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11/15/2006: "Rio urges Sumis to ‘lead the way’ The Morung Express"


Rio urges Sumis to ‘lead the way’ The Morung Express

Dimapur, Nov 14 (MExN): The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio today called upon the adventurous and hard-working Sumis to shoulder more responsibilities in bringing about a lasting peace in Nagaland. “Being the largest tribe in Dimapur with more numbers and more villages, our Sumi brothers have to lead and show the way” said Rio. He was gracing the ‘Ahuna 2006’ celebration as the chief guest at DDSC stadium Dimapur.
While describing the Nagas are very rich people with a bright future, Rio said that no enemies can destroy the Nagas but, he lamented, “the enemy is within us.” “Unity,” he said, “is the need of the hour” in which all individuals, tribes, churches and organizations have a role to play. Rio called upon the mammoth gathering of about 7, 000 to rededicate themselves to bring unity, peace and reconciliation “in our mind, in our land and wherever the Nagas are.”
If the people can live peacefully in Dimapur, the only cosmopolitan city in Nagaland, we can go and propagate the message of peace all over Nagaland, Rio further added. He also appreciated the ‘unity of the Nagas’ despite the many political and other forces as well as problems faced by the people. Nagas are a proud people but the uniqueness of the Nagas will be known only when the rich cultural traditions of the Nagas are preserved said Rio. He urged the people to preserve and promote the rich tradition of the ancestors which has been passed down from generation to generation without which, Rio said, “we will lose our identity.”
Nagas, being agrarians, celebrate festivals seeking God’s blessing for a rich harvest and also enjoy the bountiful harvest during festivals but, Rio said, “We can meaningfully enjoy the festival only if we work hard.” While pointing out festivals would be meaningless if the people think only of rich harvest and celebrations, he said that the town folks are losing work culture. Replying to questions put up by some Christian leaders about following ancestral culture, Rio said, “Yesterday our forefathers gave thanks to the unknown gods but today the people give thanks to the living God.” Ahuna, the traditional post-harvest festival of the Sumis signifies the celebration of the season’s harvest in thanksgiving, while evoking the spirits for good fortune in the New Year. The festival is also a time of plenty and fulfillment, a time of festivity and enjoyment and a time of sharing. It is also a time of peace and reconciliation. Huska Sumi, MLA said that the festival is being celebrated in Dimapur this year to “refresh the memory of the people.” He further expressed hope that with the celebrations, the people would sustain the culture of their ancestors in a fine manner. The celebration was also marked by the various cultural dances, folk songs and traditional competitions.
NPCC ridicules Shurhozelie’s ‘political’ logic The Morung Express
DIMAPUR, NOV 14 (MExN): The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) has ridiculed the statement made by senior Minister and NPF President Dr Shurhozelie during the party’s Central Executive Committee meeting held on November 13 by telling him to get his facts straight. Pointing out that the basic responsibility and duty of any government is to provide safety and security to all citizens and that citizens’ are ensured by the Constitution the right to life and property, the NPCC in a press communiqué issued by President Hokheto Sumi dismissed the argument put forth by the NPF President on the present situation.
“Now, when the factions fire mortars and riddle houses of the innocent public with gun shots; when the people had to flee their homes for lack of security; when the normal lives of the people are affected because of the factional clashes; when people are terrorized and victimized by the activities of the factions; when people have to live in constant dread and fear; when the fear psychosis in the minds of the people becomes intolerable; and when they see no recourse from the government; when they find out that the government itself is helpless; when they realize that the government does not care a hoot for their safety and security; when they notice that the government is shirking from its legal, moral and Constitutional duty by saying that the factional killings and the terror spread by these killings are not a law and order problem, it shows that the people have a government they do not deserve. The people of Nagaland deserve a better, a more effective and concerned government”, the NPCC President stated.
Be it fratricide, genocide or what ever, the NPCC stated that a killing is a killing, and no law on earth condones any unlawful killing such as the ones prevailing in Nagaland under the DAN regime. “If the DAN Government thinks that the factions are “fighting” for political reasons and condones the large scale killings that are taking place, the government itself is party to the crimes and should be brought under the scrutiny of the laws of the land”, the statement charged.
The Congress stated that going by the logic put forth by the DAN government, it would seem that killings are legal if they are carried out for “political reasons”! “This is an alarming logic because it indicates that the DAN leaders themselves will not hesitate to kill anyone for political reasons”, it stated and questioned as to whether the DAN Government had stooped to such an all-time low as to give in to the factions to do what they want trespassing on the rights, nay, trampling on the people of Nagaland. “The people are better off without any government which condones killings in the State”.

Pointing out that the equi-closeness policy of the DAN Government has now come to such a pass that the Government considers the cadres of the groups not as brethren and citizens of the State, but as people whose lives are of no importance! “If given his way, Shürhozelie, the self-professed proud member of the first regional party in the whole Northeast, would re-write the Indian Penal Code to absolve “political” killings. Perhaps, he would like to translate the Sixth Commandment of God as, “Thou shalt not kill, unless it is for political reasons”, the NPCC stated.
