Raj institutions in the RHAC areas. The State Government is violating the clauses of the 1995 Rabha Accord to not to impose the Panchayati Raj institutions on the RHAC.
Panchayati Raj institutions are against the concept of autonomy as envisaged in the Rabha Accord and there is also a Gauhati High Court order preventing holding of Panchayat and Zilla Parishad elections in the RHAC areas. The ARSU, ARWC and the SSDCR will also move the High Court challenging the attempt of the Government to impose Panchayati Raj institutions on the RHAC, they said. There is also the demand for holding elections to the RHAC, which has been running on an ad-hoc basis since its inception. Though the State Government decided to hand over 40 subjects to the RHAC in 1995, but on the plea of non-formation of an elected RHAC council, the Government has not executed the above decision, they said.
This has impeded developmental activities in the RHAC areas and the State Government is poking its nose in the RHAC affairs, as, the council is an interim one. In the meantime, taking advantage of this situation, the nominated members of the RHAC council have also been indulging in large-scale corruption and it seems that the State Government is also shielding the corrupt council members. To prevent all these, the safeguard of Sixth Schedule to the RHAC is the greatest need today, said the leaders of the Rabha organizations.
Don't target civilians : KRA The Sangai Express
IMPHAL, Nov 8 : Searc-hing for innocent villagers of Chongloi Hangshing travelling in the buses plying between Imphal and Saikul and beating them up by cadres of KNA is not an act of revolutionaries, information and publicity secretary of KRA Th Misao has stated. Infor-ming that KRA view this sort of development very seriously, Misao said targeting innocent Chong-loi people and beating up village chiefs of Thingphai, Chongloi and C Khullen by cadres of KNA who are in working in close associa-tion with Indian army is anti-thesis to the ideals of nationalism and revolutio-nary movement. While asking whether KNA was formed just for the pur-pose of targeting the inno-cent Chongloi people, the publicity secretary of KRA also warned against carr-ying on such activities in future. Misao further clari-fied that KRA was not be-hind the killing of three cadres of KNA at Ikou sometime back. It was the handiwork of UPF, he added.
French team in city to strengthen academic ties By Indian Express
A delegation of the Groupe des Ecoles des Mines (GEM), a France-based consortium of seven engineering colleges, is in Pune to strengthen academic and research ties with engineering institutes. Having forged partnerships with reputed institutes including the IITs in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kanpur, Rourkee and Guwahati, GEM now has now set its sights on the Oxford of the East. While Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) have already been signed with the University of Pune and the Vishwakarma Institute of Technology (VIT), collaborations with the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) are also likely. "Our strategy is to establish strong relationships with 10 to 20 select institutes in the country, which would involve exchange programmes for students and faculty,'' said Director of Strategic Planning Pascal Formisyn. While the ranking of the institutes played a major role for the collaborations, it was also the similarity and the complementary nature of the courses offered that attracted GEM's attention. "Through these agreements, we now wish to achieve the dual goals of gaining visibility among reputed institutes of technology and attracting greater number of foreign students,'' said Elisabeth Goutin of the Department of International Relations. Apart from 250 international partnerships representing 340 agreements in over 40 countries, GEM has a foreign student representation of 16 per cent in a population of 6,000, which it plans to hike up to 25 per cent. GEM generates about 44 million euros of industrial research contracts and accounts for 15 per cent of the technology transfer activities in France. Significant among its corporate partners are Mittal-Arcelor, IBM, Microsoft, Michelin, General Electric, Aventis and Saint Gobain. "Students will spend one-third of their course getting hands-on experience in the industry,'' Formisyn said. The seven GEM colleges offer a wide range of graduate, masters and PhD programmes in engineering sciences including electronics, ICT, applied mathematics, environment and earth sciences, as well as civil, health and bio-engineering. "GEM also lays emphasis on management and human skills,'' said Formisyn.
Full-scale ops launched against ULFA Centre extends ban on ULFA, other NE outfits
If the Centre wants the Army to go after the ULFA, let the Army do its job successfully and sensibly. One must remember that any halt in counter-insurgency operations requires the Army to start afresh, which not only frustrates the Army but also disrupts the very mechanism of counter-insurgency operations. So let the Army complete its mission here. But it must ensure that innocent civilians are not — and never — harassed in the name of counter-insurgency measures. Our Bureau & PTI Sentinel
GUWAHATI/NEW DELHI, Nov 9: The Army today launched a full-scale operation against the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in the wake of increasing violence in the State. The Centre, on the other hand, decided to extend the ban on four militant outfits in the North-east, including the ULFA.
“The Army, aided by police and paramilitary forces, has launched a full-scale operation against the ULFA in various parts of Asom,” Army’s Four Corps spokesman based in Tezpur told PTI today. He said that the operation, launched in various ULFA-dominated areas in the State, particularly in upper Asom, followed the Centre’s directive and Sunday’s twin blasts in Guwahati. The decision to launch the operation followed a visit by Union Home Secretary V K Duggal who held a high-level meeting here on Tuesday to review the law-and-order situation with top Army, Government and paramilitary forces officials. The Army spokesman said that additional companies of paramilitary forces, including those from the CRPF, had been rushed to the ‘vulnerable areas dominated by the ULFA’. Meanwhile, the Centre today decided to extend the ban on four militant outfits in the North-east, including the ULFA. The other organizations, declared as unlawful associations, are the Achik National Volunteer Council, the Hynnietriep National Liberation Council and the National Democratic Front of Boroland, Finance Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He said the notifications declaring these outfits as unlawful associations had been extended. These notifications expired this month.
ATSUM against imposition of Meitei Mayak on tribals Sentinel
IMPHAL, Nov 9: The All Tribal Student’s Union Manipur (ATSUM) will resume its agitation if the SPF Government fails to act on its ultimatum regarding the basic rights of the tribal people, stated ATSUM’s newly elected assistant general secretary at a press conference held at a Imphal hotel recently.
The press conference was preceded by oath taking ceremony and handing over and taking charge of the newly elected office bearers of ATSUM. John Pulamte, Richard M Haokip and Thomas Paishya will be the president, vice president and general secretary for the term 2006-2007, while Apao Haokip will be the assistant general secretary), Jaglim Khongsi (finance secretary), Joseph Hmar (secretary information), Rolly Heinou (environmental secretary) and Apna (secretary education) are the other members of the executive committee.
The oath taking ceremony was attended by TN Haopkip, Minister PHED/IPR/Tourism. Speaking at the function, the minister said that tribal people of the North-east were very energetic but were handicapped by lack of education especially in the field of science and technology.
On the MoU signed with the government, the newly elected president of ATSUM said his organisation would continue to persist on its implementation and that the government should not take it lightly. Touching on the sensitive issue of Meitei Mayak, John Pulmate reiterated that while ATSUM ‘respects any movement to restore and revive the indigenous script of any community, we will not accept the imposition of Meetei Mayak on the tribal people of Manipur’. Further, he denounced the use of force and coercion in this matter. And that ‘we feel that force blackening of signboards snatching of textbook from innocent student is not the best way of approach’.(Agencies)
