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04/13/2007: "NSCN-IM rejects Manipur Government’s arrest warrant The Morung Express"

NSCN-IM rejects Manipur Government’s arrest warrant The Morung Express
Dimapur, April 12 (MExN): Reacting to the Manipur government issuing arrest warrants against two NSCN-IM’s functionaries over a murder case, the outfit laments that the Manipur government is vying to exercise it judicial hand beyond administrative boundaries which, an MIP note asserted, is “contrary to international laws.”
“That the instruction and advice by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to a state of their union of such directive, shows their dishonorable and disrespectable commitment to the Indo-Naga unconditional political peace process. That the inalienable legitimate rights of the Nagas be recognized and not infringed or encroached upon deliberately” the MIP note stated.
“The Naga people have since time immemorial been executing out legal laws in the customary law of our land. Therefore any crime committed under the jurisdiction of Nagalim is to be tried under the Naga customary law” the organization asserted while highlighting village local courts and their systems. The Naga people have a popular government with the NSCN-IM being, the note claimed, “the legitimate government of the Naga people,” which is engaged in dialogue with the GoI. “When crime takes place under Nagalim national jurisdiction and the investigation and trial under process, the issue of arresting GPRN authorities by an external entity is illegal, null and void” the MIP stated.
The NSCN-IM lamented that the Manipur state government “out of its inefficiency and contravening international legal norms” is trying to “escape its failures” and frustration by tainting the “GPRN’s mage” it stated adding that they (Manipur government) have employed all attempts to derail the peace process by “falsifying facts.” Now it is left to the GoI in demonstrating its respectability or “dishonorability” but the Nagas will remain committed to the peace-process but not at the cost of their inalienable rights, it added.
NSCN(K) cadres slay rival IM man Source: The Sangai Express
Kohima, April 12: In continued factional clashes of the NSCN one "Sgt Maj" of the NSCN (I-M) was killed at Bungsang, near Medziphema in Nagaland today, reports NNN.

Reports said that the cadres of the NSCN-IM and the NSCN-K engaged in a gun battle this morning in which one "Sgt Major" of the NSCN-IM was killed.

According to the reports the incident took place at around 7 am.

The deceased officer of the NSCN-IM hailed from the Tangkhul community, according to the reports received but the exact identity of the slain militant is yet to be known.

The clashes could have escalated further had it not been for the intervention of the security forces.

The Assam Rifles personnel reportedly neutralised the clashes which had lasted for about 15 minutes.

The series of the ongoing clashes between the NSCN-IM and the NSCN-K have claimed numerous lives the NSCN-IM and the NSCN-K have claimed numerous lives in the last three months or so.

There was a relaxation of clashes in this Good Friday/Easter Sunday holidays but today's incident was the first after week's gap.

The Nagaland districts of Peren, Zunheboto, Kohima, and even in the outskirt of Dimapur have been witnessing the faction clashes in the last three months while in Manipur Tamenglong district has been the worst hit in this regard.
NSCN (I-M) Mao Region condemns killing The Morung Express

