06/04/2009: "Expedite the peace talk: EPAN morungexpress"

Expedite the peace talk: EPAN morungexpress

Dimapur, June 4 (MExN): The Ex-Parliamentary Association of Nagaland (EPAN) has appealed to all parties involved in the peace process and the GoI to expedite the peace talk so as to solve the protracted Indo-Naga political problem early.
The EPAN on June 3 held a meeting at Hotel Japfü under the chairmanship of K G Kenye, former minister and general secretary of EPAN. Informing this, the general secretary, in a press release stated that the meeting deliberated at length on the present political scenario in the state. The members present also expressed concern for the welfare of the people and peaceful atmosphere in our land.
Meanwhile, a new team of office bearers led by T Khongo as president, Nuzota Swuro, general secretary, and 11 district representatives were elected for the tenure 2009-2012. K G Kenye and A Azu Newmai were elected as Advisors. A 3-minute silent prayer was also observed in memory of all departed ex-parliamentarians.

NSF denies charges of imposing taxes morungexpress
Dimapur, June 4 (MExN): The Naga Students’ Federation has reacted to a news item said to have implicated the federation as an organization that imposes tax on the business community, contractors and suppliers. Denying the allegation, the NSF’s executives today said “such inflammatory and false allegation poisons the minds of innocent public, which endangers the very fabric of civil society.”
Explaining its stance, the NSF said it has been playing a vital role in working for the society and as a pressure group, a watchdog “on all spheres.” It claimed to have been “guarding the society from all anti-social elements” as an endeavor towards “restoration of justice” to the people. As a social organization committed to the cause of the people, the NSF said, it “believes” in the voluntary contribution or donation of the people. The credit of “success” of the federation goes to all groups and individuals who have been willingly contributing either in cash or in kind and has been strength to the organization.
Appealing for constructive criticism and not for “unjustifiable statement that would mislead the public,” the NSF has urged citizens to step forward and clarify the matter from the NSF office.
The NSF has informed all in concern that the federation has authorized the president, general secretary and the secretary of finance to “accept all sort of contribution” on behalf of the organization. Any person or group impersonating the federation’s leaders or the organization’s name should be reported to the organization’s leaders. The president can be reached at 9436438045, the general secretary at 9436066689 and secretary of finance at 9436405802.

