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01/05/2010: "IM turns down Govt of India’s invitation Newmai News Network"

IM turns down Govt of India’s invitation Newmai News Network

Kohima, Jan 4: The NSCN-IM has turned down the peace talk ‘invitation’ from the Union Home Ministry, Government of India and accused the latter of not abiding the bilateral agreement.

According to a well placed source the Union Home Ministry (Govt of India) had invited the NSCN-IM for the next round of peace talk sometimes back but the Naga rebel group had turned down the invitation on the ground that it did not come from the Prime Minister’s Office.

As per agreement between the Government of India and the NSCN group led by Isak Chisi Swu and Th Muivah, the talks should be channelised through the Prime Ministerial level or for that matter, it should be done through the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The past political talks between the NSCN-IM and the Government of India had been carried out through the ‘Interlocutors’ but now the interlocutors have been done away.
Given this picture now, one never knows when the next round of talks will be held between the government of India and the Isak-Muivah group of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) as the Naga rebel group has turned down New Delhi’s latest invitation to hold the dialogue.

“Why don’t you ask the Indian Government ?” fumes VS Atem when queried over the latest development.

Talking to Newmai News Network this evening VS Atem who is the ‘Emissary’ to the ‘Collective Leadership’ of the NSCN-IM accused the Government of India of taking a unilateral decision. “It (the invitation) is bound to be turned when they (Govt of India) have taken a unilateral decision,” said VS Atem.

The NSCN-IM former ‘Chief of the Army Staff’ said that according to the agreement signed, matters related to the dialogues should be channelised through the Prime Ministerial level or the PMO.

Jacob Shaiza, the ‘secretariat office in-charge of the Steering Committee’, the NSCN-IM’s highest decision making body, informed NNN last night that his outfit’s latest move ‘does not mean to undermine’ the peace talk with the Government of India.

“We have politely turned down the invitation because we want that things are channelised as per the agreement. We are not doing anything to undermine the status of the Indo-Naga political talks,” said Jacob Shaiza.

No talks offer yet: Muivah OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph


Th. Muivah
Kohima, Jan. 4: The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) today said it had “not received any communication from the government of India” to discuss the Centre’s proposals for hammering out an “acceptable and honourable” solution to the Naga political problem.
NSCN general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah, who is also the ato kilonser (prime minister) of the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim (GPRN), said no proposal was received and neither were the Nagas officially approached to agree on coming to New Delhi for the next round of talks. Muivah is currently in Amsterdam.
However, Union home ministry officials said an invitation had been sent to the top leaders of the NSCN (I-M) to come to New Delhi to discuss the Centre’s proposals.
According to the Naga outfit, V.S. Atem, special emissary to the collective leadership of the NSCN (I-M) was in New Delhi recently and had met the home ministry officials on the proposals.
Vikiye Sumi, kilonser (minister) in charge of the ministry of information and publicity of NSCN, said the visit of Muivah and chairman Isak Chishi Swu would solely depend on the “sincerity of the Indian policymakers”.
He said the aspirations of the Naga people could not be compromised.
Union home secretary G.K. Pillai had earlier said the Centre’s proposals would be political and not economic, as the NSCN had not demanded an economic package to resolve the Naga problem.
On the other hand, sources said the NSCN wanted the Centre to honour a ceasefire agreement which stated that talks would be held at the prime ministerial level, in a third country and without pre-conditions.
The sources said the outfit wanted the talks to continue at the prime ministerial level and not at a bureaucratic one.
Has India abandoned Indo-Naga peace talks: NISC asks Nagaland Page

