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07/29/2007: "Naga leaders set conditions for extension of ceasefire Sushanta Talukdar The Hindu"

Naga leaders set conditions for extension of ceasefire Sushanta Talukdar The Hindu
— Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

Vital talks: NSCN (I-M) president Isak Chishi Swu arrives for the People’s Consultative Meeting in Hebron, 40 km from Dimapur, on Friday.
Hebron: Leaders of Naga civil society groups on Friday urged the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) not to agree to an extension of the ceasefire if the Centre did not show commitment and come out with concrete solutions during the next round of peace talks.
The talks, scheduled for July 30-31, are to be held at Dimapur. The ceasefire will expire on July 31. This is the first time that the talks between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M), which have been going on for 10 years, will be held in Nagaland.
Speaking at the sixth Naga People’s Consultative Meeting held at the fortified Council Headquarters here, civil society leaders expressed the view that there was no point in extending the ceasefire if New Delhi failed to show commitment. Also, if the ceasefire was extended, it should cover all Naga-inhabited areas, including in Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Over 5,000 delegates, representing the tribal Hohos (apex tribal councils), village chiefs, churches from Naga-inhabited areas in Myanmar, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, attended the crucial meeting. Members of the self-styled “Naga army” in battle fatigues thoroughly searched and frisked the delegates before allowing them inside the meeting venue, about 40 km from Dimapur.
Earlier, addressing the meeting, NSCN (I-M) president Isak Chisi Swu said the meeting had been organised to seek the people’s mandate on whether or not to extend the ceasefire. Both Mr. Swu and Mr. Muivah spoke in a mix of Nagamese and English.
Briefing the delegates on the talks with Delhi, Mr. Muivah, who is the “Ato Kilonser (Prime Minister) of the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim,” the parallel government run by the NSCN (I-M), said though the Centre had admitted to the “uniqueness of the Naga history and Naga rights, after patient persuasion by the NSCN (I-M) over the past 10 years, the hardliners in Delhi are still trying to talk about finding a solution within the framework of the Indian Constitution, which can never be acceptable to us.”
Consultative meet approves another round of ceasefire: NSCN The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, July 28: Most Nagas in the 6th Naga people`s consultative meeting held recently at the NSCN(IM)`s headquarters at Hebron, Dimapur, have backed giving a further chance to a peaceful resolution of the Naga political issue by going for a further round of ceasefire with India, a release of the NSCN(IM) said.

The participants however addea a rider that the ceasefire should be more meaningful and specific, the NSCN(IM) statement said.

The anxiety of the Naga People in deciding the fate of the Indo-Naga Ceasefire that has touched 10 years without anything worth showing was visibly demonstrated at during the meet, where thousands from every nook and corner of Naga inhibited areas, including Somra of Myanmar turn up to listen and to speak on the Naga ceasefire with India.

According to the MIP, GPRN statement, at the consultative meet, NSCN general secretary Muivah stressed that "we need to understand each other, because this is not the time to make mistake". He also said that when we understand the position of our adversaries there is nothing to fear. He made it very clear that India has well understood the Naga`s historical issue and Nagas have also understood India`s position, but Nagas can still go on to make things very clear if India fails to follow.

Recollecting his talk to Padmanabhaiah, India`s interlocutor, Muivah informed the gathering that he had made it clear to him that unless India respects the history of the Nagas there`ll be no meeting point. Padmanabhaiah responded that he`ll respect Naga history because he is convinced of Nagas` right. And that was the way Muivah convinced him to come to Kohima for the next round of Indo-Naga talk to demonstrate his respect for Naga`s sentiment, the statement said

On the ceasefire, NSCN as people`s mandated movement has made it very clear to India that unless we take people along there will be no solution and the Naga people will have to give their voice on the fate of ceasefire that ends on 31st July, 2007, it further said.

When the consultation was set in motion there was every indication that Naga would continue to approach solution through the peaceful means, and therefore, prefer extension of ceasefire. But to make a difference from the earlier 10 years of ceasefire the time round they wanted the ceasefire to be more specific. Many expressed regret that India has not been as sincere as the Nagas who have been bearing the 10 years of ceasefire with patient and sincerity. Certain sections of the Naga were critical enough to suggest the futility of another ceasefire, the statement said.

Without shying away from speaking of the emotional crisis in their respective areas the Nagas of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh observed thast ceasefire did not cover these areas, but still they want to go for another ceasefire. There is no single Naga civil society that failed to express their solidarity in making such crucial decision on ceasefire, the statement said. Besides Naga Hoho, UNC, Naga Mothers` Association, Naga Students` Federation and Naga People Movement for Human Right, all Naga civil societies showed their face, and the general direction of the meeting was giving further chance for peaceful Naga solution by going for another round of ceasefire, the statement.