Making it clear that the Congress did not differentiate between the factions, tribe or creed because as far as the Congress party is concerned, every human life is precious and sacred. “And it is the duty of the Government to ensure that no one is killed, be it for political, social or religious reason. We abhor violence and we appeal to every citizen to avoid the path of violence. We also appeal to all concerned to realize that we Nagas are a family and brethren should not kill each other”.
While reiterating that factional killings are very much a law and order problem, the NPCC stated that recognition of the problem as a political and national problem is not a license for anyone to kill. The NPCC also pointed out that at no point of time did it interpret that the Naga political problem is a law and order problem, as claimed by Shürhozelie. “As human beings, as concerned politicians and as Christians, we believe that killing is not only a law and order problem, but is a crime against humanity as well as Divinity”, it stated adding that the Naga political issue has to be solved between the Government of India and the Naga people across the negotiating table, and no amount of violence or killing between brethren will help solve the matter.
Comparing the response of the DAN government to factional fight as some poorly produced Hindi movie, the Congress ridiculed that the Government sends its men in uniform to areas of conflict after the tension has passed away. “It is misuse of power not sending the law-enforcing agency to the affected areas on flimsy excuses while the people lived in absolute terror. This amounts to willful negligence on the part of the Government and is criminal in the eyes of the law”.
On a more personal note, the NPCC President while responding to Shürhozelie also clarified that he had changed his political inclination from regional to national only once and have remained steadfast to his present party. “On the other hand, Shürhozelie might like to enlighten the people how many times he has changed the name of his political party before every Assembly election, and how on earth he could manage to get the Election Commission of India to freeze the “cock” symbol of his regional party”.
As for the allegation about the leader from Manipur in whom Shürhozelie has confided, the NPCC President remarked that “Shurhozelie seems to know that the leader is a Congressman and that knowing fully well about this, he does not seem to be too eager to name the person and reveal his proximity with Congress leaders in other States”.
ATSUM calls economic blockades Newmai News Network
Imphal: Supply trucks stopped plying along Manipur’s lifelines Imphal-Dimapur and Imphal-Jiribam national highways from yesterday midnight following an economic blockade imposed by All Tribal Students Association of Manipur for six days. ATSUM, the student body rejecting the appeal from chief minister O Ibobi. Singh not to impose the blockade, went ahead with the agitation programme. The student body is demanding extension of pension scheme to employees of district autonomous councils, conversion of 13 grants-in-aid schools in the hills into government schools, extension of contract appointment of teachers in hill schools and also reservation for tribal students in central government institutions in the state. Police said trucks carrying goods did not enter Manipur from Kohima and Silchar of Assam while no empty vehicle left Imphal in view of the blockade. Sources said the six day long economic blockade would cause severe shortage of essential items particularly cooking gas, fuel and other items. Manipur is currently reeling under an acute shortage of cooking gas due to recent blockade by Manipur Die-in-Harness Appointment Demand Committee.
Even as ATSUM blockade continues, another economic blockade agaist the construction of Tiupaimukh dam is in line to be imposed likely by November 17 by about 29 NGOs which includes among others the UNC, ANSAM, Zeliangrong Students’ Union and Action Against Tipaimukh Dam, The organizations have already called a 24 hour bandh throughout Manipur demanding cancellation of the project.The series of blockades worry Ibobi Singh because these developments came before the proposed visit of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Manipur. The Prime Minister is likely to arrive here on November 27 to lay the foundation stone of the Tipaimukh project and launch several other development projects in Manipur. ACTIP also announced that it would boycott the visit of the Prime Minister.
To live with dignity The Morung Express In Focus
Expressing concern over the slow and intangible progress of the Indo-Naga talk, the intervention of a third party mediation is inevitable to continue the hard earned Peace and bring forth an amicable settlement. Much has been said and talked about the insincerity of the Indian side and yet the Government of India seems to hardly bother and take its own slow steps, which is a great disappointment to the general public. But the Nagas across the land are all out for the early settlement and extend all out support to the collective leadership for their initiatives towards the right direction.
At this crucial juncture, the initiatives undertaken by the NGOs and other Naga civil societies are laudable and are an expression of the genuine wishes and aspiration of the Naga people.
Further, the integration / unification of the Naga Homeland is the birth right of the Nagas and is Non-Negotiable. It is also a pledge of every Nagas to work vigorously towards this common political vision to unite the Nagas under one administrative set up. Now is the right time for the Nagas to seize this opportunity and pledge and carry forward the desires and aspiration of the Nagas at the political level. Keeping in view the social tranquility of the region, Nagas are concerned to accommodate the interest of other communities without undermining the aspiration of the Nagas. At the same time, Tribal areas are being neglected since ages, their rights being denied, appointment in government services wrongly scaled, and absence of any sustainable and planned development in the region. Such negligence and callousness has contributed towards the backwardness of tribal areas. Such disparities ought to be removed so that every community’s interest is accommodated.
As an intending candidate to the forthcoming Assembly election of Manipur, my hope and prayer to all concerned is that the interest and rights of the tribal be protected which will help in ushering in peace and development in the region and to live honorably with all men with dignity.
