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07/14/2009: "NSCN-K prepares for dialogue OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph"

NSCN-K prepares for dialogue OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph


File picture of S.S. Khaplang
Kohima, July 12: Preparations have begun for talks between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) led by S.S. Khaplang.
The emissary to the collective leadership of the Khaplang faction of the NSCN, Kughalu Mulatonu, told The Telegraph today that the response from the Centre was “very positive” and more meetings would be held before touching the core issues to resolve the protracted Naga political issue.
Mulatonu said he met Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday and discussed about the groundwork to begin talks with the Centre.
“The meeting was very positive and forthcoming,” the NSCN (K) emissary said. The finance minister had made some pertinent suggestions, which would be helpful for the outfit, he added.
Mulatonu said frequent meetings with the central policy makers would break the ice and therefore they would continue to meet them. “Ice between us must be broken to resolve the problem,” the NSCN leader said.
The outfit, which has been emphasising on nothing less then sovereignty, is now talking of resolving the issue through negotiations and dialogue.
Sources also confirmed that Mukherjee has told Union home minister P. Chidambaram about his meeting with the NSCN (K) leaders.
Mulatonu said he would also meet the home minister very soon. He said Chidambaram had agreed to meet the NSCN (K) leaders.
The outfit had expressed willingness to begin talks with the Centre as the rival Isak-Muivah faction has failed to resolve the issue after 12 years of ceasefire and subsequently over 60 rounds of talks.
The NSCN (K), which is also in truce with the Centre since 1997, entered into bilateral ceasefire only in April 2001, but talks are yet to begin.
Mulatonu, however, said talks would be held based on the proposal from the Centre. He said only through talks solution could be hammered out. “We can resolve the issue only through dialogue,” he said.
As for the venue of the talk, the NSCN (K) leaders had said it can be anywhere, but should be totally transparent so that Naga people are not kept in the dark. “Talks can also be held in Nagaland or anywhere,” Mulatonu said.
But the NSCN (K) does not want any interference of the state government in the peace process with the Centre.
In the ongoing Nagaland Assembly session, the Congress had raised a question whether the state government is in touch with Khaplang since the NSCN (K) had expressed willingness to begin dialogue with the Centre.
Chief minister Neiphiu Rio said Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the state government meets Naga militant leaders from time to time.
Centre showing interest in Naga reconciliation (NPN DIMAPUR,
Speaking on the sidelines of the felicitation programme, Rio said he had discussed about the Naga reconciliation process with the prime minister, Manmohan Singh and that the government of India was showing much interest. He said positive response was expected from the Indian government. Rio said he would again bring up the issue with the centre after the Budget session. He also said that a common platform would be formed where discussions would be held between the individuals and the concerned officials. Asked about the ongoing state Budget session, Rio said more demands would be placed and that members of the house including the opposition were more confident about the Naga political issue.
He said the Opposition was showing positive response towards the government and added that they shall together raise the voice of Nagas to the government of India to bring about political solution, peace and development in the state.
Speaking on the Korean project, the chief minister said that the government was yet to receive the required status. He said discussions would be held for the required common need once the status was received but added that more consultation was required a present.
On the taxation drive undertaken by the Dimapur Municipal Council such as the parking tax, Rio said that the initiative was good towards the development process but added that the taxation should be reasonable properly applied. The money derived from taxation should be used for the welfare of the public and should be utilized for development process and not for individual benefit, he added.
Naga society caught in the a spiral of the blind’ I. Temjenba Lkr | L. Kaiso Morung
‘In a joint Naga National Council (NNC) and the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) Executives meeting on 29 June 2009 at Kohima, the current state of affairs in the country occupied the main business and unanimously decided on the imperative to educate our younger generation the actual stand of Naga nation so as to counter blatant fraudulent claims by the enemy and its proxy militia gangs.