Dimapur, January 4: Questioning the sincerity of Government of India to solve the longstanding Indo-Naga issue, the Naga International Support Center (NISC) has asked India to come clean on whether it has abandoned the Indo-Naga peace talks.
The NISC said its doubt over India's sincerity stems from the fact that although both parties (India and Nagas) to the talks had promised to bring a breakthrough last year (2009), only "one not very positive round of talks was held" at Zurich, Switzerland, where India "backtracked on its proposal to be unveiled their determining it a 'misunderstanding'".
"After this last meeting between the two nations nothing happened. An indication for a change in approach, attitude or direction came with the replacement of the decade long interlocutor for the peace talks Mr. Padmanabhaiah and the repeatedly expressed 'condition' that talks should be held within the constitution of India," the NISC said in an emailed press release from Amsterdam today.
In September 2009 Home Secretary GK Pillai announced that the Government of India was working on a proposal to solve the conflict. He made it also known that this Government of India's proposal would be discussed and negotiated 'within the constitution of India'.
But the NISC said by December 2009 the leadership of Nagaland had not received this proposal though Home Secretary GK Pillai through the press stated that the negotiator for the "Nation Nagalim" was expected to be in Delhi after carefully reading the text of the proposal.
According to the NISC, Th Muivah, the chief negotiator of Nagalim, while in Amsterdam, had told NISC that neither a proposal had been received from the Government of India nor were the Nagas officially approached to agree on coming to Delhi for the next round of talks. It claimed Muivah of having said that "it is not customary to communicate through the press as it is not the highest level which was agreed upon at the onset of the ceasefire and peace talks". The talks are being held unconditionally, at the highest level and in a third country.
Alleging that India has "repeatedly negated at least two of these points of the ceasefire agreement" and does not show signs of taking the talks for peace seriously, the NISC urged India to publish its policy on the Indo-Naga conflict so that it can truly be accountable to the people of the largest democracy in the world. It also wanted India to be sincere in following up what has been agreed and honour its agreements to the point of becoming credible and trustworthy.
(Page News Service)

Naga society faces economic inequality morungexpress
Dimapur, January 4 (MExN): The Naga society has also been feeling deep economic changes in the state. Most people claim that developments are going about on a vast scale but many ignore the danger of economic inequality taking place – “Rich getting richer and poor getting poorer.”
The impact of wealth condensation is very much visible in the Naga society with the increase of crime rates as wealth is confined to those who are already wealthy and the poor have no choice but to get some way or the other to survive. The Morung Express conducted a poll with the question – “Is the gap between rich and poor leading to increase of crime in Nagaland?” and 57% said yes, 27% said No and the rest 15% gave other reasons.
Most of the contenders who said yes, stated that there is no doubt that development is taking place; however, it does not reach the entire society as it is being controlled by some interest groups or individuals. The gap between the poor and the rich is so vast that their “riches are immeasurable, whereas the poor, “they cannot even get a full square meal”. Moreover, adding to that the rich exploits the poor when the economic gap becomes too wide.
Relating the rise of crime rates and the economic inequality in the state, one of the contenders stated the imbalanced growth does contribute to the rising crime rate, but it is not the only factor. “...however because of the present mind set, it will help to have a balance and impartial development in the society”. This will to some extent reduce criminal activities, but it will not solve the entire problems of the society.
Another added that the growing disparity between the “have and have nots” where the former getting richer and the latter poorer is of course one of the reasons behind the malady afflicting the Naga society. Stating that, “In the 1980s till upto early 90s, the words like extortion is foreign to most Nagas but as of now it has become cliché and well-worn. Besides, our work ethics is by and large dismal if not pitiable as a result of dependence mentality.
“Lopsidedly inequitable distribution of wealth by those deft hands of bureaucrats with their subordinates all the way down in cahoots with the powers that be all the way up resulted in the populace often finding themselves invariably end up on the receiving end of the deeply ingrained system of corruption. Unless this core issues are thoroughly and drastically addressed the gulf between the rich and the poor will keep widening that leads more to a vicious cycle.”
Contradicting the given statements, one stated that “evil knows no financial status” and blamed that the political leaders, public leaders, managers and other rich people who commit more crime. “In fact they are the ones who also use their money and power to make others do crimes for them.” Interestingly, an opposition rejected the concept of the poor getting into criminal acts and stated that the increasing crime rates have got nothing to do with the status of an individual but more with being lazy, poor work ethics and the want to make quick money.
Furthermore, in regard to the frequent incidents of extortions and kidnappings, a contender stated that Naga people have a “tendency to assume” that all crimes are by the underground groups but most crimes are being committed by gangs who take the name of underground groups. In addition, some of the contenders have suggested improving the judicial system as well as policing and also the underground factions should assist the police in curbing criminals.
Meanwhile, on the security of the public, another lamented: “The politicians and bureaucrats are protected 24 hours around the clock by police personnel; it is those struggling entrepreneurs who often become the soft target at the hands of the robbers. So again the super-rich are left untouched by the rising crime. It is a situation of poor robbing from the poor.”