DIMAPUR, APRIL 12 (MExN): Condoling the deaths of CAO K Athiko and Raza Peyu K Adahrii Mao of the NSCN (I-M), who were abducted from Para Medical Colony, Kohima and subsequently killed by NSCN (K) members on March 24 last, K James Kriichena, Leacy of Shepourmath region, NSCN (I-M), has “on behalf of all the Mao National workers and my family members,” condemned the killing. According to a condolence message, the deceased were on their way to Camp Hebron to attend a fasting programme. Kriichena stated that the two worked selflessly “for the nation” and sacrificed their lives for the cause of humanity. “We remember you with our tears of silence for your selfless and dedicated works for the nation.” The condolence message asked that their souls rest in peace in the hands of the Almighty and that the bereaved family members be blessed abundantly.
Pragmatic steps build possibilities Editorial The Morung Express
The journey towards reconciliation is a long process that needs to weather many seasons of transitions and therefore demands the utmost will and courage to keep the process going. To sustain the continued process of understanding and reconciliation it is essential that pragmatic steps are taken at regular intervals. Such pragmatic steps must hold clarity in intention and concreteness in implementation with a visionary approach.
Due to severe nature of distrust and pain that have been caused, especially in situations of protracted armed conflict, it would be erroneous to assume that understanding and reconciliation would be bridged within a short span of time. It must be understood that the pathway to reconciliation cannot jump stages. The process demands that it goes through every stage, no matter how painful or difficult it may be.
Practical steps are what sustain the process. Often one will find that a process gets lost in slogans and rhetoric. Of course any process needs to define its values, which act as a guidepost in directing the path, but this does not mean getting stuck in sloganeering. The key is to ensure that practical and concrete steps which affirm the values of the process are made deliberately, to strengthen the process. A process without consistent concrete steps is bound to falter and perhaps even be usurped. One serious obstacle is that, because of the violence of the past, relations are based on antagonism, distrust, disrespect and possibly, hurt and hatred. It is hardly a step for optimism, no matter how effective or perfect the process in itself may be. There is therefore a pressing need to evolve practical steps that address negative relationships and assumed perceptions that feed on dehumanization. Hence a nation seeking reconciliation needs to develop effective working structures in its pursuit to build bridges of understanding; understanding which is the understanding of differences.
Since democratic values demand a working structure in which differences are addressed constructively, these structures require a minimum level of fairness, cooperation and interrelationship and they serve the purpose for building constructive communication, empowering confidence and developing trust. These structures need to be independent and must be dynamic in its origin so that it will be in a position to adopt and adapt to the fast changing nature of the process.
Reconciliation applies not simply to political leaders, governments and armed factions; it applies to the whole nation. The relationship at question must be addressed between whole communities and societies. It is the entire nation that has to begin to reorient themselves from the adversarial relation of conflict to a more respect centered relation of cooperation.
Reconciliation is urged for pragmatic reasons and it is through practical and concrete steps that it can be realized. History reveals that reconciliation is not a luxury, it is a necessity. While democratic frameworks result in resolving differences, reconciliation addresses the relationships between those who will have to implement just solutions.
Struggle for Political Identity of Tikhirs and the Nagas In Focus the Morung Express
Nagas are the indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland. It consists of various Tribes that speak different languages. It has its own custom, tradition, culture and originated places which vary from tribe to tribe. Since time immemorial every Naga village was considered as a country and popularly known as head hunters which defended their country. With the invasion of the British and Japanese into Naga area, the idea of religious belief and education system was brought to the Nagas. It is regretted to say that it is not widespread all over the Naga inhabited areas where Tikhirs too are the victims of it. But Nagas as a whole has undergone various changes with the introduction of schools and religious institutions people came closer and formed the idea for the formation of state where political consciousness was developed on the basis of tribe.
Due to the late coming of educational system in Tikhir area it is lagging behind. It is believed that during the late 1940’s only the educational system had reached our land and by that time Nagas as a whole were at a high transformation stage – politically, socially and economically.
Tikhirs were under darkness for many years and not known to the rest of the Naga family. Today Tikhirs are sowing seeds whereas other Nagas are enjoying the fruits that they had sowed and going for alternative measure. A big has made hindrance for the Tikhirs. Like other Naga tribes, Tikhir has its own distinct culture, tradition, custom, language, originated place, historical background and territory.
Tikhirs are mainly inhabited in Tuensang and Kiphire district. Politically Tikhirs are divided into three constituencies having minority in each constituency. Administration is also run under different heads where people cannot come closer and vice versa. Today due to the above mentioned disparities, the struggle for identity has become a key issue for Tikhirs which naturally creates conflict with the ones who dominate us politically, socially, economically. But no one is ever ready to compromise his/her identity at any cause for it has its own existence since time immemorial.
In today’s scenario dominating one group of people by others or particular tribe has become a part of history in Naga politics. Hunger for power gave birth to political injustice, social discrimination, and economic inequalities and finally led to tribalism. It automatically developed a sense of conflict, tension and jealousy which is a problem for one and all. Unless and until peace and harmony is achieved, all round developmental activities cannot take place and provided there is no social, political and economic discrimination.
In the context of Tikhirs there is no one to raise their voice during the Naga political development taking place due to the lack of education. Today it has become a major phenomenon for Tikhirs. Political identity is the need of the hour without discrimination on any basis which will definitely add another fruitful peace and harmony in Nagaland inspite of all its political shortcomings. Asu K Tikhir
2 NSCN ultras surrender From Our Bureau Assam Tribune
DIBRUGARH, April 12 – Two militants of both NSCN factions have surrendered along with arms before civil authority and 29 Assam Rifles in Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh. The surrender ceremony was held before Deputy Commissioner Hage Batt. The surrendered NSCN (IM) cadre Kanto Sema, 37 was a self styled second Lieutenant of the banned outfit hailing from Wokha district of Nagaland.

