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03/28/2008: "Reconciliation Forum plea to factions Nagaland Post"

Reconciliation Forum plea to factions Nagaland Post

DIMAPUR, MARCH 26 (NPN): The Forum for Naga Reconciliation comprising of apex tribal bodies and organizations has with "renewed spirit and commitment" urged the various underground factions to abide by the ceasefire agreement signed between them under the aegis of GBs and DBs. The Forum in a press release also appealed Nagas to desist from any "unwanted patterns and behaviours", which would disturb the peaceful co-existence of the communities in towns and villages, thereby affecting business community, educational institutions and citizens in general.
The Forum consisting of apex organizations including Naga Hoho, Eastern Naga People's Organization (ENPO), Eastern Naga Students' Federation (ENSF), Eastern Naga Students' Association (ENSA), GBs & DBs Federation Nagaland, Naga Women Union Manipur (NWUM), United Naga Council Manipur (UNC), All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM), Naga Mothers' Association (NMA), Naga Students' Federation (NSF), Naga People's Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Shisha Hoho office bearers and Naga Peace Convention speakers, which was formed in the Naga Peace Convention held on February 22-24 at Kohima, at its meeting held Tuesday (March 25) further called upon responsible leaders to be vigilant of their own cadres towards any unwanted act (s) carried out on their own behalf.
"In this regard, the public is already very unhappy and take such unwanted acts in towns, villages and highways with seriousness," the Forum said and requested tribal community elders, leaders and citizens to be vigilant and discipline the undisciplined, be it "underground" or "overground." The Forum also called upon law enforcement agencies -the police and particularly the Indian security forces not to indulge in Naga political affairs with clandestine design and added the Naga nation had "suffered too much for too long under such designs."
Meanwhile, the Forum for Naga Reconciliation resolved that a 'Working Committee' for Naga reconciliation would be worked out at the earliest, basing solely on "the Historical and Political rights of the Nagas towards a peaceful political settlement with India," and in this regard, urged all "factions" and Nagas to render undivided loyalty towards the common vision. The Forum requested Dr. Wati Aier to be the Forum convenor for a period of time.
Chance for peace SUSHANTA TALUKDAR Frontline
The Democratic Alliance of Nagaland is re-elected to power, but the coalition is under pressure to keep each one of its legislators happy. PTI
THE results of the March 5 Assembly elections in Nagaland shattered any hope the Congress may have had about capturing power in the north-eastern State. The arithmetic was in favour of the Neiphiu Rio-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN). The DAN was short of the majority mark by one seat but had no difficulty in mobilising the support of independents to cobble up the magic figure of 31 in a House of 60.
Neiphiu Rio (right) being sworn in as Chief Minister by Governor K. Sankaranarayanan in Kohima on March 12. A 12-member DAN Ministry headed by Rio was sworn in by Governor K. Sankaranarayanan at the Raj Bhavan in Kohima on March 12, after the Union Cabinet recommended revocation of President’s Rule to pave the way for the formation of a new government. In order to prevent any attempt by the Congress to wean away those legislators who had been left out of the new Ministry, 13 DAN legislators were inducted as Parliamentary Secretaries immediately after the Rio Ministry took the oath of office. One of the four independents supporting the DAN has been rewarded with a Cabinet berth while two others have been made Parliamentary Secretaries.
Rio’s Nagaland People’s Front (NPF), the major constituent of the DAN, emerged stronger in the elections: it won 26 seats to become the single largest party in the new Assembly. The regional party improved its tally by seven seats from the 19 it won in the 2003 polls. Two other constituents of the DAN, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), secured two seats each. The Congress, which contested from all the 60 constituencies, won 23 seats, two more than its previous score.
The BJP won seven seats in the previous elections. It was allotted four seats this time in a pre-poll agreement. The NPF fielded 56 candidates and in 19 seats it was involved in “friendly contests” with the BJP. This experiment seems to have benefited the NPF as it prevented non-NPF votes from going to Congress candidates. In Assam, a similar experiment in the 2001 Assembly polls had cost the BJP and the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), both allies, dear. None of the four women candidates got elected this time. Ironically, the declaration of results coincided with the International Women’s Day.