The Naga society is clearly caught up in a spiral of the blind leading the blind to sectarian violence. Dubious cry for solutions could be heard time and again from all sorts of supposedly concerned educated people. In this state of affairs, it would appear everyone has to be self-styled leader of a notional apex body. We asked ourselves is there a right time to intervene and say, the biggest challenge our society face all the time is KNOWLEDGE.
Until recently, Naga people live in harmony irrespective of political differences. Our democratic tradition adhered to clear principles on matters of choosing a spokesperson or leader to represent the people in national service. Regardless of occasional heated debates in public meetings and sometimes strong personal rivalries, unlike today, self-seeking for position was definitely viewed unseemly. Thus elected representatives to both NNC and FGN are chosen by their respective community and Region. Moreover, before taking Office, each representative swore allegiance to the Yehzabo (Constitution) of Nagaland and Lakhuti Resolution (1955).
Modern Nagaland took the first step forward from hitherto historically independent Naga people towards a nation state with the formation of the Naga National Council in 1946. At the beginning, hardly few people expected the diverse Naga communities heretofore little understood to one another could ever integrate one day. Against that extraordinary start the sagacious Naga representatives led by A Z Phizo formally declared to the world on 14 August 1947 that Nagaland will stay independent, coincidentally, a day ahead of the Union of India independence granted by Great Britain.
Truly a nation of free will by virtue of the historic 16 May 1951 voluntary plebiscite, and further, on hitherto Free Nagas opted to merge with NNC under one flag, duly enshrined in the Yehzabo of Nagaland that thereafter established the Federal Government of Nagaland on 22 March 1956 vested with full legal authority, including raising tax to maintain the national government. NNC and FGN rightly earned the accolade of the people of Nagaland hence immutably entrusted with the sole mandate of Naga nation. In the war front, the massive brutal Indian army badly underestimated the tenacity of our Naga patriots that led to the reversal of the Government of India (GoI) untenable stand against Nagaland and began bilateral talk with the FGN resulting in the historic Cease-fire Agreement between the two nations in 1964. Taking advantage of its successful war against the hapless Pakistani army in the then East Pakistan (Bangladesh), the GoI unilaterally reneged on the 1964 Agreement in August 1972.
There were the usual detractors to the national stand from the outset but shockingly, in late 1979, led by the duo ringleaders, a renegade gang heinously massacred NNC and FGN much respected National Workers and patriots stationed in Eastern Nagaland. There is no doubt about the real motive of the renegades as the gang constantly rant NNC and FGN no longer exist. While our nation stoically endure and passively resist the tyranny of Indian occupation army, concurrently, in the past thirty years, our people have been further subjected to Indian state sponsored terrorism at the hands of renegade proxy militia gang. Our people are understandably appalled and disgusted with the renegades bringing the name of National Workers into disrepute and undermine everything wholesome our Naga nation stand for. Any Naga taking part in mindless killing of our people, abduction, extortion, plunder private property, cannot escape justice one day.
The Naga people like any normal people naturally yearn for peace and normalcy. War was never a choice but without provocation India invaded Nagaland in 1954. In response, volunteer Naga patriots in best ancestors tradition of upholding one’s honour, came forward to support NNC stand, prior to the formation of FGN, in refusing to yield to Indian aggressor’s bully. Naga nation will always hold in the highest esteem the founding Fathers of the nation and patriots for their selfless sacrifices for the coming generation.
A sound knowledge of being a Naga and the Nagaland we love is paramount to finding internal equanimity and restoring our focus on the core issue of the unremitting conflict with India. Whereas, ignorance of our national purpose will always hinder progress to a just solution. We are passing through a peculiarly rough weather in the home front due to the reasons well-known to our people and there is a cry for peace, unity, reconciliation and so on. Nagas must and can reconcile only on the National stand and historical facts of:
(a) The formal declaration of the Naga independence on 14th August, 1947,
(b) The Naga Plebiscite of 1951, pledging for independence and
(c) The formation of republic of Federal Government of Nagaland on 22nd March, 1956.
The war has not gone away and under the circumstances, our national government need all the support our long suffering people are willing to share. To date the hypocritical policy of the Government of India (GoI) towards Nagaland clearly hinder any prospect for peace. However, India cannot indefinitely trample on the freedom of Naga people and Nagaland will be free.
God bless Nagaland.
Urra Uvie
I. Temjenba Lkr, Tatar Federal Government of Nagaland.
L. Kaiso, Secretary Incharge, NNC