During the ceremony, he handed over one Chinese made 9mm automatic pistol and one magazine to the authority. The other surrendered militant Keanu Mech of NSCN (K) was a self styled Sgt from Dimapur and had been recently deployed at Nampong to carry out operations in the area. He also handed over a 9mm automatic pistol and one magazine at the time of surrender, the Assam Rifles said in a press release.
Protestors storm Ibobi’s bungalow Correspondent Nagaland Post
IMPHAL, APRIL 12: Police fired tear gas and resorted to lathi charge to control a large mob, led by a local MLA, which stormed the chief minister's bungalow Thursday evening, demanding immediate booking of the culprits behind the killing of two local youths hailing from Heirok in Thoubal district.
A protestor was hurt while several others were beaten up by the police. Most of the protestors were women.
The bodies of three youths including the two from Heirok were recovered Thursday morning at Songbung under Sappermaina police station in Senapati district.
Police believed the three were strangled to death as there were several rope marks on their necks.
The two slain youths from Heirok identified as Laishram Thouba and Huidrom Arunkumar, were earlier abducted on the night of March 30 from Laimayum Leikai in Thoubal district by some unidentified people who came in a Tata Sumo.
The identity of the third youth was yet to be established.
A joint action committee formed on April 10 had earlier imposed a statewide general strike to protest the government's failure to give a deadline to trace out the two missing youths.
Police are yet to establish the motive behind the killing of the three youths.
‘Influx will turn State into another Kashmir’ A Staff Reporter Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, April 12 – Leading intellectuals of the State, who gathered at a meeting at the Paltan Bazar Srimanta Kristi Bikash Samiti Naamghar here on Tuesday, expressed their serious concern over the continuous influx from neighbouring Bangaldesh. They also warned that if allowed to continue unabated, this influx would ultimately turn Assam into another Kashmir in the near future. Already, people and cultures of the countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia and states like Kashmir were tormented by similar influx of people of other religions. Assam has become the latest victim of this phenomenon and now this has been posing a serious threat to Assam and the culture of its people.
A planned campaign is launched to encroach upon the land of the sattra institutions of the State and the number of the encroachers is proliferating at a tremendous pace. This has been rapidly reducing the Hindus to minorities in the State. The encroachers have already killed some of the sattradhikars of the State. The indigenous women are also not safe in the areas dominated by these people, said the intellectuals while addressing the meeting.

The speakers at the meeting also resented the fact that despite a High Court order to evict the encroachers from the sattra land, the State Government had displayed inertia in this regard and alleged that a conspiracy was on to make Assam a part of greater Bangladesh.