NSCN (I-M) regrets January 2 killing DIMAPUR, (NPN):
The NSCN (I-M) has “deeply regretted” the shootout at Kijümetouma village under Kohima on January 2 in which one activist of the NNC/FGN was killed. The outfit said it shared the sorrow of the family and all Naga communities for the loss of at the onset of New Year.
PRO/IPR department of R & D, GHQ, Naga Army ‘Col.’ Levi Zimik in a statement said no amount of justification can restore the precious life that had fallen victim in the incident. It however called for the incident to be a “grim reminder” that the key players in the making of reconciliation or undoing the efforts of peacemaking were not the cadres in the field who find themselves under fire but those in the higher echelon who “plot treacherous plans” for thier own vested interest.
The PRO claimed that the skirmish took place when a section of NSCN (I-M) activists went to ascertain the happenings around the village and therefor “never” a premediated attack on its part. Rather, the incident turned out to be a set back for in the long search for rapproachment among Naga brethren, it added.
The NSCN (I-M) said the leaders of the ‘concerned group’ should be answerable as to why was there a sudden movement of armed cadres in the vicinity of VP Battalion Naga Army and unaccounted accumulation of hundreds of cadres belonging to Meitei and Kuki underground groups in and around Kijumetouma village prior to the incident.

Besides, the incident, the NSCN (I-M) alleged that the frequent harassment perpetrated upon the public by the occupants of Athibung camp could not be overlooked. It also said that reports of abuse such as beating up youths of Lilen village, abduction of Jalukieram villagers including the village GB for ransom etc in the name of NSCN have been doing rounds for quite sometime now.

It called for doing away with the blame game and to align with the process in truth and sincerity.
Condemnations
Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) today “vehemently” condemned the January 2 factional violence in Kijumetouma village, in which one NNC/FGN activist was killed by NSCN (I-M).
“The uncalled event executed was a breach of Trust to the prayer and faith the entire Naga society at moment is thrusting forthwith,” the NSF president Mutsikhoyo Yhobu remarked in a press statement.
Stating that it out rightly rejected all fratricidal related violence and bloodsheds, the NSF said any activities and action exercised against within the Naga brethrens would never earn and command respect from the younger generations under whatsoever manner.
Also, maintaining that youths have experienced enough turmoil and bloodsheds spawned by inter factional policies over the past year, the federation said it yielded only hatred and bitter memories for everyone. “Time has come today for all the Naga Political Groups to stand to their words to “cease all forms of offensive activities” and give Peace a chance to the younger Naga generation,” it underlined.
The federation also urged different political groups to “rein in their cadres from committing as a Nation.”
“For the errant of one or two the whole of what we are tirelessly building cannot be given to chance,” Yhobu asserted.