Neiphiu Rio was re-elected from the Northern Angami constituency, by a huge margin of 10,761 votes, for the fifth time. Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader I. Imkong was re-elected by a margin of 3,926 votes from the Jangpetkong constituency and former Congress Chief Minister K.L. Chisi won from the Dimapur–I constituency by a margin of 2,311 votes.
The polling recorded a high turnout, with 86.8 per cent of the 13,02,266 voters exercising their franchise. In the 2003 elections, the turnout was 87.79 per cent.
Barring some stray incidents, polling was by and large peaceful. However, during the run-up to the polls, the parties alleged that cadre of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, Khaplang faction, had resorted to intimidation of candidates. The NSCN(I-M) said the Naga political cause was more important and the organisation would not compromise its principles by participating in the elections held under the “Indian Constitution”.
The NSCN (Khaplang) asked all underground organisations not to involve themselves in any manner in the elections. The Naga National Council (NNC) had conducted a poster campaign against the elections across the State.
The results of the polls have proved media analysts wrong. They had built their election coverage around predicting the outcome on the basis of pro- and anti-incumbency factors, which was nothing but an oversimplification of a complex process. The bad condition of the 74-kilometre stretch of National Highway 74, linking Dimapur and Kohima, and frequent power breakdowns in the capital city and acute power shortage in most other parts of the State, two extreme instances of lack of basic infrastructure, were sufficient grounds to reject the DAN, on the basis of the anti-incumbency factor. But the political behaviour of voters was determined by the NPF’s main poll plank – the imposition of President’s Rule.
RITU RAJ KONWAR

At the Forest Clooney booth in Dimapur-I constituency on March 5. Nagaland recorded a voter turnout of 86.8 per cent.
The “illegal dismissal of the DAN government by the Congress” evoked a huge response among voters and the results have indicated that this issue overshadowed the Congress’ campaign against the “corruption” and “misrule of the DAN government”.
State Congress leaders felt that, contrary to expectations, the imposition of President’s Rule did not benefit the party. They attribute the party’s defeat to the dissatisfaction among those who were denied the ticket. Inclusion of defectors from the NPF in the candidates’ list certainly added to the disgruntlement. Six NPF defectors got elected on the Congress ticket.
The NPF claims that the DAN would have won more seats had President’s Rule not been imposed on January 3, one month before the government could complete its full term. The proclamation of Central rule brought an end to a seven-month-long political drama marked by a series of defections and resignations.
Rio contended that President’s Rule was imposed to allow the Congress to misuse the government machinery in electioneering. On the political side, the return of the DAN at the helm is expected to give a push to the ongoing Naga peace process between the NSCN(I-M) and the Government of India.
Rio said that his government would continue to act as facilitator in the process and put pressure on New Delhi to expedite the talks. He said the resolution of the Naga problem would bring permanent peace to Nagaland, which, he believed, was essential for any development activity.
Immediately after the swearing-in ceremony, Rio announced that the DAN would constitute a Political Affairs Committee to contact all underground outfits and civil society groups with the objective of fostering unity among all sections of the Naga family. The Chief Minister also said that the DAN government would give priority to the policy of “peace for development and development for peace”, the policy it had pursued in its previous term. The DAN also harped on the “integration of contiguous Naga inhabited areas”, which is also the declared policy of the NPF. The Congress too had raised the issue of “integration of Naga-inhabited areas”, but the voters were perhaps not convinced about its intentions as the party talked about the implementation of the unimplemented clauses of the historic 16-point agreement signed between the Government of India and the erstwhile Naga People’s Convention in July 1960.
RITU RAJ KONWAR

A poster that appeared in Kohima as part of the anti-election campaign of the Naga National Council, an underground militant outfit.
Clause 13 of the agreement states that “the other Naga tribes inhabiting the areas contiguous to the present Nagaland be allowed to join Nagaland if they so desire”, but there has been no direct commitment from the Centre about its implementation.