They also criticized the ongoing process for delimitation of the Assembly constituency as a part of a grave conspiracy to rob the indigenous people of their hegemony over State politics. To combat the menace, they suggested unity of the Hindus of the State, saying, only this could work as the panacea to the influx-related affliction of the State. In addition to this, the speakers also laid stress on adopting an appropriate work culture by the indigenous people, besides mounting pressure on the Government to effectively check the influx problem. The meeting, which was presided over by former Commissioner and Secretary to the State Government Dr Rohini Kumar Barua, was addressed by former Director General of the National Museum Dr Rabin Dev Choudhury, former editor of The Sentinel DN Bezboruah, former editor of the Dainik Asam Dhirendranath Chakravorty, former Vice Chancellor of Tezpur Univiersity Dr Kishori Mohan Pathak, former Dibrugarh Univeristy Vice Chancellor Kamaleswar Bora, chief of the Srimanta Sankar Sangha Karuna Kanta Kalita, Asam Sattra Mahasabha president Bhadra Krishna Goswami, NE Haridev Sangha secretary Kanteswar Kalita, Eksaran Bhagawati Samaj president Dayal Krishna Bora, Advocate Kuntala Deka and noted writer Atulananda Goswami, among others.
Imphal boils as bodies of kidnapped found Newmai News Network
Imphal Violence ridden Manipur saw another gloomy day following the recovery of 3 strangulated dead bodies in the National Highway 39 in which two persons had been identified as that of two kidnapped persons from Heirok. The JAC formed in the matter has called a 24-hour Manipur bandh starting from 5 am of April 15.The JAC which met the state Chief minister and state chief secretary could not bring amicable solution, hence the call of Manipur bandh.The JAC demanded that the state govt. should book the culprits into the killing. Among the three dead bodies two had been established the identities as that of L.Thouba and Arunkumar, who were kidnapped since March 30.
Police lathi charge agitating women folk in front of the CM bungalow gate (NNN)
As soon as the identities of the dead bodies were made known this afternoon, people particularly from Heirok gheraod the Chief Minister’s official bungalow demanding justice to be done with regard to the killing amidst shouting and crying and ensued scuffle between police personnel and the mob. Some relatives of the deceased and some other protesting women were injured due to the lathi charged meted out by the police personnel.
Another mob reached the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) morgue this evening where the dead bodies were brought for post mortem. The Joint Action Committee against the kidnapping of Thouba and Arunkumar, local MLA of Heirok AC, M. Oken and relative this afternoon identified the dead bodies in the morgue. Earlier in the morning, according to the police, three unidentified male dead bodies were found lying one after another near Mangpijang village of National Higways-39 under Saparmaina police station in Senapati district by the patrolling Army party around 7 this morning and reported the same to the police which later brought to the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) morgue for identification. The caused of the dead looks to be of strangulation and beating with the marks seen on the dead bodies, said the police.The police then observed that tthree hree persons must have been killed in one location and later dumped on the National Highway-39.The dead bodies are presently lying in the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) morgue.
The third dead body is yet to be identified. It is worth noting that the JAC had called 24 hours general strike just yesterday demanding to know the where about of the two missing person from the state government. The JAC called a 24 hours general strike in Manipur on April-10 till yesterday morning by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) against the kidnapping of one L. Thouba Singh and H. Arunkumar demanding prompt action from the state government. The JAC had also staged a protest rally in an around Imphal city particularly near the government complex’s secretariat this afternoon demanding safe release of the the two abducted persons among others.
The two abducted persons, L. Thouba Singh son of L. Gopa Singh and H. Arunkumar Singh son of H. Ningthem Singh, both hailing from Heirok Part-II is said to have been kidnapped by some unknown armed persons on March 30 last during local festival known as Thabal Chongba.
The JAC apart from protest rally also submitted a memorandum to the chief minister in-charge
citing that two persons had been kidnapped by unknown Tata Sumo borne gunmen on the fateful night around 10 the way from Heirok Part-II, Laimayum Leikei. The JAC also mentioned that no one has claimed as yet to the kidnapping incident till date either from underground groups or from security forces including the state police.
Arunachal forest haven for ULFA Newmai News Network
Dinjan The dense forest cover in the Manbhum reserve forest of neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh has become a transit route of the Ulfa militants who keep on sneaking into Assam from Myanmar to carry out various subversive activities in the state.
The 136 sq km forest, declared a reserve forest in 1937 was the haunt of tigers and panthers. However, the militants are now taking maximum advantage of the dense forest cover to avoid intensified army operations against them.
The terrain is generally flat except for the Northeastern portion which is hilly. There are some rivulets but most of them have turned into swamps as the rivulets keep on changing their courses.
Sources at the 2nd Mountain division of the army based at Dinjan in Dibrugarh district said that the militants could reach the Myanmar border through Diyum, Miao, Jairampur and Na Mpong areas after scaling down the Manbhum river.
“The flat terrain of the Manbhum has lots of khutis (temporary cattle shed) and the militants use those as their shelter to take rest at night,” said the sources while adding that the locals also help the militants by giving shelter in those khutis as they could earn some extra bucks from the militants. The encounter between the Gorkha regiment and Ulfa cadres that took place at around 5 am on April 9 at Teklibam area under Namsai sub division in Arunachal Pradesh also proves the fact. The eight militants who were gunned down in the encounter were taking shelter in those khutis, the sources added.
“The eight cadres who were killed on April 9 were on their way to Assam from Myanmar. After entering the Assam border, the militants basically take the Dhola and Sadia routes to enter various districts,” said the sources.
“We have also recovered some incriminating documents and note books from the possession of the eight slain cadres and we hope that the note books would give vital leads about more hideouts of the militants in the region,” added the source.
“It is difficult to scale down the dense forest for us while searching for the militants but we have identified the routes which they use and intensified the vigil accordingly,” said the sources
Editors meet ULFA leaders’ wives By A City Correspondent Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, April 12 – Editors of the leading dailies of the State and eminent citizens including noted writer Mamoni Raisom Goswami on Thursday appealed to the Government to take notice of the fast unto death protest of the wives of the missing ULFA leaders whose condition was deteriorating day by day. The wives of the missing ultras had been on a fast unto death since March 21 demanding information about the whereabouts of their spouses. They were arrested by the police and admitted first at MMC hospital and later shifted to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). The team of Editors who visited the fasting women at GMCH noted with concern that the health of the protesters was worsening and observed that unwanted situation might arise if the Government does not intervene at the earliest. The Editors urged the Government to come up with a solution that would be acceptable to all the parties.