Save and preserve ecology: NSF morungexpress
Dimapur, June 4 (MExN): Om the ocassion of World Environment Day on June 5, the Naga Students’ Federation expressed its conviction that “human beings are the means that degrade both environment and biology” and the imperative to protect and preserve the ecological system is the call of the hour.
Asserting that deforestation, hunting and fishing activities, and “burning of jungles etc” is creating problems, the Federation staed, ‘Today, the need of the hour is to maintain the ecological balance to save the lives of humans, animals and plants’, the NSF said. To achieve it, every right-thinking citizen has responsibility to his ‘environment and surroundings’, NSF said.
Acknowledging the the Chakhesang Students’ Union’s in observing year 2008 as the ‘year of wildlife preservation with the theme ‘give them a chance to live’, the NSF called upon all “rightful students’ bodies and other intellectual bodies” to contribute to the fight to save the environment.
Five killed in NC Hills as ethnic violence escalate Newmai News Network
Guwahati | June 3 : At least five persons died while a minor was injured when unidentified gunmen, suspected to be members of the Black Widow faction of tribal Dimasa insurgent group Dima Haolam Daogah, opened indiscriminate fire on a Naga village in restive North Cachar Hills district of Assam on Wednesday.
According to reports reaching here, a group of militants swooped down on Borochenam village, located around 28 Kms from district headquarters Haflong, in the wee hours of Wednesday and opened indiscriminate fire, killing five persons and injuring a minor.
“All the five persons died on the spot. The minor injured in the incident was rushed to Haflong for treatment,” official sources said. As panic-stricken residents fled the village, the gunmen set their houses on fire. Fifty-four of the total 58 houses in the village were gutted, the source said.
They added that senior officials of the district administration rushed to the site to take stock of the situation while police and paramilitary forces cordoned off the entire area and launched a search operation to nab the assailants. With this, altogether 29 persons have been killed while over 350 houses torched in the ongoing bloodbath in NC Hills. The victims are both Nagas and Dimasa. In the wake of the violence, the authorities rushed a large number of security personnel to the hill district but they could do very little apparently owing to poor road communications, lack of coordination among the various security wings and the hostile terrain.
The state’s Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi blamed the two factions of Naga insurgents National Socialist Council of Nagalim/Nagaland (NSCN) and the Black Widow for the unrest. “It is they who are fanning communal passion in the district. There are elements, which are trying to give it an ethnic colour but I must appreciate the Nagas and the Dimasas for maintaining communal harmony despite provocation. It is indeed a good sign that they don’t have any misunderstanding against each other,” the chief minister told media persons. But rubbishing Gogoi’s charge, the Isak-Muivah faction of NSCN said, “We are made the scapegoat as they found none to blame for the incidents.” “It is unfair on the part of the chief minister to put the blame on us. However, this is not the first time,” said NSCN (I-M) leader Phungthing Shimrang. The Black Widow, when contacted, also washed its hands off the incidents.
DHD (J) chief Jewel captured Agencies
Jewel Garlosa (File Photo)
Bengaluru, June 4 (Agencies): In a major breakthrough against militant groups in the north eastern, Juwel Gorlosa, the chief of Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) group, commonly known as “Black Widow”, was arrested on Wednesday evening from Bengaluru. He was arrested in a joint operation by Karnataka police and Assam police. Gorlosa was arrested with two accomplices while trying to arrange a fake passport from Karnataka.
Reports said a combined force of Assam Police and Karnataka Police arrested Gorlosa along with two of his aides Partha Nunisa and Samir Dimasa from a hotel in Bangalore on Wednesday. According to official sources, DIG (Central-West Range) GP Singh led the police team. Acting on intelligence inputs, a four-member team of Assam Police was camping in the Karnataka capital for the past four days to nab Garlosa, sources said. The team was to have moved court for a transit remand to bring Garlosa to Guwahati on Friday, the sources added.
Hours after Gorlosa’s arrest, police gunned down the “foreign secretary” of the outfit, Frankie Dimasa, in an encounter in Guwahati in the wee hours of Thursday. “Acting on a tip off that some militants were taking shelter on the hilltop at Bishnupur, we launched an operation early in the morning and in the resultant encounter, Frankie was killed,” ASP Debojit Deuri said.
He added that at least two other militants managed to escape under the cover of darkness. “The arrest of the Black Widow chief and killing of its foreign secretary is a major achievement for us,” said IGP (Law and Order) B Mahanta.
“Black Widow”, one of the most dreaded outfits operating in the north-east, is active mainly in North Cachar Hills. This group has been involved in a number of terror strikes in the area in the recent past.
The publicity chief of the group, Faiphang Dimasa told a local news television channel that his outfit had decided to declare unilateral ceasefire till June 25 and asked the railways to resume its suspended train services and construction works. Dimasa had asked the Northeast Frontier Railway, to resume work, which suspended its services after some of its employees and workers engaged in broad gauge conversion work were killed by the “Black Widow.”
Five tribals killed, village torched in Assam IANS
Guwahati/Imphal, June 3 (IANS) At least five tribals were killed and several injured Wednesday in an early morning strike by separatist militants who also set ablaze an entire village in strife-torn North Cachar Hills district in southern Assam, police said. In a separate incident, two insurgents of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) were killed in a shootout with paramilitary Assam Rifles personnel in Chandel district in eastern Manipur.
"A group of terrorists struck at Boro Chamon village, under Haflong police station in Assam's militancy ravaged North Cachar Hills district early in the morning and fired indiscriminately killing five Zeme Naga tribals on the spot and injuring 10 people," a senior police official told reporters in Guwahati.
"Before fleeing from the area, the tribal guerrillas, yet to identified, set on fire all the 56 houses in the village," the official said. The dominant Dimasa tribe and Zeme Naga tribe have been engaged in a turf war in the hill district where several militant outfits including Dima Halam Daogah (DHD), Dima Halam Daogah-Jewel faction, National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) and NSCN (Khaplang faction), are also active.
In Manipur, Assam Rifles troopers during routine patrolling engaged in a half-hour gun battle with the UNLF ultras and shot dead two rebels on the spot while the other cadres managed to escape at Chakpi village in Chandel district.
"A sophisticated rifle, two magazines, large cache of ammunition and an improvised gun were recovered from the spot," a Manipur police spokesman said. According to police officials, over 200 people have so far been killed in militancy-related incidents in Manipur this year. Security has been intensified along the Nagaland-Assam border to prevent Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Gorlosa faction) militants from sneaking in following the crackdown on insurgent groups by army and paramilitary forces in North Cachar Hills district.
"A strict vigil is being kept on the Nagaland-Assam border, especially in Niuland area of Dimapur district and Peren district, where the fleeing DHD militants might infiltrate," said Assam Rifles inspector general Pallab Choudhury. A central team headed by Special Secretary (Internal Security) Raman Srivastava visited the trouble-torn southern Assam last month and held a series of discussions with state government, security and railway officials.
"After the central team's visit, the union government has asked the Assam government to step up security in North Cachar Hills district following repeated attacks by militants on trains, civilians and security forces," said Assam Chief Secretary P.C. Sharma. Meanwhile, Special Task Force (STF) commandos arrested North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) chief executive member (CEM) Mohet Hojai and two other senior officials last week for alleged links with the outlawed outfit, Dima Haolam Daogah (DHD) or the Black Widow group. After Hojai's arrest, the Assam government has recommended to the governor to suspend the NCHAC.
Gunmen kill BPPF leader in Baksa OUR CORRESPONDENT The telegraph

BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary pays tribute to Bodofa Upendranath Brahma at the secretariat on Wednesday. Telegraph picture
Kokrajhar, June 3: A call for peace in the volatile Bodo belt by the Bodoland People’s Front at a rally here yesterday went in vain as incidents of violence left one person dead in Baksa today.
Hari Chandra Boro, president of Kokilabari unit of the opposition Bodoland People’s Progressive Front was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Baksa around 10.45am today.
Police said Boro, 50, was on way to his residence at Silbari from Bagmara on a cycle when he was shot in the head and chest, by two gunmen on a bike, killing him on the spot.
In another incident, exchange of fire between the pro-talks and surrendered militants of the National Democratic Front of Boroland in Kokrajhar bazaar here around 8.15am disrupted activities in the area for a while. However, no one was injured.
According to information, six pro-talks members of the outfit from the Habrubari camp came to the market on three motorcycles to buy vegetables where they encountered some surrendered NDFB men in a Scorpio.
The surrendered rebels allegedly blocked the way of the pro-talks men and even overturned one of their bikes. They then fired in the air as they ran.
The sound of the gunshots sent the panicky people in and around the market, scurrying for cover. The police later recovered two bikes from the site. The incidents came a day after the BPF organised a peace rally here and sought the intervention of the state government on the prevailing law and order situation in the Bodo belt.
Kokrajhar town has witnessed a series of killings in the past few months.
The incidents to an extent marred the celebrations on the part of the BPF, which had completed four years in office in the Bodoland Territorial Council today.
The BTC administration celebrated four years of power with a function at the BTC secretariat today. BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary garlanded the statue of Bodofa Upendranath Brahma, an eminent leader, with traditional aronai and paid homage.
Speaking on the occasion, Mohilary said though a lot of development activities had taken place in the past four years, much needed to be done. He urged the people to join hands for the uplift of the BTC.
Hagrama files defamation suit Correspondent Assam tribune
KOKRAJHAR, June 3 – BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary today filed a defamation case in Kokrajhar court against the Asomiya Pratidin newspaper and R Daukha, a member of NDFB publicity wing. Addressing mediapersons here at Kokrajhar, Mohilary said the defamation case has been filed on the basis of a news item published by the Asomiya Pratidin on April 29 last in which R Daukha, member of NDFB publicity wing, made some baseless allegations through a press release, he said.