K Raina, Ex-MLA Tadubi Assembly Constituency
Rio at Ahuna fest Staff Reporter Nagaland Post
DIMAPUR, NOV 14 (NPN): Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio Tuesday appealed to the various tribal hohos and organizations to promote reconciliation, peace, unity and work culture among the Nagas for all-round development of the State. He said the Nagas needed to maintain their unique identity and character and unite to achieve their political struggle and ambition.
Speaking at the Ahuna celebrations organized by the Sumi Aphuyemi, Dimapur at DDSC Stadium here, Rio said Nagas had a bright future and it could be achieved only when there was permanent peace and work culture in Nagaland. He urged Nagas to practice harmony with the policy of "forget and forgive", adding, "We can destroy ourselves. No enemy is capable of destroying us."
He also asked Nagas to preserve and promote their rich culture and traditions handed down to them from generation to generation.
"If we lose our culture and traditions, our identity will be forgotten," he cautioned. Stating that Ahuna festival was a celebration of good harvest, the Chief Minister praised the Sumis for being adventurous, hard-working and very progressive people. He expressed the hope that through the Ahuna festival the Sumi people would send out a meaningful message of work culture which, according to him, was found lacking in the Naga society.
"When we work hard, we can have a bountiful harvest and then celebrate getting the fruits of our toil and sweat in a true spirit of festivity," he said.
Referring to some Christians who questioned the celebration of past practices on the ground that it was reviving past worship of unknown gods, Rio said that "as true followers of Christianity we need to obey God" without forgetting "the roots of our forefathers by preserving their rich culture and traditions."
He also maintained that as one of the major tribes of Nagaland, the Sumis had a greater responsibility towards the Nagas.
"You (Sumi people) have to show how to live in peace and harmony and lead the way for other Nagas to become a people," he said. He reminded the gathering of the fact that the Government of India had recognized the Nagas as "Naga tribals" without giving any separate recognition to any tribes. The Naga tribes have to have unity and competition in a good way for their development, he added. The celebrations were marked by various colourful programmes, specially cultural songs, dances and indigenous games presented by artistes from Puhoboto Sub-division.
China claims Arunachal Nagaland Post
New Delhi/Beijing, Nov 14 (PTI): Close to President Hu Jintao's visit here, the Chinese Ambassador has triggered a diplomatic row claiming Arunachal Pradesh as "Chinese territory", a demand strongly rejected by India. Reaction from Beijing itself was subdued with the foreign ministry saying the "strategic goal" of the two countries was to find fair solution to the border question while the President hoped to "turn a new leaf" in relations during his visit next week.
"Arunachal is an integral part of India," External Affairs Minsiter Pranab Mukherjee said in a terse reaction to Ambassador Sun Yuxi's claim yesterday that "in our position, the whole of Arunachal state is Chinese territory and Tawang is only one place in it. We are claiming the whole of that (Arunachal Pradesh)".
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function, Mukherjee said the position of the respective countries with regard to Arunachal Pradesh was known. Arunachal Pradesh Governor S K Singh, himself a former Foreign Secretary, hit back at the envoy's statement saying it was an arrogant way of negotiation from China". He said the Chinese had done this before. "It is an odd way," he added. In Beijing foreign ministry spokesman Jiang Yu initially said she had not seen the report and he would do a "double check". He also refused to comment on the India's rejection.
On the larger India-China boundary issue and ongoing negotiations, Jiang said "the early solution of the border issue between China and India is the strategic goal of the two sides". She said both sides were devoted to finding a fair and rational solution acceptable to all parties. At a higher level, President Hu expressed satisfaction over the "sound" growth in Sino-Indian bilateral ties and hoped to "turn a new leaf" in strategic relations during his maiden visit to India.
He expressed his sentiments when India's new Ambassador Nirupama Rao met him and presented her credentials to him. For New Delhi, Arunachal is an integral and inalienable part and there could be no discussion, External Affairs Ministry sources said. The two countries are currently engaged in talks to resolve the boundary question through their Special Representatives, who have so far held eight rounds. Meanwhile, reacting sharply to the Chinese envoy's claim, the BJP expressed surprise at the "silence" of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Left parties on the "irresponsible statement". "I'm surprised over the silence maintained by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Left parties. Why are they not condemning this irresponsible statement made just ahead of the Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit?" BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said Tuesday. Prasad said "Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India. We condemn this peculiar, deplorable and irresponsible statement made by the Chinese envoy in the strongest possible words."
Aren’t we for independence?- Nagaland Post Opinion
For the cause of NAGA IN-DEPENDENCE thousands of lives have been paid, but we are still prepared, firmly to sacrifice even more. Of and on, freedom fighters are being criticized and appreciated on different occasion as the season change. Still we are ready to face any challenges, come what may, as at any cost our goal should be achieved and to achieved our goal NAGAS must be one under any circumstance.