Meanwhile several political parties including the opposition Asom Gana Parishad has criticized the Government for being indifferent to the demands of the protesters who had been on indefinite hunger strike from April 6 at Lakhidhar Borah Khetra at the initiative of Peoples’ Committee for Peace Initiatives in Assam. Brindaban Goswami, leader of the AGP said that in the wake of Government indifference towards the demand for peace and resumption of the peace talks, there is the need to launch a mass agitation.
Meanwhile, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the Asam Unnati Sabha (AUS) have warned the State Government against playing politics with the humane issues like the disappearance of the ULFA leaders Government during the later’s drive against the militant outfit. It has condemned the arrest of the wives of these ULFA leaders by the Government while they were on an indefinite fast. The Government should instead respond to the demand raised by these ladies for tracing out their husbands, said the AASU and the AUS in a statement here.

If the Government drags the matter any further it will have to assume the responsibility for all the consequences, warned the AASU and the AUS. Our Udalguri Correspondent adds : Eight ULFA men have been on indefinite hunger strike since April 10 last at Mangaldai district jail in support of the wives of those untraced ULFA leaders who were on indefinite hunger strike since March 21 last. This was disclosed in a press note issued today by second lieutenant of the banned outfit from the Mangaldai district jail,

Bodies of missing Heirok youths found, bandh called on Sunday The Imphal Free Press

imphal, april 12: Police resorted to lathicharge and fired one round of tear gas in front of the chief minister`s bungalow to disperse a group of people from Heirok who tried to storm the bungalow gate this evening in connection with the discovery of the dead bodies of two missing Heirok youths today at Sombung village under Sapermaina police station. A 24-hour Manipur bandh beginning from 5 am of April 15 (Sunday) has been called by the JAC formed in connection with the disappearance of the two as talks between the chief minister and representatives of the JAC led by local MLA M Oken failed to bring an amicable solution. However, essential services will not be under the purview of the bandh, the JAC said.

"As the state government is putting pressure on us to receive the bodies despite the JAC`s strong demand for finding out the culprits and booking them under the law, we have decided to call the bandh," Basanta, advisor of the JAC told journalists as he emerged from the talks with the CM.

They had decided to receive the bodies only after the one point demand is fulfilled by the state, he said.The dead bodies of the two missing youths along with another dead body were found abandoned Thursday morning at Songbung near Mopijang village some three kilometers away from Sapermeina police station along the NH-39 in Senapati district. The two slain youths from Heirok in Thoubal district went missing since they were abducted by some miscreants on March 30 and people of the locality had been urging the state authorities to trace them out for the last few days. Police source said the dead bodies which were apparently strangled to death were retrieved from a drain on the side of the NH-39 this morning at around 7 am. Troops of the Territorial Army conducting patrolling on the highway detected the three dead bodies, police said. There were several bruise marks all over the bodies of the slain youths and there were also strangulation marks on the necks.

Police also opined that the bodies were abandoned there after being killed somewhere else.
Later, the families of the two missing Heirok youths identified the dead bodies as those of Laishram Thouba and Huidrom Arunkumar, both residents of Heirok part II Laishram Leikai.

However, the identity of the third body could not be immediately established as no one turned up to claim the same at the RIMS morgue where Sapermeina police deposited it for identification.