The NPF, on the other hand, did not restrict itself to the idea of integration of the Naga-inhabited areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur. It went a step further to promise voters that it would urge the Centre to seek due recognition for the Naga people living in Myanmar, an issue already made popular by the NSCN(I-M). This gave the NPF an edge over the Congress. The NSCN(I-M) has raised the issue relentlessly in the course of its peace negotiations with the Centre in the past 10 years. During his election campaign in the State, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a commitment that the Congress was “willing to go the extra mile” to find an honourable solution to the vexed Naga problem and bring long-lasting peace to the State. The DAN government is likely to use this offer to pressure the Centre to resolve the Naga political issue.
The Congress did not stake its claim to form the government as it did not have the numbers. However, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee president, Hokheto Sumi, said the party would “wait and see”, pointing out that the DAN government was a coalition and not a single-party government. “The Congress should take advantage of that fact,” he said.
With the Congress keeping a vigil, Rio will be under pressure to keep every DAN legislator happy to ensure the stability of his government.
No confusion and controversy in NNC leaders’ election: LRC morungexpress Dimapur,
The “real” Lotha Regional Council (LRC) officials of the Naga national Council (NNC) today said that it is in total support of new and capable leadership of NNC whom they (LRC) had seconded the nomination and voted for election on February 13 and 14, 2008 NNC Meeting for Election and said that there is no confusion or controversy in this matter of election of the NNC leaders.
A press statement received here from the ‘real Lotha Regional Council (LRC) officials’, which was appended by six leader including the NNC, LRC
President, Eshithung Ennio, while referring to an article issued by ‘one fake Vice President of Lotha Regional Council NNC namely Apongo Lotha’ in the local media on March 28, strongly condemned the ‘fake vice president’ and said that ‘this is a serious offence committed by Apongo Lotha who shamelessly claimed to be the Vice President, LRC’.
Saying that the Lotha people and the NNC in particular know who the real Regional Office Bearers in the Region are, the release asserted that no body can confuse and mislead the Naga people and the NNC in this matter.
Also asserting that the very intention of such person is to confuse and mislead the Naga people and the NNC in particular, the release stated that the Lotha Regional Council is in total support of new and capable leadership of NNC whom it had seconded the nomination and voted for election.
“In fact, everything was done according to the norms and procedures of Election and the Constitution in a big gathering officially and publicly unlike in the past.
Therefore, there is no confusion or controversy in this matter of Election of the NNC leaders,” the release asserted and added that they are the voters and witnesses ‘to this free and fair election of new leadership’.
While fully justifying the election of Dr Senka Yaden and his Officials, the release stated that Dr. Senka is an old and real NNC member who supervised, conducted and participated in the 1951 Plebiscite of the Nagas which is the main pillar of the Naga political right known to the World. It added that Dr Senka is a top and famous Scientist of the World who can do a lot in the International arena for the Nagas.
In this regard, the Lotha Regional Council's prayed God to bless Dr. Senka Yaden and his Officials abundantly for the cause of the Naga people and live long for the glory of God.
Regarding the Ao Regional Council knowledge and consent, the LRC, NNC maintained that except for Teka Soyah, all the Central Executive Council members from the Ao Region participated in the Election and that this Election is the NNC Central's matter and programme, therefore it has nothing to do with any Regional Council for that matter.
In fact, Teka Soyah was expelled from the Vice Presidentship of NNC during Late Reverend Merhupfu Kent's leadership also because of not attending Central Executive Council Meetings for several times without reason. And also Teka Soyah as the President of Ao Regional Council was suspended for not attending NNC Meetings for some years without any reasons during Gen. (Retd) I. Panger's Tenure too, the Lotha REgional council of the NNC stated..
In this regard the relesae stated that the NNC has nothing to do with such person and added that what the NNC Central said about him is right and supported by the Lotha Regional Council in this matter.
“The Lotha Regional Council must say that out of jealousy some few vested persons are doing all this nasty publicity to tarnish the good deeds of NNC. The LRC condemned all these dirty politics,” it stated.
Speech of Dr. Senka Yaden, President, NNC- Nagaland Post
Dear Naga people,
On behalf of the NNC, it is a joy and a blessing to greet you on this Day-22nd March in commemoration of the Declaration of the Naga Republic Day in 1956. Every year we receive the Presidential message of encouragement and historical significance of this day. At the present stage of our history we have yet to attain full Independent Sovereign Nation Status. Notwithstanding, it serves as a reminder of who we are and what we stand for and our glorious history of our fight for liberty and freedom. The hope for a better future inspires us and makes us proud of our heritage.