In the present contest, we are killing each other among our brothers for the name of faction(s) rather than our national goal which should be viewed seriously by both over ground and underground before it's too late. Is there any difference between the name (I) and (K)? In both, the heads are Nagas and so are their hands and legs. Then, why let these brothers kill and hunt for each other? These killings should be condemned in high tune and must be protested through action. Unification of Nagas from every angle (North, South, East and West) into one fold is everyone's dream, we all longs for it and we have had hope for it. But must we give or sactifice more lives only for the handful of Nagas from Manipuri state than our national goal? The people from Manipur state's main and only objective is to integrate with the present state of Nagaland and because of this reason we have lost many leaders and patriots of true sons of Nagas.
Moreover, after sucking so many precious bloods, they (people from Manipur) failed to achieve their goal (Integration) and now they are trying to migrate to Nagaland. So why should we sacrifice our lives for integration or migration, when the Nagas goal is Independence and shall be only Independent, which our forefathers strive for and for which we shall stand still to the last man. The present cease-fire between the IK and GOI is what the Nagas want and the wish of the Nagas is fruitful outcome through peaceful dialogues. But, what we Nagas should be clear is, for whom and why the IK dropped the word Sovereignty which have cost thousands of lives and come down to Integration and now to Migration. Nagas should analysis thoroughly what profit IM will bring after shedding so many bloods for either integration or migration. If the Nagas fail to protest in this matter (migration) the trouble will be even more in future, as the solution below sovereignty can no compensate what we have already paid and the solution without sovereignty is not a solution for the NAGAS!!!
(The above statement is purely my personal views and opinions)
Vitol. S. TsuquswuSectional Officer, NSCN/GPRN
Trampled by politics Nagaland Post Editorial
In politics, rhetoric is an attribute which makes reasons sound good and that it a paradox; as all that sounds good may not be based on sound reasons. Perhaps this is what appears to be the case with the DAN government's affiliation issue. Earlier, there were reports that the proponents within the ruling coalition were strongly in favour of passing a legislation to affiliate all private schools in the four hill districts of Manipur under the Nagaland Board of School Education. The declaration fizzled out as no such legislation was passed and mercifully so, as any such attempt would have precipitated a constitutional crisis. How the idea to affiliate the private schools was sought to be legislated makes one wonder if there was any serious attempt to go through the constitution so as to realise its implication. If at all, the legislative assembly had passed any such bill, it would be a clear and direct violation of Article 245 of the constitution. Under the scheme of the Constitution, Parliament has power to enact law for the entire country or part thereof as provided therein while the State Legislature has power to legislate for the whole or any part of the State only (Article 245). In the present case, there is no legislation by the Centre and it is purely a case by which it was proposed to legislate the issue and thereby extend powers of the enactment beyond its legislative territories. In such a case, there will be a direct violation of Article 245 of the Constitution in respect of the portion which purports to operate beyond the territorial limits of the State. The subjects included in the State List or in the Concurrent List (in relation to the State) must therefore, be read as referring to objects situated within the territory of the State concerned, or objects as between which and the State there is a territorial nexus. A delegation from the state had probably met with central leaders to pursue the matter and it is certain that the aspect of Article 245 was explained. If union human resource development minister Arjun Singh had explained the matter, then it was not right to suggest even today, that the matter is in the centre's court. Parliament is not likely to amend the laws in order to make an exception as it might have other implications. The entire issue from affiliation and now to admission does have implications for the people, especially the affected students of the hill districts. The concern is as much for the controversies surrounding the actions that might have its ramifications in Nagaland as with the future of a few thousand who are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Whether is was conscious misjudgement or a case of over playing clever politics; all politicians should not add more fuel but put their heads together to bring about a solution with the Manipur government in whose court the ball now lies.
Delhi hands off Naga schools Sangai Express
Kohima, Nov 13: (Courtesy : The Telegraph) Delhi has decided not to intervene on the question of affiliation of schools in Manipur to the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE). Yet, more than 3,660 students from four hill districts of Manipur are getting ready to appear for their High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examinations from Nagaland.
Nagaland School Education Minister Imkong L Imchen said Union Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh has sent a letter to this effect, mentioning the Centre’s inability to address the imbroglio between Naga-land and Manipur over the affiliation of schools to the NBSE.
“I have just received a letter from Arjun Singh stating that the matter should be resolved between the two States,” Imchen said. He added that the Union Minister’s missive was in response to the State Government’s repeated requests to either allow the schools of Manipur’s four hills districts to obtain affiliation to the NBSE or create a separate board for them. The Union Minister has asked the Nagaland Government to resolve the impasse with the Manipur Government. The Minister said the matter would be discussed again in the Cabinet to chalk out the next course of action on the issue. He also expressed surprise over the reply of the HRD Minister since the issue is serious in nature and involves the fate of the students. The Nagaland Minister also mentioned that the matter of affiliation has not been officially discussed with the Manipur Government but through unofficial channels. He, however, said the Neiphiu Rio Cabinet would decide whether to discuss the matter with its Manipur counterpart. Even as the impasse on the issue continues, certain forces, like the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) and the State Congress unit, have expressed their scepticism. The outfit has stated that the Nagas of Manipur were trying to hijack the Nagas of Nagaland while the Congress has accused the Government of taking a hasty decision without going into the nitty-gritty of the issue. But the School Education Minister today said the students are being allowed to appear for their examinations in view of the situation in Manipur.
