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07/03/2008: "Unification first step to solution: Wangtin (Page News Service)"

Unification first step to solution: Wangtin (Page News Service)

DIMAPUR, JULY 2: Top NSCN (K) leader, Y Wangtin Naga on Wednesday asserted that unification among all Nagas is the first step towards bringing about a lasting solution to the protracted Naga political issue.
Wangtin who represented the NSCN (K) in the Naga Peace Summit convened by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation at Chiangmai, Thailand, from June 22 to 26 last, also expressed optimism that the Chiangmai meet would herald the beginning of Naga unity.
Talking to newsmen after coming out of a crucial Ceasefire Supervisory Board (CFSB) meeting with representatives of Government of India here at the Chumukedima Police Complex, the NSCN (K) leader made it clear that unification among Nagas should be completely inclusive and broad based without excluding anybody.
"All Nagas are out brothers and sisters and we cannot exclude anyone from the unification process," he declared.
Wangtin Naga also asserted that the 'Naga issue' is not the issue of any Naga faction but it is an issue for all Nagas. He said no single faction can bring solution to the Indo-Naga issue.
"The NSCN (K) or the NSCN (IM) cannot single handedly bring solution to the Nagas. For any durable solution, every Nagas should be involved in the process," he added.

Centre nod to NSCN-K camp site OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Kohima, July 2: The Centre has permitted the Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) to establish a designated camp at Khehoi near Dimapur, members of the outfit said today.
At a meeting held between the NSCN (K) and government representatives at 7th Mile Chumukedima police complex in Dimapur, the chairman of the ceasefire supervisory board, M.L. Kumawat, said the Centre would allow the camp at Khehoi — not far from the destroyed Vihokhu camp.
The NSCN (I-M) overran the Vihokhu camp on June 26, inflicting heavy losses on its rival group. Nagaland commissioner H.K. Khulu, DGP J. Changkija, inspector-general of Assam Rifles K.S. Sethi and other top military and civil officials were present at the meeting. Wangtin Konyak, deputy kilonser for home affairs, led the NSCN (K) team.
However, the meeting with the NSCN (I-M), scheduled for 3.30pm, was cancelled after the members of the outfit refused to turn up despite repeated appeals from the government.
NSCN (I-M) leader Phungthing Shimrang said they would not attend any such meeting till Kumawat is replaced, stating his appointment was a unilateral decision of the Centre.
The NSCN (I-M) said it would not allow a designated camp of the NSCN (K) in Dimapur district because of the rise in extortion and abduction. The meeting also discussed the implementation of truce ground rules. Hokato Sumi, a member of the NSCN (K) ceasefire supervisory board, held the Centre responsible for the destruction of the camp at Vihokhu.
Sumi said the NSCN (K) was maintaining utmost restraint so as not to violate the truce ground rules, but this has not been reciprocated by the Centre.

Jami on ‘resignation’ Nagarealm.com
Dimapur, JUL01 [NPN] : Reacting to a news report carried by a local daily on reported resignation of senior kilonser of the ‘GPRN/NSCN’, AZ Jami from the ‘GPRN/NSCN’, Jami has lamented that he was misquoted on many occasions regarding his telephonic conversation with a correspondent.

Jami in press statement said o¬n Monday when a news correspondent had put up many queries over phone regarding his reported resignation, he had politely told the correspondent that he was presently not in a position to answer his queries. Jami said he had further told the correspondent that the latter could, if at all necessary, talk to ‘GPRN/NSCN’ general secretary Kitovi Zhimomi and emissary to collective leadership Kughalu Mulatonu.“As for me, I had already written in 2007 for voluntary retirement to chairman SS Khaplang and I am waiting his response. I never had said that I have quitted or left NSCN (K). I have been misquoted by press”, the senior kilonser added. Jami further said that he would “wait for the response of our chairman or unification of all the Naga groups, which ever is earlier.”

