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11/11/2007: "Unity should be taken seriously The Morung Express"
Unity should be taken seriously The Morung Express
Dimapur, November 10 (MExN): The Naga International Support Centre (NISC) while responding to the NSCN (K)’s accusation that the UNPO and NISC are mouthpieces of the NSCN (IM), stated in a press statement that unity among the Nagas is extremely important; that embarking on a journey to unity and reconciliation should be taken seriously.
Responding to Mulatonu, who recently told a newspaper that the UNPO and NISC should first come and meet the NSCN (K), the NISC pointed out the problem of getting a visa to come to India. “It is well known that the secretary of NISC a board member of NISC cannot get a visa for India. Can NSCN-Khaplang do something about that or does Mr. Mulatonu suggest the venue for such reconciliation initiative could be in the Netherlands or a third country,” the NISC suggested.
The NISC questioned that “when the Khaplang group decides both organizations are mouthpieces of the NSCN-IM they cannot be impartial but will back up the NSCN-IM. On the basis of its supposed prejudice it is our understanding that this implication can only lead to disaster.” On the question of the NSCN (IM) giving up the Naga sovereignty issue from their peace talks, the release remarked, “It is our understanding that the NSCN-IM never squandered sovereignty.”
Furthermore, the NISC mentioned that one of the board members of NISC received a ‘death threat on which NISC reacted if only to deplore the move’. However, the release lamented that the NSCN (K) neither withdrew that threat nor communicated on matters leading to the ‘mentioned prejudices’. “We suggest to officially remove that threat before we can even consider to initiate talks on unity and reconciliation,” the release said.
In this connection, the NISC asserted that if Mulatonu is sincere in his desire to have UNPO and NISC to initiate the process of peace and unity among the Naga groups then nothing stops him from contacting UNPO or NISC. “Unity among the Nagas we agree is extremely important; because of its importance invitations to embark on a journey to unity and reconciliation should be taken seriously”.
Consequently the NISC invited the NSCN-K to get in touch with them through email or telephone for a serious proposition.
Invitation for unity and reconciliation among the Nagas taken seriously by NISC Kuknalim.com
Quoting Nagaland Page, a local daily, Mulatonu said “to push forward for unity and reconciliation first the NSCN (IM) support groups like Unrepresented Nations and People's Organization (UNPO) and Naga International Support Centre (NISC) to first come forward...
and initiate the move.” ‘UNPO, which the NSCN (IM) is also an affiliated member, is based at The Hague, while NISC is based in The Netherlands. According to him both the organizations have been the mouthpiece and supportive of the NSCN (IM) without feeling the pulses of the Naga people at home "These two organizations should first come and meet us," the Naga rebel leader insisted but warned: "We can't unite with NSCN (IM) if they have dropped demand for sovereignty. If we merge with the group, which has dropped sovereignty issue, it would be a loss to the Naga people.”
The Naga International Support Center lauds the stimulating remarks of the NSCN-Khaplang Group but before embarking on such important project weighs the words of Mr. Mulatonu carefully and has a few questions and remarks:
First - when the Khaplang group decides both organizations are mouthpieces of the NSCN-IM they cannot be impartial but will back up the NSCN-IM. On the basis of its supposed prejudice it is our understanding that this implication can only lead to disaster
Second - the shot before the bow devoid of substantiation is that the NSCN-IM dropped the sovereignty issue, the most important issue for the Nagas indeed. This too is a prejudiced remark and when implied too an invite to come together for talks on unity and reconciliation cannot be fruitful. It is our understanding that the NSCN-IM never squandered sovereignty
Third - it is well known that the secretary of NISC a board member of NISC cannot get a visa for India. Can NSCN-Khaplang do something about that or does Mr. Mulatonu suggest the venue for such reconciliation initiative could be in the Netherlands or a third country? It is possible to send other board members to India or Burma. Is that what Mr. Mulatonu wants? We know it impossible to meet in troubled Burma sin spite of the fact that there are military camps of NSCN Khaplang there.
Fourth - One of the board members of NISC received a death threat on which NISC reacted if only to deplore the move, but NSCN Khaplang never withdrew that threat nor did it communicate on matters leading to the mentioned prejudices. We suggest to officially remove that threat before we can even consider to initiate talks on unity and reconciliation.
NISC concludes that if Mr. Mulatonu is sincere in his desire to have UNPO and/or NISC initiating the process of peace and unity among the Naga groups then nothing stops him from contacting UNPO or NISC. Considering these four points the Naga International Support Center cannot but conclude that Mr. Mulatonu is busy creating confusion among the Nagas. Unity among the Nagas we agree is extremely important; because of its importance invitations to embark on a journey to unity and reconciliation should be taken seriously. Consequently we invite the NSCN-Khaplang group to get in touch with us through email nisc@nagalim.nl or phone 0031 651570695 for a proposition.
We are available and appreciate you when you are serious!