“This was a collective Cabinet decision, taken after examining all aspects,” he said. Without mentioning any party or group, he alleged that some people were trying to politicise the issue. Over 3,660 Naga students from Manipur’s hill districts have enrolled in various schools in and around Kohima and Dimapur.
Factional clash a law and order issue : Congress India News New Kerala--- PTI
Kohima, Nov 13: Ridiculing the Nagaland government's assertion that the on-going arms rivalry among underground groups in the state were part of the unresolved Naga political problem, Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee today said it was infact a law and order issue which the Neiphiu Rio government had completely failed to tackle.
PCC president Hokheto Sumi alleged that law and order had completely broken down in the state and the DAN government instead of tackling the armed groups was shirking its responsibility and allowing the Centre to resolve the crisis, which was causing immense hardship for the people.

Criticising DAN's policy of 'equi-closeness' to underground groups, the PCC pointed out that "this decision of the government only brought the rival groups closer to fight among themselves".

While the people were facing 'untold miseries' due to frequent armed clashes in different parts of the state, the Rio government was trying to describe such happening as a political problem, Sumi said. Rio had yesterday criticised Congress for demanding imposition of President's Rule in Nagaland and held that the clashes were due to the unresolved Naga political conflict. Congress also took a dig at the DAN government for saying that the situation at Zunheboto, which witnessed fierce gunbattle between the armed groups recently, was defused with the help of civic bodies and churches and said it was the elders who persuaded the armed groups to leave the populated area while the government forces remained a mute spectator. Meanwhile, Naga NGOs from Manipur condemned the killing of an innocent civilian at Kohima on Saturday and called upon the warring groups to end hostility. NSCN(K) had claimed responsibility of slaying the youth.
In India, the wages of distrust Sudha Ramachandran The Morung Express column
A recent media report has pointed out that Muslims have been kept out of some wings of India’s intelligence apparatus. While the thin presence of Muslims in jobs and education is well known, their exclusion from government agencies by design is cause for concern. Not only is it a blot on the country’s secular and pluralistic credentials but it has implications for India’s security. It could be detracting from the quality of intelligence the agencies are gathering.
According to a report in leading newsmagazine Outlook, India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, adheres to an “unwritten code” not to recruit Muslims. Right from its inception in the late 1960s, RAW, which has a 10,000-strong staff, “has avoided recruiting any Muslim officer”. This is the case, too, with the National Technical Research Organization, the recently established technical-intelligence wing of RAW.
The report points out that Muslims and Sikhs are not deployed to protect India’s VIPs, either. The Special Protection Group (SPG) that is in charge of protecting the prime minister avoids posting Muslims and Sikhs as bodyguards. The few Muslims and Sikhs who are in the SPG are deployed on administrative duties. There are no Muslims or Sikhs in the National Security Guard (or Black Cats), an elite counter-terrorism force that is also responsible for VIP protection.
While distrust of Muslims is long-standing, suspicion of Sikhs, who constitute less than 2% of India’s population, can be traced back to the eruption of the Sikh militancy that raged through the 1980s and was aided by sections of the Sikh diaspora and Pakistan. In October 1984, Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh guards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh. The Sikh community came under a cloud and Sikhs were thereafter pulled off the personal security of prime ministers.
Sikh militancy has subsided, but Sikhs continue to be excluded from the personal security of the prime minister. Incidentally, India’s current prime minister, Manmohan Singh, is himself a Sikh, as is Chief of Army Staff Joginder Jaswant Singh. Yet people from the Sikh community are not trusted to look after the prime minister’s security.
It was Sikh officers in the police, the intelligence and the armed forces who ultimately defeated the Sikh militancy. There are lessons in that for India as it shrinks from recruiting Muslims.
Distrust of Muslims is far deeper and more widespread. They are kept out not just from bodyguard duties of India’s top leaders but much more.
Muslims constitute 13.4% of India’s 1.1-billion-strong population, but their presence in education and employment - both private sector and government - is nowhere near their population share. “From the administration and the police to the judiciary and the private sector, the invisible hands of prejudice, economic and educational inequality seem to have frozen the ‘quota’ for Muslims at 3-5%,” observes Siddharth Varadarajan in The Hindu.
“For virtually every socio-economic marker of well-being, the Muslim is well below the national norm - not to speak of the level commensurate with her or his share of the national population - and the evidence suggests these inequalities are not decreasing over time.”
The thin presence of Muslims in jobs and employment and their abysmal socio-economic status have often been blamed on their community’s reluctance to become a part of the Indian mainstream. Muslims don’t get jobs because they don’t want to get educated, they don’t want to work in government, is an argument often heard in India. Muslim clerics and politicians are often accused of keeping the community backward. And there is some truth in this argument.
