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12/06/2009: "Assam doesn’t want S-word fuss - Suggestion to end impasse OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph"



Assam doesn’t want S-word fuss - Suggestion to end impasse OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph


Rajkhowa at the Guwahati court. Eastern Projections
Guwahati, Dec. 5: The Assam government has requested the Centre to devise a mechanism to incorporate the word “sovereignty” on the agenda for the proposed talks with Ulfa.
The suggestion is part of a discreet attempt to get around a hurdle posed by the insistence of the Ulfa leadership that talks could not be held unless “sovereignty” figured on the agenda.
Sources said the government was of the view that there was “no harm” in having “sovereignty” in some form on the agenda as the Naga talks, too, had started in a similar manner 13 years ago.
“In the meantime, we hope to convince Ulfa leaders how unreasonable their demand for a sovereign Asom is,” a source in Guwahati said. “The Centre is working on a greater autonomy package for the NSCN(I-M) though the outfit has not dropped its sovereignty demand, at least publicly. There are technical problems in including sovereignty but discussing it does not mean granting it. During the talks, we hope to convince Ulfa leaders that sovereignty is not possible and then offer them the next best answer,” a source said.
The suggestion comes at a time a section of central officials feel that inclusion of “sovereignty” would go against the Constitution.
But the sources in Assam pointed out that when the Naga talks got under way, the operative expression was “unconditional talks” which meant that both sides went ahead with “all the issues raised by the outfit and even the objections by the government”.
The sources said that even after the Naga talks had started and the outfit’s leaders had arrived in Nagaland from abroad, they had publicly brandished their version of Nagalim by writing on the base of their miniature flags “sovereignty is inalienable”.
The source said that after the Naga outfit raised the pitch for integration of all Naga-inhabited areas, the issue of sovereignty had “got diluted in a natural manner”.
Negotiator Former Intelligence Bureau chief P.C. Haldar is expected to be the key negotiator with Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa.
Sources said Haldar had played an instrumental role in the three-month exercise by the Centre to get wanted militants from Bangladesh. Anup Chetia, understood to be in a Bangladeshi jail, is likely to be handed over soon by Dhaka. Haldar, a 1970-batch Bihar cadre officer, is already an interlocutor for talks with some other Northeast groups.
We want peace in our land: Dr. Jamir Chizokho Vero Morungexpress

Governor of Maharashtra Dr SC Jamir seen along with Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Parliamentary Secretary Tourism Yitachu during the National Hornbill Rock Contest at Kisama on Sunday. (Photo/Chizokho Vero)

Kisama | December 6: Governor of Maharastra Dr. S.C Jamir today stressed on the need to create an atmosphere of peace and harmony so that the younger generation can get an opportunity to expose and excel in this competitive world. Speaking at the National Hornbill Rock Contest here, Jamir called for peaceful, harmonious and conducive atmosphere to develop the minds of the younger generation without any fear. In order to make it happen, he said it should be the collective effort of the government, civil societies and NGOs to bring love, compassion for the future.
Dr. Jamir also stressed on the need for Nagas to come together with sincerity and commitment to bring peace in Nagaland. “We want to give to the present generation the legacy of peace, harmony and united, prosperous Nagaland,” he said. Dr. Jamir also wished to see the making of a new Nagaland and one that is a peaceful and harmonious state. The former Nagaland Chief Minister also appealed to both over ground and underground to realize that Nagas are one and that the younger generation wants to grow without any hindrance.
Sharing his vision to the people of Nagaland, he said Nagaland is not lacking behind any other state in the country. He said that opportunity should be provided to the younger generation to help the youth understand that they are living in the 21st century. “No nation can live in isolation”, he said and at the same time believed that Nagaland can an equal partner with the rest of the world.
Dr. Jamir also complimented the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio for building the infrastructure at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama for the people of Nagaland and at the same time for making the Hornbill festival into an international attraction.

Rajkhowa stand Haldar to play negotiator - Former IB chief named pointsman to ‘mellow’ Rajkhowa stand NISHIT DHOLABHAI The Telegraph