On this day let us honor our leaders, martyrs, National workers who have made sacrifices including their lives for the sacred cause of liberty. In their remembrance, let us rededicate ourselves to the unfinished task of fulfilling the National aspirations of the Naga people.
To all who have suffered and endured the Naga experience, NNC represents the Parent Body that embodies the tenets of the paths and foundations laid for us by our founding fathers. Join us in the fight for faith, hope and joy for all generations of the Nagas.
I have taken the liberty to share with you the NNC Mission Statement and the National Goals based upon my own understanding and personal experience. We will be happy to engage, explore, examine, experiment and evaluate any issue for the Love of Nagaland.
NNC Mission Statement
The Naga Nation is staked upon the foundation of Moral and Christians principles. The Naga National Council (NNC) is the primary institution that represents the basic philosophy of Naga Nationalism. The mission of the NNC is to establish a Peaceful Independent Sovereign Christian Country. Every Naga is a privileged member of the NNC.
National goals
To protect, preserve and defend the history, integrity and the sacred inheritance of our land.
To establish a new tradition of "harmony in heritage" by embracing the past.
To reaffirm the Naga Mandate - The Plebiscite of 1951 and the Naga Yehzabo.
To defend the moral rights of our land, family, home, posterity, and culture.
To unite and live as one land, one nation, one people in peace and liberty.
To declare that Naga problems require Naga solutions.
At this present distracted stage, the cruelest thing is to destroy the history of the nation and the stories of the people. The Naga experience is written in the minds and hearts of the people who have suffered in the sacred cause of freedom.
I believe that our country has been preserved these many years because of God's grace and purpose. Let us then get back to worshiping and depending on Him to "heal our land". Solution for Nagaland is in the hands of God (2 Chronicles 7:14)
On this Naga Republic Day, I am emotional and grateful for the opportunity to express pride and honor of my Naga heritage. Our ancestors lived in villages where each village was a small republic worthy of self government in the purest form of democracy. My faith in the Naga people has been vindicated. Our mission is to unite not to divide, to build up not to destroy. We must plan for victory, not to plot for defeat.
Let us unite and work together to give the best we have to our Nation.
Come On Young People! Think, Act, and Be "Be a Man among Men. Be a Nation among Nations" (A.Z. Phizo)
This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Let us celebrate this day of March 22, 2008 to honor Naga freedom warriors.
May god bless Nagaland. Kuknalim
Open Letter to Naga Christian leaders- Nagaland Post
The Vankhosung Baptist Church would like to bring forth the unbiblical and crime against the Church, Rev. Nrio Ezung, the Executive Secretary. The main culprit is herewith requested to reply the below 14 charter of demands within 10 days from the date of this notification
1. On what ground you have put the change of Vankhosung Baptist Church's nomenclature to the Executive Comm. KBES without the consent of VBC.
2. Under what circumstances you have insult the Church of God, using abusive word as "pretended to be a Church" (Kilato)
3. On what ground you have mixed up the VBC Jubilee with that of Association (KBES) Jubilee.
4. On what ground you have disregarded time and date of the establishment of VBC in the presence of the founding members.
5. On what ground the VBC 50 year's jubilee was prevented.
6. On what ground VBC was not allowed to celebrate 50 years jubilee within the premises of Mission Compound.
7. On what ground erecting of Jubilee memorial stone and church's history was prohibited.
8. On what ground you have prevented KBES employees and their children's to participate in the jubilee.
9. On what ground WBC Students are prevented to participate in the jubilee.
10. On what ground you have prohibited the KBES staff to contribute their tithes and offerings to VBC for one year. (It is totally against the Bible and The KBPS Constitution).
11. On what ground the VBC was converted to chapel.
12. Under what circumstances you have dedicated the newly KBES purchased vehicles (Bolero) when the usual Wednesday church service was worshipping by the believers of VBC.