NSCN (IM) boycotts CFMG meeting (Page News Service)
DIMAPUR, JULY 2: The NSCN (IM) on Wednesday boycotted a meeting of the Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CFMG) with representatives of Government of India in protest against the unilateral appointment of Special Secretary (Home), ML Kumawat, as CFMG Chairman by Government of India.
The NSCN (IM) had earlier categorically rejected the appointment of Kumawat as the CFMG chairman saying the GoI had not consulted the outfit before the appointment of Kumawat.
Kumawat took over as the CFMG chairman on June 1 last from Lt Gen (Retd) Ramesh V Kulkarni. His appointment is temporary before the appointment of a permanent chairman.
The CFMG meeting on Wednesday at Chumukedima Police Complex was scheduled at 3:30 p.m. but no NSCN (IM) representatives turned up for the meeting till the scheduled time, forcing the authorities to cancel the meeting.
"We have to cancel the meeting since no one from the NSCN (IM) turned up for the meeting," said a top state official waiting outside the venue of the meeting.
NSCN (IM)'s CFMG convener, Brigadier Phungthing Shimrang has also made it clear that the outfit will not attend any CFMG meeting so long as Kumawat's remains the CFMG chairman. He reiterated that since the NSCN (IM) had already rejected Kumawat's appointment, there is no question of attending the CFMG meeting under Kumawat's chairmanship. It can be recalled that chief minister, Neiphiu Rio, had also written to Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, seeking his immediate intervention on the issue of appointment of CFMG chairman. Rio has urged the HM to appoint a fulltime CFMG chairman at the earliest in consultation with the other parties to the ceasefire.

On appointment of CFMG Chairman Page News Service
In Indian Polity, the family of Late. Nehru ji, Lt. Indira Gahdhi ji, Lt. Rajiv Gandhi ji knew the Nagas better than any other Politicians in the Country.
Secondly, the Army Generals beginning from General Thimaya till today's, General Kapor, knows the problems of the Nagas and its implications. For amicable Solution of the Naga problems the successive Army General after acquiring in-depth knowledge and years of experiences in this part of India, had recommended for Political Solutions rather than Solution through arms in the present Indo-Naga-Political issue.
Accordingly, General Kulkarni had served Nagaland and for many years had, been appointed as the Chairman of the Cease Fire Monitoring Group for which he was doing very well. IAS and IFS (Frontier) Services have also served the people of Nagaland and NEFA the present Arunachal Pradesh. The sincerity of these Officials are beyond expressions in the service of a backward people, the Nagas. M L Kampan IAS knows each and every person in Nagaland for which former Prime Minister of India, Shri. Morarji Desai made him as his Additional Secretary and Adviser to the Prime Minister for North East Affairs. Among the Civil Officer he is acceptable by all sections of the people. Appointing IPS officers from outside cadre as the Chairman, of the Cease Fire Monitoring Group, he has to take time to study and learn the problems involved m the issue and the psychology of the people of the North East in particular to the Nagas.
In this respect, the Chief Minister of Nagaland had written to the Union Home Minister, Govt. of India, for appointing the Chairman of the Cease Fire Monitoring Group. I have no doubt about Chief Minister's sincerity and concern for restoration of Peace but he should understand that the Home Minister will not do anything.
So I request him to write directly to Smti. Sonia Gandhi ji, the wife of Late. Rajiv Gandhi, the Former Prime Minister of India who had visited every nook and comer of Nagaland and became the leader of the youths in Nagaland. I hope Smt. Sonia Gandhi will speak to the Prime Minister of India and appoint an acceptable Chairman if Lt. Gen. Kulkarni is not reinstated. The non functioning of the Cease Fire Monitoring Group properly is the result of more killings and fightings and factional clashes are daily affairs in Nagaland today.
The appointment of an IPS Officer without proper consultations has been rejected by the NSCN (IM). The Chairman so appointed has to be acceptable to all the Party involved in the crucial talks as this is only a Peace Forum and the co-operations of all the Parties involved is a must for larger progress of the Peace Talks. Smt. Sonia Gandhi is the proper person to advise Prime Minister to appoint the Chairman acceptable to all without delay.
T A Ngullie
Adviser/Patron, UNDP, Nagaland