The two Heirok youths were abducted on the night of March 30 from Heirok part II Laimayum Leikai in Thoubal district by some unidentified people who came in a Tata Sumo, while they were on the way to take part in a thabal chongba. Since the disappearance of the two, the people of Heirok under the banner of JAC Against the Kidnapping of L Thouba Singh and H Arunkumar Singh had been pressurizing the state authorities to help trace out the youths within a time bound period. They even imposed a statewide general strike as the Manipur government failed to give a deadline for tracing out the two. Agitated public stormed the chief minister`s bungalow gate at around 5.30 pm this evening shouting slogans demanding immediate booking of the culprits involved in the killing. Police could not control the group which came from the Nupi Lal complex side as they started running towards the bungalow after reaching the traffic point near the bungalow. When the agitators started rocking the western main gates of the bungalow, the police used tear gas and later lathicharged to turn the group towards the Nupi Lal complex, where they remained confined till the representatives of the JAC and local MLA M Oken came out from the talks. A protester was hurt by the tear gas and several others including women agitators were beaten up by the police.

The chief minister, O Ibobi Singh led the government side in the talks with eight members of the JAC including the local MLA who led the JAC. The chief minister was assisted by his cabinet ministers, Phungjathang, Gaikhangam, MLA K Ranjit, chief secretary Jarnail Singh, state DGP in charge Y Joykumar, DIG range-II A Romenkumar and other top officials of the state home department. Rajiv Borah.

How sincere and committed our MLAs are? Skyrocketing prices in Asom By a Staff Reporter Sentinel
GUWAHATI, April 12: Hike in prices of essential commodities hits everybody, and as such the Government and the people’s representatives have much to do to keep prices under control. Of late, Asom is reeling under skyrocketing prices of essential commodities and scarcity of food items that are made available under the public distribution system (PDS). But do the Government and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the State play their part to check the hike in prices? That Asom Government utterly failed in this particular area has been proved when the prices of essential commodities are virtually left at the mercy of unscrupulous traders and a trader-politician lobby that is active behind the curtain. The MLAs, on the other hand, did create a ruckus in the recently-held Budget session, but when the time came for them to do something concrete, they simply turned their backs to the burning problem.
It is still fresh in the mind of the people of the State that the MLAs literally stalled the proceedings of the House in the recent Asom Budget session on the issue of price hike, and compelled the Speaker to agree to lead a delegation of the State Assembly to New Delhi to meet the Prime Minister, the Food Minister and the Petroleum Minister. During the Opposition’s query, Asom Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dr Nazrul Islam informed the House that the withdrawal of the six per cent railway freight subsidy, hike in rail fares etc were behind the stiff hike in prices in Asom. On that very day, the House took a decision to send a delegation of the Assembly to the Centre to persuade the Prime Minister to restore the rail freight subsidy for Asom and the North-east and take other measures that might check the rise in prices of essential commodities. The delegation of the House, to be led by Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai, had Opposition leader Brindabon Goswami, P & D Minister Prithivi Majhi, Agriculture Minister Pramilarani Brahma, AGP Legislature Party chief whip Chandra Mohan Patowary, BJP leader Mission Ranjan Das, Left leaders Dhrupad Borgohain and Ananta Deka, AGP-P president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, BPPF leader Karendra Basumatary, AUDF leader Aditya Langthasa, NCP leader Dulal Chandra Ghose, Congress MLA Abdul Khaleque, Independent MLA Pranab Kalita, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bharat Narah, Education Minister Ripun Bora and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dr Nazrul Islam as its members. But surprisingly, barring Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dr Nazrul Islam, Prithivi Majhi, Pramilarani Brahma, Brindabon Goswami and Chandra Mohan Patowary, none of the other members of the delegation attended the meeting convened by Speaker Tanka Bahadur Rai in the State Assembly today to set the modalities which the team would have to follow and the memorandum to be submitted to the Prime Minister and other ministers at the Centre. This is even after sending invitations and WT message to each and every member of the House committee. This attitude of the MLAs has at least exposed that most of the people’s representatives in Asom are the least bothered about affairs concerning the people whom they represent, and all the ruckus and uproarious scenes they create in the State House apparently for the interest of the people are nothing but calculated moves to get media hype that matters more their interest than the common men’s plight.