13. On what ground you have prepared alone Rev. L. L. Kikon's ordination programme without him and without the recommendation letter from the concern church? Which is too coinciding with Palm Sunday programmes utterly disregarding the great historical events of Christian don all over the world.
14. Why you have disregarded the site allotment of VBC building in 1960 by 12 Lotha Christian Association Leaders.
Dr. N. Y. Mozhui, Pastor Vankhosung Baptist Church Wokha : Nagaland.
Bhutan will not hesitate to act against NE rebels morungexpress
Thimphu, March 26 (PTI): Bhutan's new government will not hesitate to carry out a 2003-like operation against Indian insurgents if they sneak into its territory, the Bhutanese party which swept to power in the country's first general election said today.
The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT), which will form the first elected government in Bhutan, said there won't be much change to the erstwhile kingdom's foreign policy with its two giant neighbours India and China with whom it had "excellent" relations. "Both India and China are important neighbours and we will continue to maintain excellent relations with them," party spokesman Palden Tshering said.
"Our foreign policy is very clear. Our relations with India for decades have been of bonhomie and there won't be any change in that approach," former foreign secretary Ugyen Tshering said. Ugyen denied reports of presence of camps of northeast rebels in southern Bhutan. "These are not true and even if militants try to sneak into our country, we will not hesitate to do what we did in 2003," he said.
Bhutan had evicted ULFA, NDFB and KLO militants through a military operation in 2003 and destroyed nearly 15 of their camps during the "Operation All Clear". Among the prized catch were senior ULFA adviser Bhimkanta Buragohain and publicity secretary Mithinga Daimary.
Former Prime Minister Yeshey Zimba, who won from the South Thimphu constituency, said Bhutan will never allow Indian insurgents on its soil.
Requires to do by the Ministers & MLA’s morungexpress
•Sir-Due to the gaffe created during the state assembly election in selecting the leaders, lots of harm can be done to the state affairs which may raze both the body and soul. When the election season comes, even the church leaders feel as if Satan will easily subject to them and so they come out with lots of better regulations for the church.
On the other hand, Satan also with all his effort, flatters and work as he like - with money and with lie, he chooses leaders, and hazerise the Nagas. For years and years Satan has been applying this technique, yet till today the Christians are been bribed by him.
I want every Nagas to know that it is because of the mentioned above reason, day by day, the Nagas are becoming worse and worse. If we want the Nagas to be Satan’s, then we can venture along with him, but if we want to be for the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit then, today, before the destruction fully devour us, the Naga Christian leaders must immediately do something. We are at an age that we require to do and proclaim many things.
The Lord is with those who loves Him, obeys Him and fears Him (John l4:23).Therefore, if we choose those who fears God to be over our state, certainly the Lord will work through them, and peace and unity will flourish in our land. Not only that, but the long time political crisis that exists between India and Nagaland wont be difficult to get its settlement, why because nothing is impossible for God.
I. A Christian MLA, after he is elected, even in the assembly he must be able to faithfully work both for the Lord and for the state. He must speak what is needed to speak and must do what is needed to do. It is because he hesitates to acknowledge in the assembly the rights of God as well as the Naga’s, the Nagas are continually to the path of sin and also, many issues that are needed to be discussed between India and Nagaland are ignored. Thus, from every corner we are struck with problems and destructions.
2. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him,” (Proverbs 16:7). Therefore, if Ministers/MLAs with all possibilities try their best to let each single Naga please the Lord, then we will see peace and harmony among us.
3. Only through fasting and prayer, the bonds of wickedness will be loosed and every yoke will be broken (Isaiah 58:6). Therefore, to loose the bonds of Nagas’ wickedness and to undo the Nagas heavy burdens, ministers/MLAs are required to earnestly fast and pray, and wisely plan and work out.
4. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy, (Psalm 126:5). Nagas have talked much about sin and many lives were lost. Thus, if the ministers/MLAs shed their tears solemnly and plead to God and do the rightful works, then Nagas will once again see the joy and peace. If we carefully look in the Bible, the children of God took that way. Viewing all these, the Christian Democratic Party is very much concern.