Buzz on Muivah 'secret' entry Nagaland page

New Delhi, July 12: There is a loud buzz that top leaders of Naga rebel groups will assemble to explore the possibility of a reconciliation. Speculation is rife that the general secretary of the Isak-Muivah faction of the NSCN, Thuingalang Muivah, may have secretly entered Nagaland already.
Sources told The Telegraph that the 72-year-old militant leader had secretly entered India and reached the NSCN (IM)'s headquarters at Camp Hebron near Dimapur, apparently to explore a reconciliation between the rival groups.
The Ato Kilonser (prime minister) of the NSCN's Khaplang faction, Khitovi Zhimomi, is also likely to participate in a meeting at an undisclosed location.
Wary of unsolicited speculation and news about the reconciliation process, the central agencies and the NSCN factions are keeping developments under wraps.
Curiously, instead of denying Muivah's arrival, "who told you?" was a common refrain while Delhi's pointsman K Padmanabhaiah said the reports were "wrong".
Only a few months ago, Muivah and a few associates had left base in Amsterdam and travelled to South Africa, before deciding to return to India.
The visit may have been necessitated, sources said, by a rare event with repercussions in the entire Northeast and parts of Southeast Asia.
On June 8, the Naga rebel leaders released a Covenant of Reconciliation with signatures of chairman of NSCN (K) SS Khaplang, chairman of NSCN (IM) Isak Chishi Swu and S Singnyu who heads a faction of the Naga National Council, earlier founded by the legendary AZ Phizo.
A Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) was constituted to further efforts for reconciliation between the militant groups who have warred constantly since the NSCN split in 1988.
Muivah's purpose apparently is to explore a possibility and reach a conclusion without raising too many hopes or speculation regarding the process.
Since sections in the NSCN factions do not want reconciliation, Muivah's job is even more difficult.
Muivah himself was at one time against reconciliation. However, with Delhi willing to hammer out a solution if the rebel leaders agree, it has become necessary to take various sections and tribes into confidence. It is because of this that his visit is believed to have been kept under wraps.
A source pointed out that Muivah had entered through Dhaka - he holds Bangladeshi and South Korean passports - and was escorted by a central security agency till Hebron.
A few years ago, Swu had sneaked through Bangladesh and was escorted to Hebron by Nagaland police.
Sources insisted that the rebel leader had been holding meetings with his close associates on the issue of reconciliation with the rival faction. There is no official denial from the NSCN (IM). (Courtesy: TT)
Muivah still in Europe: Intelligence sources Nagaland page Dimapur, July 12: With speculation doing the rounds that General Secretary of NSCN(IM), Th Muivah has reached Nagaland, reliable sources denied such reports and said that the NSCN (IM) top brass is still in Europe. Intelligence sources said that Muivah might be in Amsterdam, but he has not come to India or gone to Nagaland by any means.
Reliable sources also said that the NSCN (IM) is scheduled to have talks with the Government of India on July 16 next at New Delhi, therefore there is no question of the outfit’s General Secretary going to Nagaland secretly.
When asked about the reports of Muivah being in Nagaland, Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio said that he has no knowledge about it and preferred not to comment on this development. (Page News Service)
Khonoma:The Island of Hope Bikram Grewal Morung
Glouthera fragrantisima, a climber locally known as Khwono, is from where the name Khonoma comes from. The quaint village of Khonoma, settled by the Angami tribe 400 years ago sits approximately 20kms south-west of Kohima, the capital of Nagaland. Nagaland today, in many ways, is a world without life – miles and miles of countryside are enveloped in eerie silence with all life forms having found their way into the cooking pot over the years. Having heard that the Khonoma area was an exception, I decided to visit the village in early November. From my past experience in the area, I was sceptical about what we might be able to see, if anything at all. Nagaland is infamous for its hunting habits and this has resulted in very shy birds and elusive animals.
Overcoming this scepticism, we travelled through Dimapur and found ourselves at our destination, which sat in an arena with terraced crop-fields in the valley and lush green mountains surrounding it. My experience over the next few days changed my opinion about the avian wealth of Nagaland. There was bird-life everywhere, and calls of the Hill Partridge (Arborophila torqueola) and Great Barbets (Megalaima virens) resonated across the serene valley.
Over three days of birding in the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) and the Dzülekie area, 30 kms away, we were rewarded with sightings of such rarities like the Rusty-capped Fulvetta (Alcippe dubia), Large Niltava (Niltava grandis), Red-faced Liocichla (Liocichla phoenicea), Mountain Bamboo Partridge (Bambusicola fytchii), Long-tailed Wren Babbler (Spelaeornis chocolatinus), White-browed Piculet (Sasia ochracea) and the Crested Finchbill (Spizixox canifrons). Bird life was abundant and many species exhibited interesting plumage variations leading to localized sub-species distributions. Of particular interest were Black-throated Tits (Aegithalos cocinnus manipurensis), Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus monticola) and Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer stanfordi). Khonoma is also the best place to see the endangered Blyth’s Tragopan (Tragopan blythii) and the villagers have created a community reserve to protect this particular species.
The Khonoma experiment is unique in the wildlife conservation annals of Nagaland. For forest-dependent people who now voluntarily create a safe haven for wildlife and aggressively protect the denizens, this is nothing short of a miracle. All this was possible because of the gallant Angamis. This warrior tribe of Khonoma once protected several villages and the last organised Naga resistance against the British took place in 1879-80, at the Battle of Khonoma.
The Khonoma’s conservation activities were initiated by some of the village elders, especially Tsilie Sakhrie, who in the 1980s was a contractor for the Forest Department. During this time, a forest officer T. Angami, motivated him to consider dedicating a part of the village forests for protection of wildlife. In the 1980s, Tsilie proposed this to the villagers but could not achieve a consensus. In 1995, he became a member of the Village Council, and again worked on the subject. A number of villagers were opposed to the idea, since hunting was so much a part of their culture. But over the next 3 years, through extensive lobbying in the village, the majority were convinced.
In the mid-1990s the villagers physically resisted timber merchants from carrying out logging, aided by some insiders. Over the last decade Khonoma, has establishing systems of natural resource management, village administration, and appropriate development…all coupled with a resolute will to conserve biodiversity and wildlife. In 1998, the Khonoma Village Council notified 70sq km as a Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS). The Sanctuary’s foundation stone was laid in December 1998; it was also decided to ban hunting in the entire village, not only the Sanctuary area. Rules were laid down for the management of the Sanctuary, including penalties for violations of Rs.3000. The village youth carry out the monitoring, and levy fines, which they then use for their own village-based activities.
The area included in the KNCTS is of great value, from a biodiversity, water security, and aesthetic point of view. It comprises of exquisite broad-leaved forests and dwarf bamboo grasslands. It is part of the Dzuku valley, which is home to a good population of the state bird, the Blyth’s Tragopan. Dzuku and surrounding forests also contain other wildlife, like Himalayan Black Bear, Serow, Sambar, Leopard, Barking Deer (which ventures into the village in the evenings), over 40 species of orchids as well as the endemic Dzuku lily.
Cultivation is done through shifting or Jhum. Here the farmers use Alder (Alnus nepalensis) trees interspersed with the crops. These trees return nitrogen to the soil, thereby helping the land to rapidly regain fertility when farmers abandon it to move onto the next plot. Khonoma today is an oasis surrounded by a great wildlife desert. The success of the experiment is bound to influence neighbours and it may be a matter of time before the culture of scientific wildlife and habitat management spreads across the valley.