Meghalaya’s non-tribal migrant workers get quit notice
SHILLONG, April 12: Fear and panic has gripped non-tribal migrant workers in the northeastern state of Meghalaya after an influential tribal body served quit notices, asking them to vacate the state by month end or face action.
“We are having sleepless nights and feeling greatly insecure after the threat. Like me, many people working here are in a quandary,” Harsha Gurung, a middle-aged Nepali-speaking daily wage earner, told IANS.
Gurung, originally hailing from Nepal, has been working in coalmines in Meghalaya since the past 12 years.
The Federation of Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Peoples (FKJGP), a group that claims to fight for the rights of the indigenous tribal people of Meghalaya, have set May 1as the deadline for Hindi, Nepali and Bengali speaking migrant workers to leave the state.
“We are not going to spell out what course of action we would take once the deadline expires. But something is going to happen and we shall throw them out,” warned Emlang Lytan, president of the federation.
There are an estimated 12,000 migrant workers, most of them working in the many coalfields in Meghalaya, bordering Bangladesh.
‘‘These migrant workers are a bunch of criminals who have been indulging in looting, murders, and even raping our tribal women,’’ Lytan said.
A number of other tribal organisations and individuals have backed the federation's demand to free the state of migrant workers.
‘‘The migrant workers are cutting into local jobs and unless we take stern measures now, things would go out of hand,’’ said L. Lyngdoh, a tribal community leader.
The local government has appealed for restraint and asked the migrant workers not to panic.
‘‘We are committed to providing adequate security in the coal belt so that the workers are safe,’’ a police official said.
In the adjoining state of Assam, the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) in January killed about 60 Hindi-speaking migrant workers.There is growing fear that the indigenous population would soon be overwhelmed with an unabated influx of non-tribal people to the state.
Meghalaya is a predominantly Christian state of 2.3 million people.The Khasis, the largest tribe in the state, accounts for about 879,000. The Jaintias and the Khasis put together make about one million.
In November, the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), a constitutional body to protect and preserve traditional customary laws and culture, announced cash rewards to tribal mothers to bear more babies, aimed at doubling its population to two million.
‘‘There is a great fear that the Khasi and the Jaintia tribes could get wiped out if we donot encourage bigger families from now onwards and hence a systematic campaign has been launched by us,’’ said H.S. Shylla, the council’s chief.(IANS)

Northeast has the finest ethno-cultural mosaic- SS Sidhu Sentinel
IMPHOL, April 12: Manipur Governor Dr. S S Sidhu has said the North East Region has the finest ethno-cultural mosaic in the world.
Manipur Information Centre officials here today said,‘‘The Governor was speaking on investment in the North East,the crucial question of air connectivity in the Plenary Session 2 of the 3rd North East Business Summit held in New Delhi recently.’’
The region has tropical vegetation, exquisite scenic beauty, unexplored resources, rich bio-diversity, rare varieties of flora and fauna, distinctive cultural identity and rich heritage, he said.
The Governor, further described the region led by Manipur as the ‘Power House’of Indian sport.He also mentioned that reasonably high standard of salubrious climate, strong tradition of self-governance at village level particularly among hilly people and huge potential for trade and related services with ‘Look East Policy’ are among the assets and strengths on the region.
Dr. Sidhu stated that insurgency in varying degree prevails in four states of the region excluding Sikkim, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.25 lakhs youths in the North East are unemployed, he added.
He said the region has poor infrastructure in terms of communication, road transport and power.The region has 12 operational airports at Agartala, Aizwal, Baghdogra, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Guwahati, Imphal, Jorhat, Lilabari, Shillong, Silchar and Tezpur. Airports that can quickly become operational with limited repairs are at Kamalpur, Along, Daporizo, Ziro and Tura.
Six airports at Rupsi, Shella, Kailashaha, Khowai, Passighat and Tezu can become operational with dornier type aircraft after strengthening of runway and extensive repair. Green field airports are to be developed on priority to serve the capitals of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Sikkim, he further said.He also mentioned that the Committee appointed by the Ministry of DONER posed two models for development of air connectivity in the region.
They are Public Private Partnership models joint venture airline allowing the private operator majority share holding of 74 per cent and North Eastern Council to hold 26 per cent stake, and Reverse Bidding Agreement (minimum subsidy route).(UNI)