A guided tour of 'outer' India Sify News
Maloy Krishna Dhar started life off as a junior reporter for Amrita Bazaar Patrika in Calcutta and a part-time lecturer. He joined the Indian Police Service in 1964 and was permanently seconded to the Intelligence Bureau.
During his long stint in the Bureau, Dhar saw action in almost all Northeastern States, Sikkim, Punjab and Kashmir. He also handled delicate internal political and several counterintelligence assignments. After retiring in 1996 as joint director, he took to freelance journalism and writing books. Titles credited to him are Open Secrets-India's Intelligence Unveiled, Fulcrum of Evil — ISI, CIA, al-Qaeda Nexus, and Mission to Pakistan. Maloy is considered a top security analyst and a social scientist who tries to portray Indian society through his writings.
Have you ever heard of places like Somdal, Chapkikarong, and Soraphung?
To many, they might not even sound Indian. But they are areas in the Indian State of Manipur.
The Indian Army and paramilitary forces took over three months (November 07 to February 2008) to partially recapture the sensitive Somdal area on the Indo-Myanmar border from hordes of Meitei (Manipuri Hindus) rebel groups.
Chapkikarong, a beautiful valley near the Burma border, is still infested by the Meitei and assorted Kuki rebel groups.
Soraphung, on the Manipur-Nagaland border, and close to Myanmar, is a stronghold of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) or NSCN (I-M).
The Naga imbroglio is a long story. But Manipur, where I conduct your tour now, is a far more complicated and longer story.
The kingdom of Manipur was merged with India in 1949. Since then, the Jewel of the East has rarely witnessed peace.
Several complicated factors contributed to the rise and consolidation of separatist outfits in Manipur since early sixties. The valley (700 sq miles) was mostly inhabited by Meitei Vaishnavite Hindus. The hills were traditional homes of assorted Naga tribes (about 15) and tribes of Kuki-Chin-Lushai origin (about 20). It is a vast, kaleidoscopic confluence of humans and bountiful nature.
I cannot guide you to Loktak, the Dal Lake of the East. The vastness, depth and rippling beauty of the water body has shrunk, and very few Siberian and Chinese birds migrate to the area during winter.
I cannot take you to Bishenpur (Vishnupur) to see the neglected 7th century Vishnu image created by the craftsmen of the Hindu Abha kingdom of Myanmar. Some stray terrorist bullets might hit you and me.
If I can manage a police escort, it may be possible to guide you to Moirang Lakeview, where Netaji Subhash Bose had set up Azad Hind Government’s headquarters on Indian soil. The memorial lies in neglect.
A drive up to the border smuggling towns of Tengnoupal and Tamu is fraught with danger. There are distinct possibilities of Naga, Kuki or Meitei underground gangs kidnapping us for a hefty ransom.
Would you like to travel to Tussom Khullen, Chassad and Toipoi? Rather risky. These tracts in Ukhrul’s Tangkhul Naga areas are administered by the NSCN (I-M) instead of the government of Manipur. You might have to pay local taxes to the Naga rebels for a bumpy journey to the remote villages on Myanmar borders.
However, the breathtaking beauty of the Ukhrul Naga Hills might tempt you to drop into a village, chat with the khullakpa (headman), witness wonderful dances and listen to Church carols. I wish I could guide you through the beautiful terrains in Ukhrul as well as Tamenglong and Thanlon-Parbung Hills.
However, I wouldn’t recommend setting up a business, take a government job or set up a professional practice either in the valley or in the hills.
The terrorists demand hefty monthly dues and casual “taxes” from all earning members. Besides professionals and traders, even ministers of and senior government officials are subjected to moral policing and heavy taxation.
During a recent visit to the valley, an old friend whispered that Manipur — perhaps like most other States in India — has a unique system of wealth sharing. Out of rupees one hundred, the political bosses take a cut of 25 per cent, the bureaucrats about 10 per cent, terrorists over 20 per cent.
But even the remaining 50 per cent does not reach the Aam Aadmi. Out of plan and non-plan budget, the lowest creatures in the democratic system can expect only 15 per cent of the allocated amount. The rest disappear in the jungles inhabited by animals called contractors, babus, local political dadas and fringe militants. Let us continue the tour with a visit to the colourful “Ima Keithel”, or shopping vends managed by women. The land of Chitrangada still practices steady participation by women in all spheres of life.