People wait to catch a glimpse of Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and deputy commander-in-chief Raju Barua on the CJM court premises in Guwahati on Saturday. Picture by Eastern Projections
New Delhi, Dec. 5: Former Intelligence Bureau chief P.C. Haldar is likely to negotiate with Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa to come to the talks table as the Centre doubled its efforts to isolate the banned outfit’s commander-in-chief Paresh Barua.
Home ministry sources said Haldar has been instrumental in carrying out a three-month exercise by the Centre to get wanted militants from Bangladesh back to India. Anup Chetia, understood to be in a Bangladeshi jail, is likely to be handed over soon by Dhaka.
“Along with the home minister and the RAW chief, he has played a major role in the entire affair,” said a reliable source.
The deliberations between India and Bangladesh began weeks before Ulfa leaders Sasha Chaudhary and Chitrabon Hazarika were handed over to Indian authorities, sources said.
At the Guwahati court this evening, Rajkhowa shouted in full media glare that he had not surrendered.
This has not surprised home ministry officials who know that the man was handed over by the Sheikh Hasina government. But the Centre is also partially satisfied with the development after the initial hurdle of Rajkhowa not scaling down the demand of sovereignty and make a political statement on abjuring violence.
This not only gives Rajkhowa a political recognition in his home state of Assam, it has the potential of being used to pit his moderate ways aggressively against Barua’s terrorism.
Rajkhowa fell out with Barua more than a year ago, offering the government a chance to exploit the wedge in the militant outfit and get the chairman on board. The problem, however, experts say, is that Barua’s hardline support in Assam needs to be neutralised by Rajkhowa, edifying his own political status from moderate to being moderately hardline and earn some respect.
“Several people were being considered as a go-between for the process and Haldar is a pointsman,” said a source.
Haldar, a 1970-batch Bihar cadre officer, is already an interlocutor for the NDFB and the DHD factions as well as the Garo outfit, ANVC. Now the former IB chief has a more challenging task: negotiate with Ulfa within a deadline, preferably make them give out a political statement before Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits India on December 19.
Haldar has been a trained hand on the Northeast, having dealt with it as a joint director in the intelligence bureau, incidentally, when present home secretary G.K. Pillai was joint secretary (Northeast) in the ministry of home affairs.
Meanwhile, home ministry officials along with Haldar were busy in Assam yesterday talking to the NDFB leadership to iron out things for a lasting solution.
NDFB leader joins talks group OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Kokrajhar, Dec. 5: After Ulfa, it appears to be the turn of the Ranjan Daimary faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland to receive a jolt, with its organising secretary and one of the seniormost members, D. Rwjab, joining the ceasefire group of the outfit in Udalguri today.
Sources said more members are ready to come forward and join the peace process. Rwjab’s joining the ceasefire group is said to be a major setback for the Daimary faction, which is stated to be facing a financial crisis, besides lack of manpower.
Sources in the NDFB quoted Rwjab as saying there are hardly 70 cadres with Daimary at present.
“We are happy to welcome Rwjab among us,” said NDFB general secretary B. Swmkwr.
The NDFB (ceasefire) group also urged Daimary to come forward and join the peace process with the Centre.
“We earnestly want him (Daimary) to join the peace negotiations. The peace process started because of his initiatives and the ceasefire declaration. So we want him to be a part of it,” said Swmkwr.
The outfit, since May 2005, is under a ceasefire agreement with the Assam and the Union government.
On the peace talks, the NDFB said the negotiations would centre round the creation of a federal state. The general secretary of the outfit said minus defence, currency and foreign affairs, which will be under the Centre, the other departments will be under the Bodo state.
Swmkwr said they forwarded the proposal for a “federal state” in the amended memorandum, which was submitted on September 29, 2008. He also said they are preparing a map of the proposed Boroland state, which is said to be 90 per cent complete.
On the talks, the NDFB leader said the process was moving in the right direction.
Paresh Baruah rules out talks with Govt Staff Reporter Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, Dec 6 – Commander in Chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) Paresh Baruah accused the Government of India of playing a dirty game to create confusion in the minds of the people and asserted that the outfit would intensify its armed struggle. In a statement released to the media through e-mail today, the ULFA C-in-C said that the ULFA gained moral victory after the firm statements by the arrested chairman ofthe outfit, Arabinda Rajkhowa and the Deputy Commander in Chief Raju Baruah. He also ruled out the possibility of talks with the Government and said, “from now on let us not even utter a single word on India’s so called peace talks”.

Baruah pointed out that Rajkhowa and Raju Baruah firmly stated in the court yesterday that they did not surrender and they would no go for peace talks without the core issue of sovereignty and independence of Assam figuring in the agenda of talks, which reaffirmed the ULFA’s principled stand. He said that their statements vindicated the trust that the ULFA members have on their leaders. This is a big moral victory for the ULFA and the people of Assam and a shameful defeat of theGovernment of India’s dirty game, he said. He further said that the pro-ULFA slogans shouted by some people in the court premises also shows the support of the people.

Launching an attack on the Government of India, Baruah said that the Government played a dirty game to create confusion in the minds of the people. He pointed out that the Government first claimed that the ULFA chairman along with other members of the ULFA ware arrested. When this provoked public reaction andthe Government hastily released a recorded voice message purportedly to be of Rajkhowa contradicting the story of his arrest. Then the Government claimed that Rajkhowa along with others surrendered. The contradictory statements within a week exposed the shameful conduct of the so called largest democracy of the world, Baruah said.

The ULFA leader said that after exposing the dirty game of the Government of India, the members of the ULFA would now rally around Rajkhowa and other arrested leaders to give them the moral strength in overcoming the trials and tribulations that lie ahead. He said that the ULFA would intensify the armed struggle along with other people of North East as “this is the only way for the salvation of the region from India’s colonial bondage.”


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