But there is serious prejudice too against Muslims. And this prejudice is responsible for the reluctance of Hindus to rent houses to Muslims, to hire them or to trust them in “sensitive” positions. In the eyes of many Hindus, no Muslim can ever truly belong to India. Muslims are seen as “outsiders”, descendents of those who invaded India centuries ago. The partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and the creation of Pakistan out of Muslim-majority areas has added to hostility against Muslims. Muslims in India are often regarded as pro-Pakistan and in recent years have been looked upon with suspicion as possible terrorists. It is this perception that lies behind the reluctance to recruit Muslims into the security forces and the intelligence agencies. It is estimated that the number of Muslims in India’s 1.1-million-strong army is only about 29,000. Since 1947, there have been only three Muslim lieutenant-generals and only eight major-generals, out of several hundred, points out Omar Khalidi, author of Khaki and the Ethnic Violence in India. This is the same number as that among Parsis and Jews, who are far smaller minorities in India.
“The reported exclusion of Muslims from RAW isn’t a surprise,” said a retired bureaucrat. “It is an extension of the systematic discrimination that Muslims in India encounter whether it is in education, jobs or accessing bank credit.”
It appears that like RAW, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) - the agency responsible for domestic intelligence - was once reluctant to recruit Muslims. A change in its outlook came in the early 1990s when it decided to recruit Muslim officers. Today, the 12,000-strong IB has what has been termed “a handful” of Muslim officers. Will RAW go the IB’s way and open its doors to Muslims? Some RAW officials remain skeptical about the loyalty of Muslims. “How can they be trusted to represent and protect India’s national interests when they are pro-Pakistan or when their loyalty to the community of Muslims the world over is greater than that to the country?” one RAW official asked this correspondent. Other RAW operatives admit that questioning the willingness of Muslims to represent India’s interests is unfair. They recognize that Muslims in the diplomatic corps have done a great job in representing the country’s interests. They admit too that there are no doubts over the integrity and loyalty of Muslims in the Indian security forces. And they are willing to admit that Muslims in the IB played a big role in fighting the militancy in Kashmir. There is growing awareness within RAW too that it needs Muslim officers not just because that is politically correct but because Muslims will be able to fill important gaps in India’s world view.
“They might be in a better position to understand the Muslim mind and in gathering and interpreting intelligence from Muslim countries,” said an RAW officer. With a major part of India’s concerns today focused on the Muslim world, “Muslim officers in RAW would be an asset”, he added. The two obstacles in the way of RAW opening its doors to Muslims are the absence of clear direction on the matter from the country’s political leadership and the inertia that has gripped the organization, preventing it from changing its old ways. It appears that in 2000, when the government was revamping the security setup after the Kargil conflict, the need for recruiting Muslims came up. According to Outlook, a senior bureaucrat approached the then national security adviser, Brajesh Mishra, with the idea of recruiting Muslims into the organizations that were being set up. Mishra promised to look into it but nothing was done to take the suggestion forward. Officials say a policy rethink on the issue of recruiting Muslims into RAW and deploying them as bodyguards to VIPs is “an enterprise fraught with risk”. It requires someone to stick his neck out and make a bold decision.
“Since there is a possibility that such a decision could go horribly wrong, nobody wants to take the risk,” said a Home Ministry official.

Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore.
Repealing of AFSPA from Manipur By Waikhom Damodar Singh Sangai Express
Now that the Justice BP Jeevan Reddy Committee has very rightly recommended for “repealing” (withdrawing or rescinding) of the AFSPA - the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1958 from its operation in the North-east region, particularly in the State of Manipur saying that “the Act is too bald and quite inadequate in several particulars” and that the Act, for whatever reason, has become “a symbol of oppression, an object of hate and instrument of discrimination and high handedness”.
The recommendation however notes that while it is highly desirable and advisable to repeal the Act altogether, without of course, losing sight of overwhelming desire of an overwhelming majority of the Army deployed in the north-east region for the Act to remain as it is, the Army should continue to be deployed in the region as stand-bye forces for assisting the local civil administration in maintaining the law and order in their States as and when required immediately by them when their local police forces become alarmingly inadequate and unable to deal effectively with the situation.
The role of the Army and their para-military forces so required to be called up “in aid of civil power”, though it may be particularly for dealing with “terrorism” and “insurgency” is purely to be of normal “policing duties” i.e. very much within the parameters of the civil laws and not in the role of performing military duties of engaging an “external enemy” in a war under Marshal Law. The committee also pointed out that “protection from legal proceedings against Army personnel acting in good faith and in the true discharge of their duties in fighting out terrorism and insurgency the same does already exist in Section 49 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 and hence need not to be worried or scared of going out of the AFSPA only for that purpose.
The so called Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Act 1958 had been enacted to enable certain special powers to be conferred upon members of the Armed Forces in disturbed areas” in the State of Assam and erstwhile Union Territory of Manipur and the powers to declare the areas as disturbed areas have been given in the Governments of the State and the Union Territory and not on the Central Government who of course is the final authority of the enactment of the withdrawal or repealing or amending of the Act after duly processed in both the Parliaments and duly “assented” by the President of India which is a process that cannot be expected to be carried out “at a soot”, and also a process to be taken up by the Central Govt only after the State Government initiates for it.
However, the immediate suspension of its operation, if needed, in the larger public interest, can be or has to be done by the State Governments by withdrawing the declaration of their areas as disturbed areas as had been done by the Manipur Government partially in 7 Constituencies of its urban areas of Imphal city recently which may be revoked again by them as and when required to do so.