But I won’t dare taking you to Keisampat Leirak (lane) for a sumptuous Meitei feast, which often consists of 80 items of fish, vegetables and lentil eaten with sticky rice, with the finale of a plate of sweet black rice pudding. Not that the Meiteis are inhospitable. They are an excellent warm-hearted people. But neither I nor your Leirak host can assure your physical safety. You and I might end up at the wrong end of a Kalashnikov, or walk out only after paying a hefty ransom. However, I won’t disappoint you by denying you chance meetings with exquisitely beautiful Manipuri belles selling handloom products, as they go about in colourful dresses on their mopeds and bicycles.
Despite the multiple layers of dark clouds hanging over their heads and lives, the Meitei women keep their cool and greet you with smiling faces. But don’t even dream of making unsolicited advances. Meitei women are known for their valour and fighting mettle.
I might remind you of the Second Nupi (women) Lan (war) of Manipur. Nupi Lan is one of the important movements in the history of Manipuri women. It sowed the new seeds of economic and political reforms for a new Manipur in the early 1940s. It was started in 1939 as an agitation by Manipuri women against the oppressive economic and administrative policies of the Manipur Maharaja and the British Political Agent — Mr Gimson (1933-45) in Manipur. The incident later evolved into a movement for the constitutional and administrative reform in Manipur.
The role of Manipuri women in the agrarian economy of Manipur is crucial, right from the involvement in the production to the selling and marketing of food grains. They manage most of the internal trade of food and clothing and they hold a free standard of living in the society. They are the most important buyers and sellers in the main market Khwairamband Bazaar — a bazaar which was founded by Khagemba Maharaj in 1580, and which is also known as Ima Keithel. This bazaar was where Nupi Lan had initially started.
The Meitei women still maintain the tradition of Chitrangada, who had humbled the third Pandava, Arjun. I would advise you to be especially respectful to Meitei women and not treat them as chattel, as is the wont in other parts of urban-rural India.
That is another reason, besides the fear of insurgents, that prevents me to take you to some picture postcard village in Thoubal or Angou foothills to witness fabulous Manipuri dances like varieties of Pung Cholom (Ras Lila), Achouba Bhangi Pareng, Khrumba Bhangi Pareng, Lai Haraoba and Natrasankirtana etc. Manipuri dances have attained classical perfection and folk innovation. However, if you are lucky I can guide you to the Gobindji Temple, where traditional dances are performed during Basant Ras and other festivals. It might also be possible to guide you to Mao Songsong and the mountain heights below Japhu Hills, which often have fine layers of snow in the winters. The Naga tribes of Mao, Maram are very hospitable and you might be able to share a fine dinner of roasted pork, spicy venison, chunky beef, roasted bee larva, rice cooked inside hollowed bamboo stems served with madhu (mild rice beer) or ruhi (strong rice or millet beer). If you are lucky the village belles of Ruvunamei and Kalinamei might stage a colourful Naga dance in the courtyard of the village Church.
Dear visitors, I am not trying to either allure or frighten you. Manipur indeed is the Kashmir of the East, though several layers of lustre have peeled off during the last 60 years.
My hesitation in taking you deep into the beauties of Manipur arises out of the raging insurgency/terrorism in the valley and the hills. There are nearly 25 insurgent groups in the tiny State, including three headed by valley Muslims. Important Meitei insurgent groups are, Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF), People's Liberation Army (PLA), People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), and United National Liberation Front (UNLF).
The Meitei outfits, who want Manipur’s sovereignty restored, carry out their activities from bordering areas of Myanmar. They are well entrenched in the pats (villages), leikais (areas) and leiraks (lanes) and flourish in the heart of the State capital. Chances are, you did not read the news items about the explosion caused by the KYKL inside the State Assembly, the arrest of a few insurgents from the residence of a government minister, and similar incidents. After all, who cares about a part of ‘outer’ Indian territory called Manipur?