Invitation to initiate unity and reconciliation among the Nagas taken up seriously by the Naga International Support Center Nagarealm.com
Naga International Support Center, NISC
A human rights organization
Amsterdam, November 10 2007
Invitation to initiate unity and reconciliation among the Nagas taken up seriously by the Naga International Support Center Quoting Nagaland Page, a local daily, Mulatonu said “to push forward for unity and reconciliation first the NSCN (IM) support groups like Unrepresented Nations and People's Organization (UNPO) and Naga International Support Centre (NISC) to first come forward and initiate the move.” ‘UNPO, which the NSCN (IM) is also an affiliated member, is based at The Hague, while NISC is based in The Netherlands. According to him both the organizations have been the mouthpiece and supportive of the NSCN (IM) without feeling the pulses of the Naga people at home "These two organizations should first come and meet us," the Naga rebel leader insisted but warned: "We can't unite with NSCN (IM) if they have dropped demand for sovereignty. If we merge with the group, which has dropped sovereignty issue, it would be a loss to the Naga people.”
The Naga International Support Center lauds the stimulating remarks of the NSCN-Khaplang Group but before embarking on such important project weighs the words of Mr. Mulatonu carefully and has a few questions and remarks:
First - when the Khaplang group decides both organizations are mouthpieces of the NSCN-IM they cannot be impartial but will back up the NSCN-IM. On the basis of its supposed prejudice it is our understanding that this implication can only lead to disaster
Second - the shot before the bow devoid of substantiation is that the NSCN-IM dropped the sovereignty issue, the most important issue for the Nagas indeed. This too is a prejudiced remark and when implied too an invite to come together for talks on unity and reconciliation cannot be fruitful. It is our understanding that the NSCN-IM never squandered sovereignty
Third - it is well known that the secretary of NISC a board member of NISC cannot get a visa for India. Can NSCN-Khaplang do something about that or does Mr. Mulatonu suggest the venue for such reconciliation initiative could be in the Netherlands or a third country? It is possible to send other board members to India or Burma. Is that what Mr. Mulatonu wants? We know it impossible to meet in troubled Burma sin spite of the fact that there are military camps of NSCN Khaplang there.
Fourth - One of the board members of NISC received a death threat on which NISC reacted if only to deplore the move, but NSCN Khaplang never withdrew that threat nor did it communicate on matters leading to the mentioned prejudices. We suggest to officially remove that threat before we can even consider to initiate talks on unity and reconciliation.
NISC concludes that if Mr. Mulatonu is sincere in his desire to have UNPO and/or NISC initiating the process of peace and unity among the Naga groups then nothing stops him from contacting UNPO or NISC. Considering these four points the Naga International Support Center cannot but conclude that Mr. Mulatonu is busy creating confusion among the Nagas for Unity among the Nagas we agree is extremely important; because of its importance invitations to embark on a journey to unity and reconciliation should be taken seriously. Consequently we invite the NSCN-Khaplang group to get in touch with us through email nisc@nagalim.nl or phone 0031 651570695 for a proposition . We are available and appreciate you when you are serious!
Nagas at the crossroad: Rio Correspondent Nagaland Post
Kohima, Nov 10 (NPN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said the Nagas were currently at the crossroad of their lives.
Addressing the 24th annual day of Angami Gazetted Officers’ Krotho at Indira Gandhi Stadium at Ruleizou here on Saturday, Rio said the present trend suggested that Nagas should work together and maintain the good relationship with one another. He urged the people to maintain peace and build friendship. He also called upon the Naga officers to have broader vision irrespective of their political affiliation and inclination.
Reminding that economy is the backbone of any society, Rio said if one sought to improve one’s own economy then one must bring about private as well as individual development. “We should know how to earn, save and invest,” he said.
Commenting about the Angami tribe, the chief minister said though the Angamis were members of one of the most blessed tribes who had led the Nagas from the fore-front in many fields, yet they had some weaknesses which were visible at some point of time. He called upon the Angamis to self introspect and change their attitude and mindset besides learning to respect the elders. Earlier, Congress legislator KV Pusa said the Angamis had an important role to play in bringing about peace and unity among the Nagas. He urged the Angami officers working in different departments to give their best efforts towards the betterment of the society.
Also speaking, president of Nagaland Contractors and Suppliers’ Union Pele Khrezhie stressed on the need for more such gatherings of the Angamis for better acquaintance.
Congress legislator Rokonicha, former minister Seyiekuolie Kesiezie, APO president Mhiesizokho Zinyu and president of Tenyimi Union ZM Sekhose also addressed the gathering.
The welcome address was delivered by AGOK advisor Norman Putsure. The highlights included some special numbers.
Manipur MLAs warned against links with militants Sentinel
IMPHAL, Nov 11: The Manipur government has warned of stern action against lawmakers if they were found hobnobbing with separatist militants, officials said on Sunday.
The warning follows a series of police raids on official residences of State legislators in the capital city of Imphal in recent months and arrests of hardcore militants sheltered by politicians.
“The government would immediately withdraw personal security guards from the house of any MLA found providing shelter to militants. Legal action would also be initiated against anybody found aiding or abetting militancy,” a senior government official said.
The decision was taken earlier this week at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.
Commandos of the Special Manipur police last week raided the official residence of Borajao, a sitting CPI MLA, in Imphal and arrested a hardcore militant of the outlawed People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Prepak).