The provision that makes the Act as a “draconian Law” as strongly and most hatefully felt by the majority of the people of the north-east, particularly by the people of Manipur, arising out of the most fearful results that have been there due to uncalled -for extreme “excesses” in the operational actions of the Army and their para-military forces, namely the Assam Rifles, in particular under the cover of the Act, is the provisions contained in Section 4(a) of the Act, which empowers “any commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer or any other person of equivalent rank in the Armed Forces, operating in a disturbed area if he is of opinion that it is necessary so to do for the maintenance of public order after giving such warning as he may consider necessary fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death”, against any person who is acting in contravention of any law or order for the time being in force in the disturbed area prohibiting the assembly of five or more persons or the carrying of weapon or things capable of being used as weapons or of fire-arms, ammunition or explosive substances.
Also provisions contained in Section 6 of the Act make the Armed Forces personnel more high-handed since no legal proceedings can be taken up against them for their evidently excessive actions carried out without the previous sanction of the Central Government who always have the very “partial tendencies” of caring or covering more of the culprits of their Armed Forces rather than allowing the law to take its own course for bringing “justice” in the interest of the people, though they are always “loud with the slogan of the maxim - the Government by the people, of the People and for the People”, as if the people of the north-east region are not that People meant in the Maxim.
In the light of clear mandatory provisions so given in the Act as enumerated above the actions of the columns of the Assam Rifles that they had carried out in the years 2000 on November 2 at Malom, near Imphal city and in 2004 on 11/12 June at Bamon Kampu of the Imphal East district where some 10 civilians including innocent girls “were massacred” while they were standing peacefully, and not in the form of a~ unlawful assembly, simply waiting for a bus in the Bus waiting shed by the “indiscriminate firing” in ‘amok’ of a column of the Assam Rifles, and more worst on their part, one girl, named Thangjam Manorama Devi of Bamon Kampu was mercilessly and most inhumanly shot death through “her private part” by another column of the Assam Rifles (the 17th Bn then stationed at Kangla) after she had been forcibly picked up after severely tortured in the presence of her mother and other members of the family and had been carried away from her house alone in the late night on the charge that she was actively engaged in the unlawful activities as an insurgent, and the killing of the ill-fated girl was strongly suspected to have been carried out after she had been “raped” - she was shot dead through her private part, perhaps, to cover up or destroy the physical marks of evidences of the heinous crime committed - do not at all conform to all the provisions of the Act laid down to justify their most excessive acts - in fact, no where in the Act there is provision authorising the personnel of the Army operating in a disturbed area to cause death and that also after carrying out the acts of molesting and raping of 18 female suspects as the column of the 17th Assam Rifles had allegedly carried out.
From the above cited two glaring cases it is crystal clear that the column of the Assam Rifles acted very high-handedly, carelessly and most inhumanly in utter violations of the provisions contained in the AFSPA Act, 1958 as their actions so carried out do not at all conform as had been said above, to the conditions strictly laid down in the Act, such as of giving “due warning” etc. before they opened their firing against the unarmed, innocent and peaceful civilians including girl i.e. their indiscriminate firing cannot be taken as fully “justified acts” on their part as actions that could be justified when they are at liberty to do so during an exchange of firing with en “armed gang”, and their firing so carried out in “amok” did not at all have any relevance with the maintenance of public order for the very purpose of which they have been given the power of free hand. In fact, the provisions contained in Section 4(a) of the AFSPA, 1958, if one may very carefully and deeply examines it, is the special power given to the Armed Forces officers and men for their dealing with a “violent mob” of a unlawful assembly who becomes most dangerously, violent with dangerous weapons and arms when they are deputed to deal with such a situation in a disturbed area. For, a situation during an armed encounter with an armed gang of insurgents or terrorists there does not arise at all of their giving before hand warning” for opening up of their firing. In such situations their firing actions have to be taken as “spontaneous and automatic” actions on their part of the exchange of firing of the armed encounter with the armed gang. Still worst part of their high-hande-dness that had been clear-ly exhibited under the cover of the AFSPA had been in the case of deceased Thangjam Mano-rama Devi, as though the AR column is very much authorised as a part of its normal policing duties under the Act. to be contd

India rejects Chinese claim on Arunachal Assam Tribune
NEW DELHI/BEIJING, Nov 14 – Close to President Hu Jintao’s visit here, the Chinese Ambassador has triggered a diplomatic row claiming Arunachal Pradesh as ‘Chinese territory’, a demand strongly rejected by India, reports PTI. Reaction from Beijing itself was subdued with the Foreign Ministry saying the ‘strategic goal’ of the two countries was to find fair solution to the border question while the President hoped to ‘turn a new leaf’ in relations during his visit next week.
“Arunachal is an integral part of India,” External Affairs Minsiter Pranab Mukherjee said in a terse reaction to Ambassador Sun Yuxi’s claim yesterday that “in our position, the whole of Arunachal state is Chinese territory and Tawang is only one place in it. We are claiming the whole of that (Arunachal Pradesh)”.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a function, Mukherjee said the position of the respective countries with regard to Arunachal Pradesh was known. Arunachal Pradesh Governor S K Singh, himself a former Foreign Secretary, hit back at the envoy’s statement saying it was an arrogant way of negotiation from China”. He said the Chinese had done this before. “It is an odd way,” he added. In Beijing Foreign Ministry spokesman Jiang Yu initially said he had not seen the report on the Ambassador’s report and he would do a ‘double check’. He also refused to comment on the India’s rejection.