I don’t think your editor would spare more space to me to elaborate the deep-rooted reasons for a Hindu Vaishnava community taking up arms against a Hindu majority India. These are very complex issues which arose out of big brotherly attitude of the “mayangs” (outsider Indians), non- and bad governance, severe economic imbalance, an inability to strike a balance between the Valley Hindus and Hill tribals and to adequately and satisfactorily remove the Meitei fear of creation of a greater Nagaland (Nagalim), as demanded by the Naga insurgent outfits.
Most of these complexities arose out of Indian unconcern about the ‘outer’ Indian territories and lack of conscious efforts to integrate the remote areas with the mainland, while preserving the exquisite uniqueness of the civilisational, cultural and traditional legacies of the people of Manipur. Are you any wiser after having this? This is the simple reason that inspired me to give you a short guided tour of a tiny part of ‘outer’ India.
Your editor consenting, and you willing, I would offer my services to take you to other parts of ‘outer’ India, like Nagaland, Arunachal, Assam including the Karbi Anglong regions.
My generation of Indians is guilty of converting these integral parts of India to ‘outer’ India. I hope that all of you — particularly the younger generation — reading this will make conscious efforts to convert them to core territories of India, by visiting these places instead of madly rushing to Kullu, Manali, Ranikhet, and Srinagar and Ooty.
Welcome to this guided tour of 'outer' India. May your journey be a fulfilling one.
‘Ethnic nationalities’ join hands; demand repeal of AFSPA morungexpress
Various representatives of the ‘Ethnic Nationalities’ engage in a discussion to join hands on issues of common interest. The committee resolved to demand the withdrawal of the AFSPA and urged for the abolition of the death penalty.
Dimapur, March 26 (MExN): To strengthen the spirit of cooperation and to build effective coordination among the constituent units, an interim coordination committee was formed at a meeting of leaders and representatives of organizations from Kashmir, Punjab and the North-east, which was attended among others by JKLF chairman Yasin Malik and presided by Justice Retd. Ajit Singh Bains.
A press release recieved here informing that this committee has been formed as a result of the continuing deliberations starting with the seminar on rights of ethnic nationalities held in Chandigarh on December 8, 2007 which was organized by Dal Khalsa and attended by JKLF, APHC, NPMHR and PHRO. The decision was announced jointly by Prof S A R Geelani and Kanwarpal Singh at a press conference held at press club.
The release informed that after extensive deliberations on the civil and political rights situation in the respective areas, a number of decisions were taken and a resolution passed to expand the scope of the committee to include members from the North-east and other regional groups and movements struggling for peoples' rights.
Since the last six decades, various ethnic nationalities have been encountering repressive policies of the Indian state and all these groups have resolved to resist the same in a united manner, it stated.
In this regard, the release disclosed that interim coordination committee resolved to demand the release of all political prisoners in Kashmir, Punjab and northeast as well as in other parts of the country.
It also resolved to demand the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, the Disturbed Areas Act and other anti-people legislation. The meeting urged the Indian state to abolish death penalty from the statute. Pending the abolition of capital punishment, the death sentences of all prisoners, including political prisoners like Mohammed Afzal, Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, Jagtar Singh Hawara and Balwant Singh should be commuted to life imprisonment. Those prisoners, who are on the death row for an unreasonably long time, should be released immediately, the release stated.
The release also resolved to demand the withdrawal of widespread impunity and discretion granted to the army and the police, which the release maintained, has played havoc with human rights of people in respective areas, -in individual cases as well as gross abuse of peoples.
The interim Committee, in one of its first decisions, sent greetings to the people of Kosovo who were able to declare their independence after a century of subjugation and oppression, the release stated and added that the meeting also condemned the oppression of Tibetans in Lhasa by the Chinese police and military forces and urged the international community to intervene to uphold the rights of the people of Tibet. The first members of the interim committee are Prof. S. A. R. Geelani of Society for Protection of Detainees and Prisoners Rights, Sheikh Abdul Aziz, Executive Member (APHC), Mohammed Ashraf Lone, Adv. Head Human Rights Wing of All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Er. Ghulam Rasool Dar, General Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Navkiran Singh Advocate of Lawyers for Human Rights International and Kanwarpal Singh, general secretary of Dal Khalsa. Representatives of the Naga and Assam groups will be included in the committee in due course, the release added.