SELF-DETERMINATION OF NAGALIM The Tangkhul
It was Lord Nazir Ahmed who proposed a support statement in relation to the historic 1997 Indo-Naga peace process inside the British Houses of Parliament on 25 July 2007 and, after a brief commotion following a competition among the members present to second the proposal, the PNSD unanimously adopted it. The PNSD Secretariat sent the do*ent to the Indian government the next day through its embassy in London. Besides requesting India and the NSCN to extend the current ceasefire and take forward the political talks, the statement also appreciated the Indian and Naga leaders for resorting to dialogue to settle their decades old conflict amicably.

It is good to know that a certain Mr Vizosielhou Nagi has expressed his personal gratitude to the British Parliamentarians for National Self Determination (PNSD) for officially recognizing the God-given right of the Naga people to self-determination.

The main purpose of the UN is to “develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace”. The principle of self-determination expresses the entitlement of each nation to its own nation state. Article 1 of the UN Charter states that “all peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development”, and that every UN member “shall promote the realization of the right of self-determination, and shall respect that right”.

Israel was formed under the right to self-determination as per the UN Charter, and still rightly gives this principle in its defence against anti-Zionist criticisms that argue that Israel is not a legitimate state within the international community. The people of Kosovo are currently trying to seek sovereignty from the
Serbs on the grounds of self-determination. Also, the Kashmiris, Sikhs, Palestinians, Kurds, etc. are presently struggling to get full sovereignty on the unshakable belief to their right to self-determination. Hence, other than exposing their pitiful lack of knowledge, some persons are wrongly saying that Nagas want sovereignty and not self-determination.

The Naga Support Group (UK) has received messages of appreciation for its fruitful interaction with the PNSD. Unfortunately, we are also seeing that some elements are showing their frustration over the formation of the PNSD and its support to Kashmir, Khalistan, Nagalim, etc. The fact that the PNSD has received such unfriendly reactions from India and its agents is unfortunate; for the diatribe comes despite the fact that the PNSD represents stateless nations such as Kosovo, Kurdistan, Palestine, etc. Nonetheless, the PNSD will always give each of these subjugated nations a voice and common platform to take their plight to the British Parliament and far beyond.

KUKNALIM (Victory to Nagalim)
Professor Timothy Kaping, President, Naga Support Group (UK)

India cosies up to Burma to suppress Naga movement Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
July 20, 2007 - India and Burma cosying up in a bilateral relationship has had an adverse impact on the Naga movement for self-determination, a Naga human rights group said on Thursday.
Speaking to Mizzima on the sidelines of a conference held in New Delhi, Dr. N. Venuh, Secretary General of the Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights, said increasing Indo-Burmese bilateral relationship has had a negative impact on the Naga's movement for autonomy and self determination.
"This is India's policy. They want to suppress the [Naga] movement. That's why it has forged a relationship with the Burmese junta," Dr. Venuh said.
Venuh said India's policy of building bridges with the military rulers of Burma is part of its strategic plan to crush movements in northeast India states.
Besides bilateral trade, India and Burma, in recent years, have stepped up military cooperation with India supplying military hardware and providing technical expertise.
In exchange for armament, India has demanded Burma flush out Indian insurgents operating from northwestern Burma.
On Monday, Amnesty International said India plans to supply Burma Advanced Light Helicopters, which is made up of components from European Union member countries. AI said India's plan threaten the EU's arms embargo on the military ruled Southeast Asian country.
However, Venuh said, the Naga movement, encompassing Nagas living in northwestern Burma, will continue a step at a time.
"We are one, so once we achieve this side [the Indian side] we are not going to leave them [Nagas in Burma] to fend for themselves," said Venuh. However, he admitted that there are difficulties in launching a movement under military rule and that has to come phase by phase.
Nagas, an ethnic minorities living both in Burma and India have long struggled to create an independent state that will include parts of India and Burma . The move for independence has been led by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, which waged an armed insurgency.
However, in the late 1980s the NSCN split into two factions, with the Isak-Muivah led NSCN leading the struggle in India and Khaplang led NSCN leading it in Burma.
In August 1997, the NSCN I-M entered into a ceasefire agreement with the government of India and launched a peace process to end India's longest running insurgency.
With the decade long ceasefire agreement expiring this month, Naga civil society groups are concerned over the prospects between the outfit and government of India.
Speaking at the "Convention on Indo-Naga Political Dialogue", held in New Delhi, Naga civil societies voiced their concerns and agreed to have a more sustainable and cohesive networking and enlarging a pressure group for progress in Indo-Naga peace talks.
Meanwhile, the NSCN in a statement issued on Thursday asserted its opposition to any idea, programme, policy or ideology which leads to disintegration of the Naga homeland in any way, whether as a 'union territory' or a separate state.
It states, "…all Nagas are totally against all artificial boundaries including the so-called international boundaries between Myanmar [Burma ] and India."
Nagaland on a high OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
New Delhi, July 26: The Centre today approved introduction of helicopter services in Nagaland to facilitate faster movement of people in the northeastern state.
A decision to this effect was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi said the home ministry would bear two third of the actual cost of operation of the chopper service and the rest would be met by Kohima. He said the overall ceiling of flying hours for the proposed service would be fixed at 40 hours per month.