On the larger India-China boundary issue and ongoing negotiations, Jiang said “the early solution of the border issue between China and India is the strategic goal of the two sides”.

He said both sides were devoted to finding a fair and rational solution acceptable to all parties. At a higher level, President Hu expressed satisfaction over the ‘sound’ growth in Sino-Indian bilateral ties and hoped to ‘turn a new leaf’ in strategic relations during his maiden visit to India.
He expressed his sentments when India’s new Ambassador Nirupama Rao met him and presented her credentials to him.
No ULFA camps in Bhutan, no rebels in our custody: Envoy
By Wasbir Hussain Sentinel
NEW DELHI/BAGDOGRA, Nov 14: The Bhutanese Government has denied any fresh presence of ULFA militants in the kingdom and said no militant from the group was being detained anywhere in the country in the wake of the December 2003 military assault.
“We have no report whatsoever of the ULFA setting up any new camp inside Bhutan or operating from anywhere in the country. On our side, the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) has been deployed to check or keep vigil over any militant influx, and on your side, we are aware of the SSB deployment for the same purpose,” Dago Tshering, Bhutan’s Ambassador in India, told this writer. The media has been agog in recent weeks with reports of the ULFA setting up at least some temporary camps inside Bhutan, including having weeks of training in some of these hideouts after the 2003 Bhutanese military offensive. Some senior Assam Police officials seem to believe that the rebel group has made fresh forays into Bhutan where they may have set up bases yet again. Bhutan, the Ambassador said, cannot be complacent to possible cross-border movement of insurgents in view of the terrain and geography. “We are certainly alive to the issue, and as of now we are vigilant about the Maoist activities in our neighbourhood,” Tshering said.
Asked if Indian and Bhutanese authorities have ever considered the possibility of a fence along the heavily-wooded Indo-Bhutan border, he said: “We believe in the idea of an open border between the two traditional allies and the idea of a fence have never crossed our minds.”
He said the border people have been sensitized to the idea of peace and friendship between the two neighbours. “All our people who had moved away to safety from the border areas have returned to their homes long back and they are now looking to peace and friendship with the people in Asom,” Tshering said. The Ambassador said no ULFA or other North-east Indian rebel is being held in Bhutanese custody. “All militants arrested during the 2003 operations have been handed over to Indian authorities,” the envoy said. Bhutan, Tshering said, is currently busy preparing itself for the switchover to a parliamentary democracy, the first national elections being slated for 2008.
“An interim government is expected by the middle of next year, a government that would oversee the holding of the country’s first national elections,” he said.
NE did not benefit from Green Revolution: Kyndiah Correspondent Assam Tribune
SHILLONG, Nov 14 – Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, P R Kyndiah has observed that the Northeastern region missed the benefits of India’s Green Revolution and therefore, remained deficient in food production. The region, he said, did not benefit from India’s Green Revolution for various reasons. The Northeastern States, unlike other states in the country, continue to remain deficient in food grain production.

Economic benefits from most investments gets ‘leaked’ from North East through imports of food grains for the region, Kyndiah said. This has had a negative impact on the overall economy of the region, he pointed out. “Economic growth can be ensured once import of food grains is reduced,” Kyndiah said. The Union Minister was addressing the 66th annual conference of the Indian Society of Agriculture Economics, at the ICAR auditorium, Umiam recently.

The missing link for economic growth continues to be poor agricultural production in the region. If this gap was not bridged, the region would find it difficult to cope with the challenges of a market economy under the ‘Look East policy,’ Kyndiah told the gathering. Advocating a new approach to revive the agricultural economy of North East, he said, the need of the hour is introduction of better yielding seeds, multiple cropping system and marketing access to farmers.

ULFA blows up another gas pipeline in Asom By ANI
Guwahati, Nov 15 (ANI): Suspected United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants blew up a crude oil pipeline in Asom's Sibsagar District late on Tuesday night. This pipeline blast took place in the Dishangpani forest area, which falls under the Sonari police station area. It took place near the Indian Oil Corporation's Guwahati Refinery and Oil India Limited (OIL) installations at Noonmati, leaving two people dead and five others injured. Asom has witnessed a series of explosions in recent week, most of the said to have been triggered off by the ULFA. ULFA rebels have stepped up their attacks after New Delhi called off a temporary six-week ceasefire on September 24 amid deadlocked peace talks with the group's representatives. Formed in 1979, the ULFA is fighting for a separate homeland. It has accused the Central Government of taking away Asom's mineral and forest resources and neglecting the local economy. Of late, the rebel outfit has started extorting money from non-ethnic people settled in the state. Over 15,000 people have been killed since the ULFA launched its revolt in 1979. (ANI)

THE UNLOVED SISTERS Nagarealm.com 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. [telegraphindia]


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