Further, expressing solidarity with the bereaved family, the NSF prayed that patience and tolerance would prevail, adding that Almighty God would grant hope and vision to all.
CFMG holds year’s first review meeting Eastern Mirror A Staff Reporter | EMN
DIMAPUR, JAN 5: The first Ceasefire Monitoring Group meeting of the year between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) to review the ceasefire ground rules was held today at Rhododendron conference hall, NAPTC, Chumukedima today with both the parties exchanging New Year pleasantries.
The Government of India through the Ceasefire Monitoring Group convener Lt Gen Mandhata Singh expressed happiness over the prevailing peace in the state and gave due credits to the various Naga factions for maintaining restraint and controlling their cadres.
Speaking over phone, Lt Gen Singh lauded the underground factions for the command they exhibited and said there is a sense of relief from every quarter, especially the citizens. There has been a comparative change in the situation as compared to 2009 then 2008, he stated.
However, the recent killing of an NNC/FGN cadre on January 2 by the NSCN (IM), which has emerged as a blotch to the peaceful scenario, was raised by the Centre, sources said adding the NSCN (IM) was cautioned during the meeting to restrain its cadres. The Center expressed deep concern over the incident at the meeting.
Meanwhile, on being asked about the NSCN-IM turning down the invitation of the Union Home Ministry for next round of talks, Lt Gen Singh said it was beyond his purview to comment on the matter since his responsibility is only to look over the implementation of the ceasefire ground rules by all sides.

NSCN (IM) representatives during the meeting included CFMC Convenor “Maj Gen” Phungthing Shimrang, Zhiheto, Deputy Kilonser & Member, CFMG, Wabang, RT Livingstone, Representative, Naga Army and member, CFMG, M K Winning, Francis Kikon, Salemyang and S Among Lim, members, CFMG.
New Delhi was represented by CFMG Chairman Lt Gen Mandhata Singh, Commissioner Nagaland H K Khullu, DGP Nagaland K Kire among others.
On Wednesday, a review meeting between the GPRN/NSCN and the Centre will be conducted at the same venue

Naga morality in peril! morungexpress
Dimapur| January 2 : While everyone awaited the New Year with joy, hope and cheer, residents of Zunheboto’s New Colony were greeted with something shocking and gruesome. A Sumi family enjoying a get-together outside their home was attracted by a stray dog chewing on what appeared to be a ‘baby.’ According to an eyewitness, a stray dog entered their compound around 7 pm on December 31, carrying a half-eaten baby. The alarmed group of people, along with other residents of the colony, searched around and found a mutilated corpse of a baby inside a drain. The corpse was torn into pieces – probably by dogs.
Five newborns killed in 11 months
The police are still tracing the mother of the dead baby. The officer-in-charge of Zunheboto police station said the hunt is still on to catch the offender, but there has been no clue so far. The people of Zunheboto are totally horrified by the incident as this is the first of its kind to happen.
However, this is not the first time a new born baby has been abandoned in this manner. On Christmas day 2009, according to some residents in Purana Bazar, a new-born baby was found wrapped in a polythene bag and left under a tree. An eyewitness said the baby – which was believed to be alive – was taken away by some Catholic nuns.
Over the last eleven months, five babies including the recent one in Zunheboto have been found in different areas of Nagaland. Some time in the month of March 2009, a baby still attached to the umbilical cord was found inside a drain in Sematila colony in Dimapur. The baby, believed to be a male, had suspicious looking bruises around his neck and forehead. Wrapped in a yellow-colored scarf, the body was discovered by a non-local man. Similarly, in less than a month or so, another new born baby was found discarded inside a DMC dustbin in Ellora lane in Dimapur.
Then in the month of August in Mokokchung, a dog was found eating a baby, probably a new-born. Eyewitnesses said the dog, rearing five puppies, was found eating the corpse of the baby which was wrapped in a black polythene bag. The gender of the baby could not be identified even after medical examination nor could its age be ascertained.
In any of the crimes committed so far, there has been no clue of the perpetrators. It also appears like the babies are being thrown away in places far from their birth place. Another troubling aspect in this crime is that all the babies have been reported to be locals.
Call it cold-blooded murder or insanity – added to the already existing high rate of abortions in the state – such horrific crimes is definitely on the rise. Unless there is some sort of effective mechanism and law to address the crime, the state may well be on its way to becoming a land of cold-blooded murderers.