Mohilary further informed that a seven-day timeframe has also been given to the NDFB for proof of the allegations levelled upon him by the outfit but it could not do so. This has compelled him to file the defamation case, he said.

It may be mentioned here that the news item revealed Hagrama Mohilary have illicit relation with one Naga girl, possesses huge property in New Delhi, he consumes liquor 16 hours a day, etc. Mohilary termed the allegations baseless and nothing but just to malign his image to the public.

Hmars terrorize Hindus for conversion in Bhuvan Staff Reporter Sentinel
SILCHAR, June 3: A group of miscreants belonging to Hmar community claiming themselves as member of Manmasi National Christian Army had allegedly been terrorizing the Hindu residents of Bhuvan Hill, a pilgrimage 38 km from Silchar town. Local resident alleged that the Hmar militants had been forcing them to convert into Christianity.
Manmasi National Christian Army cadres had painted cross symbol on the walls of Hindu temples with their blood. Terrified residents told a team of Viswa Hindu Parishad that the Hmar youths, arms in their hand, had asked the Hindu villagers to convert into Christianity as the leader of the UPA Government Sonia Gandhi was herself a Christian.
Sources said, the tyranny of the Hmar militants began at least two months back after the Congress, led by Lalthanhwala, assumed power in the neighbouring State Mizoram. At least seven to eight Hmar youths had been regularly visiting the Bhuvan Hill, which had nearly 700 Hindu people as well as eight Hindu temples. Hmar youths, with gun in one hand and the Bible in the other, had told the villagers that they had recently met Sonia Gandhi and it was her instruction that if the Hindus got themselves converted into Christianity, the government would open schools in the Hill. Recently, the Hmar youths convened a meeting of the villagers in Tezpur village on the Bhuvan Hill and distributed the Bible among the villagers. They had even built up a church in Tezpur village. Meanwhile, Rajkumar, priest of Naga mandir on the Bhuvan Hill, told the VHP members that he was forced by the Hmars to show them the tracks on the Hills at gunpoint. Further, the Hmars posted a flag, a tabloid and a Holy cross on the wall of one of the temples bearing the dated May 29, 2009.
VHP leaders today had shown the video-graphy containing the footage of the Hindu temples bearing blood-stained Holy cross symbol. A local resident and a leader of VHP, Sudip Chakraborty, said pilgrims from various parts of the country had been visiting the Bhuvan Hill since 1816, but now Christians were terrorizing the Hindus for conversion. He said, a deep-rooted conspiracy had been hatched to convert the poor Hindu villagers into Christianity. These Hmar youths were coming from Mizoram, but they had powerful patrons behind them, Chakraborty added. The VHP had asked the administration to arrange security for the Hindu temples, priests as well as the Hindu villagers of the Bhuvan Hills. Further, miscreants as well as their mentors should immediately be booked, Chakraborty claimed.
Dima Halam Daogah(J) chief Garlosa held in Bengaluru
Staff Reporter Assam tribune
GUWAHATI, June 4 – Militant outfit Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel group), commonly known as the Black Widow group, today received a major setback as the chairman of the outfit Jewel Garlosa has been arrested by a team of Assam Police in Bengaluru. Police sources said that Garlosa will be brought to Assam tomorrow after obtaining transit remand from a court in Karnataka.

Sources revealed that Garlosa was out of North Cachar Hills district for a long time and different security agencies were trying to track him down. The Central Intelligence agencies managed to track him in down in Bengaluru where he was living for around two months. The Centre immediately informed the Assam Government about the whereabouts of Garlosa and a state police team headed by the DIG (Central Western Range) GP Singh went to Bengaluru to arrest the DHD (J) chairman without receiving any resistance. Interestingly, the police did not find any weapons with the DHD (J) leader.