Nervous China may attack India by 2012: Expert (PTI)
New Delhi, July 12: A leading defence expert has projected that China will attack India by 2012 to divert the attention of its own people from "unprecedented" internal dissent, growing unemployment and financial problems that are threatening the hold of Communists in that country.
"China will launch an attack on India before 2012. There are multiple reasons for a desperate Beijing to teach India the final lesson, thereby ensuring Chinese supremacy in Asia in this century," Bharat Verma, Editor of the Indian Defence Review, has said.
Verma said the recession has "shut the Chinese exports shop", creating an "unprecedented internal social unrest" which in turn, was severely threatening the grip of the Communists over the society.
Among other reasons for this assessment were rising unemployment, flight of capital worth billions of dollars, depletion of its foreign exchange reserves and growing internal dissent, Verma said in an editorial in the forthcoming issue of the premier defence journal. In addition to this, "The growing irrelevance of Pakistan, their right hand that operates against India on their behest, is increasing the Chinese nervousness," he said, adding that US President Barak Obama's Af-Pak policy was primarily Pak-Af policy that has "intelligently set the thief to catch the thief".
Verma said Beijing was "already rattled, with its proxy Pakistan now literally embroiled in a civil war, losing its sheen against India." "Above all, it is worried over the growing alliance of India with the US and the West, because the alliance has the potential to create a technologically superior counterpoise.
"All these three concerns of Chinese Communists are best addressed by waging a war against pacifist India to achieve multiple strategic objectives," he said.
While China "covertly allowed" North Korea to test underground nuclear explosion and carry out missile trials, it was also "increasing its naval presence in South China Sea to coerce into submission those opposing its claim on the Sprately Islands," the defence expert said.
He said it would be "unwise" at this point of time for a recession-hit China to move against the Western interests, including Japan.
"Therefore, the most attractive option is to attack a soft target like India and forcibly occupy its territory in the Northeast," Verma said. But India is "least prepared" on ground to face the Chinese threat, he says and asks a series of questions on how will India respond to repulse the Chinese game plan or whether Indian leadership would be able to "take the heat of war".
"Is Indian military equipped to face the two-front wars by Beijing and Islamabad? Is the Indian civil administration geared to meet the internal security challenges that the external actors will sponsor simultaneously through their doctrine of unrestricted warfare? "The answers are an unequivocal 'no'. Pacifist India is not ready by a long shot either on the internal or the external front," the defence journal editor says.
In view of the "imminent threat" posed by China, "the quickest way to swing out of pacifism to a state of assertion is by injecting military thinking in the civil administration to build the sinews. That will enormously increase the deliverables on ground – from Lalgarh to Tawang," he says.