Need for proactive steps
Speaking to The Morung Express, Moamenla Jamir, founder-director of a charity orphanage, Mother’s Hope, said it is indeed very sad that newborns are being abandoned in such cruel and inhumane ways. ‘This is just the tip of the iceberg,’ she said. She said the rate of abortion is very high in Dimapur. A research in 2001 found out that in six nursing homes, 556 abortions were conducted in a month alone, she informed. Speaking on the problem of unwanted pregnancies, she said that the government should make ‘sex education’ a part of the school curriculum. ‘If you don’t want to call it ‘sex education’ call it ‘facts of life.’
“Personally, I advise abstinence but if that cannot be followed then atleast there should be options available to youngsters like contraceptives. Young people should be made aware on how to avoid unwanted pregnancies,” she said. Commenting on the stigma attached to unwanted pregnancies, she opined that parents are very important in making their children aware and are the best people to instill the values of life in their children. She also felt that nowadays the pressure to “grow up” is very intense for the young. “Our children are growing up very fast,” she said. “When youngsters get into trouble, they go everywhere except turning to their parents for help; I know this because having dealt with lots of cases parents are always the last ones they want to talk to not because of not loving them but because they love them so much,” she said.
Moamenla also said that the society still thinks that the blame is always on the girl’s side. What they forget is that there is always a man involved to get pregnant. People term the girl ‘irresponsible’ or a ‘loose character’ but what about the man behind the pregnancy too? she asks. Also, somehow most Naga churches also have put the impression that the church is only for ‘perfect people,’ she said. Churches should also link to the issue and instead of ‘hiding it under the carpet’ because its not going to go away, rather the church should educate. “God has created all the parts of our body and lets admit it that God has designed and created our sexuality,” Moamenla reminded.
“In a single day so many abortions are taking place in Dimapur”, she revealed. Doctors have even told her that it is the ‘off’ season for abortions saying that the rate of abortions goes higher after Christmas.
Mother’s Hope located in Dimapur is a rehabilitation and after-care centre for pregnant girls which also provides free counseling, free health-care and psychological support to girls undergoing crisis pregnancies. It also provides for adoption services for newborn and infants needing permanent home and provide home to young girls who are usually victims of sexual abuse.

Daimary looks to fill up Ulfa void NISHIT DHOLABHAI The Telegraph
New Delhi,: The anti-talks faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) is believed to be looking beyond its Bodo roots for a pan-northeastern presence taking advantage of the supposed vacuum left by Ulfa.
Anti-talks faction chief Ranjan Daimary and his associates are apparently gearing up to fill the void if Ulfa commander-in-chief Paresh Barua agrees to walk to the negotiating table.
A source said Daimary has sent some of his close men to Sagaing province of Myanmar in company of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang).
The Naga outfit works in close co-ordination with the Kachin rebels as well as various other insurgent groups from India, including Ulfa and the NDFB. Its chairman, S.S. Khaplang, a Hemi Naga, lives in this northern Myanmar region.
“As Indian agencies close in on Daimary and with the likelihood of a rapprochement with Barua, there are reports the NDFB wants to step in. They are recruiting in Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam,” said an intelligence agency source.
Daimary who was ousted from the NDFB in December 2008 — the pro-talks group of the NDFB has de-linked itself from the violent faction — has apparently found takers for his new plan.
Earlier, too, the NDFB shared a close relationship with the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), the Achik National Volunteers Council (ANVC) and the NSCN (K). With the arrest of Arabinda Rajkhowa and Raju Barua in December, Ulfa is substantially tamed.
Barua is still at large but speculation is rife that back-channel parleys are on with the “B” company of Ulfa’s 28 battalion to come for negotiations before January 15 when Assam celebrates Bihu.
If Barua comes forward for talks — Naga rebel outfits already on the negotiating table — a vacuum is foreseen. “Daimary’s NDFB is trying to make most of it. Their men are stationed even in Aizawl (Mizoram),” said a source.
Assam Rifles pin hopes on Myanmar elections PTI
Shillong, Jan 5 (PTI) The upcoming general election in Myanmar, the first in two decades, has made the Assam Rifles optimistic that the new government there will mount pressure on Northeast insurgents hiding in that country.