Similarly, on Aug 11, the police raided the official residences of Congress party MLAs Brajabidhu Singh, Bijoy Koijam and K Meghachandra and apprehended 12 militants, mostly of the Kanglei Yawoi Kanna Lup (KYKL) group and seized from them a huge cache of arms and ammunitions.
Politician-militant nexus in Manipur is not new. The state has been home to about 19-odd rebel armies whose demand range from secession to greater autonomy to the right to self-determination.
As usual, the politicians deny the charges when questioned by the police.
“They were all construction workers from my constituency brought to Imphal for renovation of my official residence,” Brajabidhu Singh told the police when asked how the KYKL rebels entered his residence.
Bijoy Koijam had a similar excuse. “The militant arrested from my residence is my driver and he had since long joined the mainstream after shunning insurgency,” Koijam was reported to have told the investigators. (IANS)
North-east rebel groups trying to forge united front Separatists launch Pan-Mongoloid group Sentinel
KOHIMA, Nov 11: Three separatist rebel groups in India’s northeast have launched a fresh initiative to activate a pan-Mongoloid grouping it had floated in 1990 for a joint revolutionary struggle in the Indo-Myanmar region, a rebel leader said Sunday.
“We had a meeting last year in Thailand attended by rebel leaders from the northeast to revamp the Indo-Burma Revolutionary Front (IBRF). Details are being worked out,” Kughalo Mulatonu, a top leader of the SS Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K), told IANS.
The IBRF was formed on May 22, 1990, by a frontline rebel group in Manipur, the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), along with other insurgent groups operating in the region like the NSCN-K and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). The coalition was then aimed at waging a “united struggle for the independence of Indo-Burma,” but failed to act as a cohesive grouping and gradually became defunct.
“Representatives from the NSCN-K, ULFA and the UNLF attended the meeting in Thailand. Other groups like the People’s Liberation Army, People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Prepak) and the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), all operating in Manipur state, have also expressed their desire to come under the grouping,” Mulatonu said.
Asked whether the rebel groups have plans to intensify their insurrection against the government under a common platform, Mulatonu said: “The idea is not to launch a joint campaign against India or Burma (Myanmar). The idea is to usher in greater unity among the people in the region.”
The NSCN-K leader, however, warned that if India and Myanmar were to push the rebels to the wall with continued military offensives, they would be compelled to strike back with a vengeance.
“If we are not disturbed, we shall work for unity among those living in the region under our new grouping that will be a federal front,” Mulatonu said. The grouping will have a new name. “We are awaiting opinions from our other likely partners like the PLA, Prepak and KYKL before we formalise the nomenclature and other details of the grouping,” the rebel leader said. Coalitions among insurgent groups in the northeast have come up from time to time, mainly to act as force multipliers to offset the sustained and coordinated counter-insurgency operations by the security forces. In the mid-90s, the Isak-Muivah faction of the NSCN had taken the initiative to form similar fronts. The idea was aimed at turning its war against the Indian state into a war of the nationalities of the region. To achieve this objective, the NSCN(IM) formed the ULFSS (United Liberation Front of Seven Sisters) in 1993 and SDUFSEHR (Self-Defence United front of the South-East Himalayan Region) in November 1994. These two groupings too do not seem to be active now. (IANS)
The Junta’s Heart Editorial Sentinel
Detained Myanmar Opposition leader and one of the most ardent champions of democracy in the world, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been quoted by National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesman Nyan Win as saying that the military rulers of Myanmar have, of late, become ‘‘serious’’ about changes in the country and are ‘‘really willing to work for national reconciliation’’. The Myanmar junta, known for barbaric measures to quell pro-democracy movements, has been criticized worldwide for its crackdown on even the silently protesting Buddhist monks in September. Now there are indications that the September suppression of a just pro-democracy movement in the streets of capital Yangon might have boomeranged on the junta, forcing it to change its stratagem. If what Suu Kyi has said is true — that the junta has had a change of heart and is, therefore, willing to work for some sort of a national reconciliation — and if the junta wants to effect changes in Myanmar not because it would let the generals rule the country peacefully, but primarily because they want their country to come out of seclusion and move with the rest of the world, there is a ray of hope for the people of Myanmar. These people have long been witness to the loot of their nation by their own rulers and, of course, to the abyss that the military generals have pushed their motherland to. Suu Kyi, who has spent 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest but remained undaunted in her spirit in the quest for democracy, will have to negotiate with the junta very carefully. This is so because military rulers, who have enjoyed the taste of loot of their country’s wealth and who are motivated by the sheer greed of power without having to bother about the plight of their countrymen, make shrewd bargains. Their adroitness also lies in gimmickry when faced with difficult times, and the time now is indeed difficult for the Myanmar junta. The junta is not so foolish as not to read between the lines of democracy in a fast-changing world order whose salience is the call of peoples for democratic rights and freedom. However, the junta would not relinquish power so readily; it would try its best to make a few changes here and there which might prove to be cosmetic later on. Therefore, as long as the generals are at the helm of affairs at Yangon, Suu Kyi cannot — and must not — rest. Her crusade must go on.