Hagrama presents BTC Budget
Correspondent Assam tribune

KOKRAJHAR, July 13 – Hagrama Mohilary, chief of BTC & Finance in-charge, BTC today presented the Annual Budget for the year 2009-2010 at BTC Assembly Hall in Kokrajhar. Presenting the Budget proposal Hagrama Mohilary stated that an amount of total Rs 1,22,751.20 lakh have been earmaked for the year 2009-2010 of which the Plan fund allocation is shown at Rs 1,07,031.50 lakh and non-plan allocation of Rs. 15,719.70 lakh for BTC.

In this regard he also strongly flayed that the proposed Budget allocation of Rs 165 cr by the State Government of Assam this financial year is not enough for the works to be carried out in BTC area.

The Budget has laid more emphasis on certain sectors comprising the deptts of Tourism, Forest & Wildlife, Health and Education among the 39 departments so far under BTC administration.

India’s ‘Look East Policy’ concern for Burmese Dayanath Singh Indo Burma News
: India the largest democracy in the world has always been maintaining good relationship with its neighbors like Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Burma. The efforts are continue for a peaceful co-existence with all its neighboring countries.
At a time when this country pleads for democracy in other countries and has welcomed the democratically elected governments in Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh, its attitude towards Burma (Now Myanmar) seems a bit different. This shift in its policy took place during the year 1990, when India launched its “Look East Policy” and began to support the military junta in Burma.
Since India has embarked upon building a broad based relationship with the military junta including cooperation on defense, trade and investment, energy and natural resources, a series of agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) have already been signed, such as the construction of Sittwe port, the multi model Kaladan project and Energy and Petroleum Cooperation.
India’s closer relationship with Burma’s junta and its cold approach to the people’s movement for human rights and democracy in Burma has raised concern amongst Indian civil society as they question whether India has abandoned the principle of humanist and idealist policy guided by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru. Burma Centre Delhi, an organization formed by members from India and Burma civil society groups is out to work for restoration of peace justice, democracy and human rights in Burma.
It still believes India is an important neighbor that can influence Burma in bringing about a democratic transition acceptable to the people of Burma. It may be recalled here that Burma was under British colonial rule for more than one hundred years. Since its independence on January 4, 1948 this country practiced a democratic parliamentary system under the leadership of the premier U Nu.
This system continued for fourteen years only, when Burmese army staged a military coup overthrowing the democratically elected government and imposing oppressive military rule. The coup instigators, namely, the Revolutionary Council led by General Ne Win, abolished the constitution and suspended all democratic rights of the people. All legislative, executive and judicial powers were vested in the hands of Gen Ne Win.
The military used guns to control the country according to their wishes, keeping a tight lid on the political activities of those who love democracy in the country. The military regime transformed itself into a ruling political party in the year 1974, which was named the Burmese Socialist Program me Party (BSPP).
The BSPP ruled over the country for fourteen years until 1988, with single party dominated political system with the ideology ‘the Burmese way to socialism’. During these years the country became one of the poorest countries in the world. Therefore, in 1987 Burma was listed as a least developed country (LDC) by the United Nations.
Due to deterioration of Burma’s economic situation and oppressive one political party rule on August 8, 1988, which is known as 8-8-88, the people (workers, monks, peasants, teachers, government servants and youth) of Burma led by the university students at Rangoon rose up as one to call upon the military rulers to abolish the ill-reputed one party system, demanding democracy and human rights in the country.
The military responded with bullets against the peaceful demonstrators and killed more than 3,000 demonstrators throughout the country. After 8888 incidents, Gen Saw Maung took over the country on 18th September 1988 and renamed the ruling regime the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC).
Therefore in 1989 under the SLORC Burma was renamed as Myanmar to divert international attention and criticism. A multi-party general election was held in May 1990, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory.
However, the military ignored the election results and did not hand over the people’s mandate to the winning party, instead imposing authoritarian rule and violently cracking down on the people’s pro-democracy movement. In spite of the repressive military rule for about fifty years the people aspiration for peace, dignity and democracy continues till now and Burmese people hope that India can play a better role to bring democracy back in their country.