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08/21/2009: "‘Nagaland could be another Switzerland’ morungexpress"

‘Nagaland could be another Switzerland’ morungexpress

Kohima, August 19 (MExN): Maj. Gen. J P Nehra, IGAR(N), asserted that there is peace in Nagaland because of the public. Inaugurating Company Operation Based (COB) of the Delta Company, 164 Naga Regiment TA (Home & Heart) Battalion, at Wokha on Tuesday, Gen. Nehra complimented the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Wokha for their active coordination and the general public of Wokha for their active cooperation with the security forces in maintaining peace and harmony in the district.
We want Nagaland and the entire country to be peaceful, he said and added that peace and development can be maintained if there is close cooperation between the public and the security forces. He also maintained that Nagaland has rich potential in tourism and could be another Switzerland if peace prevails and is properly developed.
Giving a brief account of the new camp, CO of 164 TA Bn Col. D A Patil, said that seven acres of land had been acquired for establishing the company headquarter since 2007 and the development work has been carried out since then. The D.Coy has been stationed in Wokha since 2007 with the Assam Rifles providing the company accommodation, he said and thanked the latter.
Most of the D.Coy jawans were from Wokha district, the CO said, adding that the jawans would act as a good link between the local populace and the security forces in maintaining peace in the district. He also assured that the company would extend all possible help to those youths who desire to join the armed forces. Many developmental projects will also be implemented through the TA Bn in the future, Col. Patil added.

Rio does a Vaiko for Naga brethren - Nagaland chief minister speaks for his brothers in Myanmar NISHIT DHOLABHAI The Telegraph
New Delhi, Aug. 19: What Vaiko is to Tamils in Sri Lanka, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio perhaps wants to be for the Nagas of Myanmar.
Rio today passionately put forth the interests of the Myanmar Nagas in front of the national media, disclosing that he has spoken not only to the ambassador of Myanmar but also to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.
The chief minister also said his government would be happy to be privy to what transpires in the negotiation between the Centre and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah).
Incidentally, by speaking of Myanmar Nagas, Rio is softly toeing the line of the NSCN (I-M) which has demanded integration of Naga inhabited areas — NSCN (I-M)’s Nagalim also includes parts of Naga-inhabited areas of Myanmar.
“I have taken up (the issue) with the Prime Minister, the home minister and am in touch with the Naga people in Myanmar,” he told reporters today after a meeting with the Prime Minister on Tuesday.
Rio reminded of leaders in Tamil Nadu speaking up for fellow community members in neighbouring Sri Lanka.
The chief minister’s new found love for the Nagas in Myanmar is the result of a state government-sponsored consultative meet of Naga diaspora to discuss an early solution to the Naga problem. One of the resolutions at the meet was to recognise the “plight” of Nagas in Myanmar.
In fact, his party was rechristened Naga People’s Front from the earlier Nagaland People’s Front in order to accord a pan-Naga identity to the regional party.
According to Rio, there are 600,000 Nagas in 254 villages in eastern Myanmar. These people are neglected in terms of education as well as healthcare, he said. “The junta has no control and the administration visits these places just once a year.”
Rio was, however, cautious in furthering the sensitive issue. “We are not fighting for their integration,” he said.
The chief minister has played his politics astutely, as he spoke of “emotional integration” on the one hand, and linked the NSCN (I-M) with Huji.
In his speech at the chief ministers’ conference, Rio said the NSCN (I-M) operatives from the Muslim community have been maintaining direct or indirect links with Muslim militant groups.
On Monday, both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and home minister P. Chidambaram criticised Nagaland, along with Assam and Manipur, for a worsening situation. Rio said it was the Prime Minister’s prerogative to criticise.
Separatist Naga group denies links with HuJI ThaiIndian IANS
Kohima, Aug 20 (IANS) The Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) Thursday rejected charges of any link with Pakistan-based Islamic terror outfits like the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami (HuJI).
“The NSCN has (had) no relation at all with HuJI or any terrorist organization at any point of time,” an NSCN-IM statement said.
The separatist group was reacting to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio’s allegation that the NSCN-IM has been maintaining links with extremist groups such as HuJI and other criminal elements.
Rio said this at the chief ministers’ meeting on internal security in New Delhi Monday chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The chief minister said: “It is emerging that the NSCN-IM has some active Muslim members in their ranks who play a major role in the group’s extortion drive. Such operatives are in contact with one ‘Lieutenant’ Halal Uddin from NSCN-IM armed wing and one Azad alias Robin from the civil wing.”
The rebel group, in its release, said: “He (chief minister) must substantiate his wild allegations against the NSCN of having clandestine relation with HuJI.”
“Their motive is to falsely implicate the NSCN as a terrorist organization in the eye of the world,” the statement said.
The NSCN-IM, led by guerrilla leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah, had entered into a ceasefire with New Delhi August 1997.
The two sides have since held at least 55 rounds of peace talks aimed at ending one of South Asia’s longest running insurgencies that claimed an estimated 25,000 lives since India attained independence in 1947.
The NSCN-IM is one of the oldest and most powerful of about 30 rebel groups in India’s northeast and sought to create a Greater Nagaland by slicing off parts of neighbouring states that have Naga tribal populations.
The three regional governments of Assam, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh have already rejected the NSCN-IM’s demand for unification of Naga-dominated areas. New Delhi, too, has rejected demands for unification of all Naga-inhabited areas.
Rio asks PM to start 'political process' with undergrounds PTI
New Delhi, Aug 19 Expressing displeasure over the stalemate in the Centre-rebel talks in Nagaland, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to start"political process"with the underground groups for a lasting solution to the insurgency problem in the state.
Rio said 12 years have gone in dialogue and ceasefire process between the underground groups of Nagaland and the Centre without any concrete results to bring an end the six-decade-old insurgency problem there.
" During this period more stress was given on peace process and observance of ground rules. Now the time has come to start the political process,"Rio told a press conference, adding that he has conveyed this to the Prime Minister yesterday.
He said both sides should come to the negotiating table at the earliest.
" Whatever the undergrounds want to put forward, they should place it before the negotiating table. In the same way, whatever the Central government is ready to offer, it should be conveyed to the undergrounds. Unless political talks start, how can a solution emerge?"he questioned.
The chief minister said his government has been doing its best as the facilitator for the talks and looking forward for its
Where the Northeast points to trouble Samudra Gupta Kashyap Indian Express
With Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calling insurgency in the Assam, Manipur and Nagaland a “problematic and worrisome” situation, and Home Minister P Chidambaram commenting that “there has not been much progress” in the Northeast during his speech during the Conference of Chief Ministers on Internal Security, Samudra Gupta Kashyap takes a look at the most troubled states in the region:
Assam
Insurgency dates back to formation of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) in April 1981. Since then, several insurgent groups have cropped up, mostly claiming to represent their respective communities. The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), for instance, is standing for a sovereign Bodo state. Assam currently has eight active militant groups:
•ULFA.
•Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation front (LNLF)
•All Adivasi National Liberation Army
• Dima Halam Daoga (Jewel) aka Black Widow
•Kuki Revolutionary Army
• Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic)
•Muslim United Liberation Tigers of Assam (MULTA)
• Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.
Apart from these, there are six groups, including a faction each of the ULFA and NDFB, in ceasefire. The other four are: United People’s Democratic Solidarity, Adivasi Cobra Militant Force, Birsa Commando Force and DHD (Dileep Nunisa faction).
In Assam there were 248 insurgency-related incidents in 2007, as many as 207 in 2008 and 221 in 2009. While 132 civilians were killed in 2007, 93 were killed in 2008 and 83 in the first five months of 2009.
Nagaland
Nagaland’s history of insurgency dates back to August 14, 1947, when A Z Phizo, founder of the Naga National Council hoisted the flag for “Independent Nagaland.” Since then several organisations with the same objective have been born. Right now the state has two major groups:
Killing, arson break NC Hills lull OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph


Silchar, Aug. 17: A woman was killed, six persons were injured and 32 houses burnt in a Dimasa village in Assam’s North Cachar Hills early this morning, breaking a monthlong lull in the ethnic violence in the district.
The attack came just a few hours before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over the situation in North Cachar Hills at a meeting of chief ministers on internal security convened by him in New Delhi.
Police said a large number of Naga villagers, allegedly aided by NSCN (Isak-Muivah) militants, attacked Bonkai village on the district’s border with Nagaland around 4am.
North Cachar Hills superintendent of police Anurag Tankha said the attack came when the villagers were on their way to nearby jhum fields.
Quoting reports, Tankha said a Dimasa woman, who is yet to be identified, was the first to be gunned down in the spray of bullets from “sophisticated firearms”. Six others were also injured in the attack. The attackers then proceeded towards the hamlet and burnt 32 houses.
Tankha said additional squads of police and paramilitary forces had been rushed to the border areas from Haflong and Maibong towns. Bonkai, under Maibong subdivision, is located at least 40km from Maibong town and 75km from the district headquarters of Haflong.
The incident comes at a time when both the Centre and the state government are exploring the possibility of initiating peace parleys with the DHD (Jewel) on the condition that the rebels should deposit all their arms with the district police before talks get under way.
Union cabinet secretary K.M. Chandrashekhar is expected to discuss the arms surrender issue with Assam chief secretary P.C. Sarma and DGP Shankar Barua at a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.
In the meeting on internal security this morning, the Prime Minister said the Centre was concerned about the rehabilitation of those affected by violence in the district.
In the latest series of violence, a group of Zeme Nagas from North Cachar Hills had torched 15 Dimasa houses in Sanpur village on the district’s boundary with Cachar district on July 17.
On June 30, three Zema Naga women, including a 15-year-old, were hacked to death by suspected Dimasa tribals in a retaliatory attack at Hereguilya village near the block headquarters town of Mahur, 60km from Haflong, in North Cachar Hills.
Intra-tribal attacks, which have rocked the district since March, have become a regular feature in North Cachar Hills. In today’s attack, the Naga raiders are suspected to have crossed the Assam-Nagaland boundary and swooped on the village.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi told the conference today that militants from Nagaland, who are now in a ceasefire, were involved in the violent activities in North Cachar Hills. He said it was necessary to enforce ceasefire ground rules and restrict their movement outside Nagaland, official sources said.
Security experts in North Cachar Hills today again pointed out the urgent need to set up border checkposts and deploy additional troops to foil attempts by Naga miscreants to swoop down on the district from their hideouts in Nagaland and carry out attacks.
Union home secretary G.K. Pillai had discussed the setting up of border outposts and deployment of reinforcements in a meeting with top officials of the administration and police in Guwahati last month.
A senior police officer said arrangements were being made to open checkposts along the district’s inter-state boundary with both Nagaland and Manipur.