Lid off Ulfa leaders’ Bangla homes A STAFF REPORTER The Telegraph
Guwahati, July 2: Kamruj Zamal, Mizanur Rehman and Khan Baba have a few things in common apart from their apparent religious affinity.
All the three are Bangladeshi citizens, all of them have grown up in Assam and they share a common cause — freedom of Assam. They are from Ulfa.
To the uninitiated, Zamal is none other than the outfit’s commander-in-chief Paresh Barua, Mizanur is Chitraban Hazarika and Khan Baba is Antu Chowdang — the last two top-rung Ulfa leaders.
Assam police have now in their possession details of the activities of several leaders of Ulfa residing in the neighbouring country, thanks to one of them crossing over to India recently and singing to the cops. The police have already prepared a dossier which they intend to hand over to Delhi for onward dispatch to Dhaka. “We have compiled a detailed report vis-à-vis residential addresses, the Islamic names and business dealings of each and every militant leader currently staying in Bangladesh,” a top police official said.
The report has been prepared on the basis of information provided by a militant leader who arrived from Dhaka about a fortnight back and is trying to talk to Ulfa cadres in the state to bring them overground.
The militant leader, whose name is being withheld for security reasons, told the police that Paresh Barua stays in Dhaka’s Motijheel Lane under the Islamic name of Kamruj Zamal with his wife and two children — Babu and Baby.
The Ulfa commander, the officer said, was in constant touch with officials of the directorate general of forces intelligence (DGFI), who visit him almost regularly.
He said Drishti Rajkhowa, Antu Chowdang and Pradyut Gohain were very close to Barua and stay mostly together. The outfit’s foreign secretary, Sasadhar Choudhury, and Raju Baruah stay on the outskirts of Dhaka.
The officer said Chitraban Hazarika, who stays at a fourth floor apartment on Road No. 8 at Mirpur is a well known businessman in Bangladesh and has clout among the business community in that country. He goes by the name of Mizanur Rehman, a businessman from Rangpur. The militant leader said a dozen Ulfa leaders have been issued “national cards” by Dhaka, making them citizens of that country.
The police official confirmed this, saying apart from chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and Paresh Barua, 10 more Ulfa leaders were issued “national cards” by Dhaka recently.
These leaders include Sasadhar Choudhury, Manabendra Baruah, Deepjyoti Mahanta, Prasenjit Saharia, Chitraban Hazarika, Raju Baruah, Drishti Rajkhowa, Antu Chowdang, Pradyut Gohain and Khenindra Medhi alias Lembu.
AGP salvo A hard-hitting AGP today accused the Tarun Gogoi government of keeping the insurgency pot boiling in the state, citing the example of the Ulfa-constituted PCG which had sat for three rounds of talks with the Centre.
“The government has arrested two of its members for links with Ulfa. Why this realisation after the group had three rounds of talks? Why dismiss it after recognising it publicly? This only shows the government’s insincerity towards solving the insurgency problem. It wants to keep the issue alive,” AGP president Brindaban Goswami told journalists in the Assembly.
Though the party left it to the government to decide on whether to continue with the PCG or not, it favoured unconditional talks between the government and Ulfa.
“We are not demanding sovereignty. But can there be unconditional talks if you don’t have to right to express your views across the table? What is the use of talks then? Both sides should sit and thrash out their differences,” Goswami said in reaction to the government's insistence that there can be no discussion on sovereignty. Goswami left for Delhi this afternoon for tomorrow’s meeting of the UNPA on the nuclear deal.
North-East by the year 2020 By Special Report Nagaland Post
| New Delhi02/07/2008 It took three years of painstaking work of compiling some twenty five thousand out of fifty thousand questionnaires sent to various institutions, NGOs and individuals in the north east, to compilations by two committees before the Vision 2020 finally evolved.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who released the first volume of the comprehensive document, has been the inspiring force behind the concept, as acknowledged by DoNER minister and Chairman NEC Mani Shankar Aiyar in his speech.
It was a mega event at Vigyan Bhavan the venue which saw some one thousand five hundred in attendance that included several union ministers, MPs, Governors and chief ministers of the north east, bureaucrats, invitees and media besides hundreds of north east students in Delhi.
Mani Shankar Aiyar, who spoke extempore while presenting the Vision 2020 concept, was as impressive as the concept he elucidated.
Some observers also considered the mega event as a brilliant stroke of genius by Mani Aiyar to kill two birds with one stone-to show that he as DoNER minister had done a good job and manage commitment of support from other ministries; and secondly, to counter the recommendation of the Veerappa Moily committee on Administrative Reforms Commission to wind up DoNER ministry as the NEC already existed for the same purpose.
The event was supposed to be over by 1 p.m. but went on till nearly 3 p.m. as some chose to read out speeches instead of making brief five-minute speeches.
Nagaland Minister for Planing T.R. Zeliang who represented the state chief minister Neiphiu Rio, was loudly applauded by the largely North Eastern crowd, with his brief and humorous extempore speech.
Zeliang took his turn after speaker after another went on reading speeches or talking beyond ten to fifteen minutes despite being reminded to limit the time to five minutes. He started with an abrupt line “people are fed up of written speeches” adding, he would speak briefly.
T.R. Zeliang’s parable-like speech was received with thunderous applause from the gathering. He began by saying “twelve years ago, you (Centre) said you had a dream to sing a song. After twelve years, today you again say, you dream of singing a song”.
He went on to ask, “When will you stop dreaming and start singing?” He said it was high time for implementation of programmes for the development of the North East.
Zeliang also raised a point that was also well applauded over the ‘guidelines on projects’. He cited an example in Nagaland where a village road project was not okayed for failing to meet the required ‘population criteria’ as per the required guidelines. He said roads are not constructed for people but for vehicles and added that the population criteria was not practical nor rational.
Zeliang’s point was later also supported by a minister from Tripura who felt that such guidelines could not be practically implemented in the region.
Among those who spoke were Nagaland Governor K. Sankaranarayanan besides union tourism minister Ambika Soni and Commerce and power minister Jayram Ramesh and several other union ministers.
Meanwhile, Nagaland was also given due recognition today for the State’s communitization programme. Two former chief secretaries of Nagaland AM Gokhale and RS Pandey were felicitated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and DoNER minister Mani Shankar Aiyar for their contribution in introducing the concept of communitization in Nagaland.
PM announces major development plans for NE PTI