Two other persons, one of whom is reported to be a relative of Garlosa and the owner of the house in which he was staying, were also arrested. The Assam Police team was assisted by a team of Karnataka police during the operation.

Garlosa, who earlier headed the DHD, was one of the signatories of the cease-fire agreement between the militant outfit and the Government. But after a split in the ranks of the DHD, the chairmanship of the outfit was taken over by Dilip Nunisa, while, Garlosa came out of the outfit to form the Black Widow group, which is creating havoc in the NC Hills district. The activities of the outfit not only severely affected implementation of the mega projects like the gauge conversion project of the Railways and the East West Corridor project of the National Highway Authority of India, but also led to frequent suspension of train services in the Hill section.

Police sources said that the arrest of Garlosa would be a major blow for the outfit. But at the same time, polices said that the main persons behind masterminding the operations of the outfit are still at large. The commander in chief of the Black Widow group , Niranjan Hojai, who is believed to be the mastermind of most of the major operations of the outfit, is reportedly in Nepal, while, at present, another top leader of the military wing of the outfit Daniel Dimasa is leading the operations in NC Hills, police said.

Zero-tolerance to terrorism: Patil Spl Correspondent Assam Tribune
NEW DELHI, June 4 – Warning that a zero-tolerance policy would be adopted towards terrorism, President Pratibha Devisingh Patil today reiterated Government of India’s carrot-and-stick policy stating that the Centre was willing to constructively engage all groups in North-east that abjure violence. Addressing the joint Session of the Parliament, the President put forth UPA Governments new agenda for governance outlining its policies. The President’s speech unfortunately did not have anything specific on North-east and was mere reiteration of the policies, Dr Manmohan Singh pursued for development of the region.

As for tackling the ticklish issues of militancy, Pratibha Patil said Government would actively pursue police reform and in order to ensure the active participation of the citizenry in internal security, community policing will be promoted. At the same time government would continue to constructively engage with all groups that abjure violence in the North-east, Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country, she said.

The Government will maintain utmost vigil in the area of internal security. A policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism, from whatever source it originates, will be pursued. Government has already prepared a detailed plan to address internal security challenges to be implemented in a time-bound manner, the President said.

The National Investigation Agency has become operational and will be empowered to handle terror-related offences. Central and State police forces and intelligence agencies will be expanded and fully equipped with the best technology. The NIA was this week handed over its first case involving two case of seizure of unaccounted currencies and weapons in Assam from DHD (J) militants.

The Assam Police had detained chairman of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council, Mohit Hojai for his alleged links with DHD (J).

CEM Hojai’s couriers were arrested near the Assam-Meghalaya border April 2. Police had recovered Rs.1 crore, two pistols and some documents from them. According to police, one of the rebels confessed that the money was brought from Hojai’s residence.

Pratibha Patil, meanwhile, said a national counter-terrorism centre would be established to take pro-active anti-terrorism measures. Special Forces and Quick Response Teams will be raised and deployed in vulnerable areas. Enhanced information and intelligence sharing on a real time basis would be made possible by the creation of a net-centric information command structure.

Foreign Secy’ Frankey Dimasa shot dead Staff Reporter Assam tribune
GUWAHATI, June 4 – Frankey Dimasa, the self-styled foreign secretary of Dima Halam Daogah (J) was shot dead in an encounter by the City Police in the wee hours today. Three other DHD (J) cadres, however, managed to flee under the cover of darkness. Police also recovered a foreign-made pistol from the possession of the slain militant.

Sources in the police department, when contacted, said the operation was launched based on specific inputs about the movement of the militants.

Three Manipur-based militants were arrested in a separate incident reported in last 24 hours. The Manipur-based militants were nabbed last night.

Nagalim.NL News

06/04/2009: "Expedite the peace talk: EPAN morungexpress"