NEW DELHI, JULY 2: Holding that infrastructure deficiency in north-east is a "major concern", Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced linking of all state capitals there by rail to ensure better connectivity and earmarking of Rs 31,000 crores to improve roads.
Releasing 'Vision Document 2020 for the North-Eastern Region' here, he said besides developing rail and air connectivity, the Government is also committed to improve road facilities in the Eleventh Plan.
"Infrastructure deficiency is a major concern in the region. We will link all the state capitals in the region by rail network and Rs 31,000 crore will be invested on roads during the 11th plan," Singh said.
Describing the Northeastern region as the land of rising sun for India, he said time has come "for the sun to shine brightly on it. Vision document defines the path to that bright future."
For improving air connectivity, he announced that a green-field airport will come up at Itanagar to connect the region with the rest of the country.
He said all villages on the Arunachal Pradesh border will soon be electrified at a cost of Rs 550 crore.
The Vision Document, approved by the North-east council, also lays stress on promoting education in the region.
"We are committed for inclusive and equitable growth. We will set up a NTFT and IIT at Shillong," Singh said.
Focussing on the farm sector in the Northeast, the Prime Minister said, a second 'Green Revolution' specific to the region was needed.
The document envisages an ambitious strategy for the region to eradicate poverty and rope in investors. It deals with challenges to ensure peace and progress, empowerment of people by maximising self governance, rural development with a focus on improving agricultural productivity, augmenting infrastructure besides others.
The document emphasises that the 'Look East Policy' should give focus on the region and take a view that the Southeast Asia begins from the northeast and through opening up of trade routes, there could be accelerated growth and expansion of economic opportunities.
On the key issue of peace, the document says people of the region wanted to live in peace and harmony and free from insurgency.
"Without peace, progress is not possible. Insurgency has taken a heavy toll on economic progress and people's happiness in the region. The people of the northeast would like peace to return to their lives, leakages to cease and development to take precedence," it says.
The vision document says the region requires a participatory development strategy which calls for maximisation of self-governance.
There is a need for a complete shift in the development strategy and the planning process towards designing and implementing people-centric programmes based on harnessing resources of the region.
Only such a strategy can ensure inclusive development, help alleviate poverty and ensure a reasonable standard of living for every family in the region, the document says. (PTI)
Chief minister assures full security for Heirok The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, Jul 2: State chief minister O Ibobi Singh today assured that the state government would provide maximum protection to the residents of Heirok area even as two militant groups prohibited them from going beyond their localities with a threat of dire consequences.

He also hinted at a mutual agreement on the ground rules for the suspension of operations, SoO, with the Kuki based militant groups after the next round of meeting between the representatives of the militant outfits and the state government, the date for which is yet to be fixed.

It may be mentioned that since the militants imposed restrictions on the movement of the villagers of Heirok, they have been leading a life of fear.

Over 300 students of the village studying in other parts of the state have reportedly returned home following the threat from the UNLF and KYKL, which in turn was in retaliation to the decision of the people to arm themselves for `self protection` from atrocities meted out by underground elements.

It may be recalled that a shooting incident during Yaosang festival which claimed three lives and left a girl blind was the immediate reason for the stand off between the villagers and the militants.

The state government had yesterday decided to upgrade the local Heirok Junior High School to a secondary school and agreed to transfer more teachers to meet the educational needs of the students who have arrived at the village.

The chief minister replying to journalists` questions today admitted that the government was taking up steps for maximum security in the area.

He said, "If required the only government high school in the area would be upgraded to the higher secondary level, apart from improving the infrastructure, so that students who had left their schools and returned home could be accommodated."

While expressing belief that the present problem of Heriok would not persist for long, Ibobi said that change would come up in due course of time.

With regard to the operationalisation of proposed SoO with the Kuki militants, he said that most parts of the ground rules have been agreed to by both sides in the meeting between the representatives of the state government and the militant outfits at New Delhi under the initiative of the Central government.

"An agreement will surely come up in the next round of talks," Ibobi said while expressing that the SoO will be in operation after there is mutual agreement on the ground rules drafted by the state government.

However, the chief minister maintained that the date for the next round of meeting was yet not fixed.