"We share a deep understanding with the Myanmar army. I am sure whichever government comes to power, the understanding will continue," Assam Rifles Director-General Lt Gen K S Yadava told reporters here.

Assam Rifles, the oldest paramilitary force of India, is responsible for guarding the Indo-Myanmar border besides holding counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast.

Many Northeast insurgent groups still have their camps and training centres across the 1,631 km-long border that runs along the frontier states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.

Smuggling of arms and ammunition across the border is also rampant.
North-east terrorists and Maoists have Chinese links From Jyoti Lal Chowdhury in Silchar Organizer
The intelligence agencies concerned keeping trail on the movement of Barua have got enough indications that he is cooling his heels in the wooded fastness of Kachin province of Myanmar. The province is known as a safe passage and sanctuary of north-east extremist groups with active support from the Kachin Independent Army (KIA), Arakan, Karen, Shan, and Chin rebels fighting for liberating zones against the military junta of Yangon. The agencies in course of their trail have also stumbled upon the fact that China is backing up north-east militants and Maoists.

Mizo National Front (MNF) hqrs, it is to be recalled, was based at Newlogoon close to the border of Mizoram. Besides Bangladesh and Bhutan, ULFA had also set-up camps in Kachin after the outfit signed Indo-Burma Revolutionary Front (IBRF) with NSCN (K) and UNLF in 1995. The entire troubled zone is best known as guerilla hinterland. Both the NSCN (K) and UNLF have strong presence in the Arakant region. It is the writ of the rebels and not the military junta that runs through the province and all the areas around.

The strategic location of Kachin and Shan provinces with passage to China, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand provides the north-east militants easy access to arms shipped from international markets. It is an open secret that besides Chittagong and Cox’s Bazaar, sea ports of Bangladesh, arms used by militants come from Mynmar. Assam Rifles has identified 30 border villages across Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram where arms are catched for gun-runners. BSF, on the other hand, listed India’s 663 km border with Myanmar as “corridor of terror”.

Logistic and material support has made Myanmar an ideal destination for ULFA. The lone top fugitive Paresh Barua in the present predicament can not have better option than to seek refuge with IBRF allies and the Myanmerese guerillas. Intillegence agencies have more information on ULFA’s Kachin safari. China has been one of the potential suppliers of arms. According to them, a strong syndicate code named Black House with its base in Yunan province of China controls shipments of Chinese arms and ammunitions in South Asia.

Reports quoting Jane’s intelligence review say that China now scores over Combodia and Thailand as the main supplier of weapons to north-east militants. It further reveals IBRF allies have close coordination with United Wa State Army (UWSA) with large force of soldiers, an obscure but dreaded Myanmar based insurgent group. The Army works as a link between Chinese arms suppiers and militant groups of India. Reports further add that Paresh Barua has not escaped from Bangladesh in the wake of the crackdown on ULFA leaders. He has long before been in Kachin for arms – shopping where he is holed up now.

According to another report, Barua along with Manipur based Peoples Liberation Army chairman Nengbom Bhorot went to Kumming in Yunan province and held two meetings with Lt. Gen. Guangkhai, the chief of Chinese military intelligence known as the second department of Chinese Peoples Liberation Army General staff officials. The meeting took place between February 13 and 17 this year.

Quite significantly, Maoists and naxalites have of late been seeking ideological resonance and tactical understanding with north-east insurgents. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram admitted while addressing the annual conference of Director Generals and Inspector Generals of Police in September in Delhi that Maoists are tying up in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam for arms from China through Myanmar. Information with the Union Home Ministry is that Maoists have improved on military wares and operational tactics. UWSA is again a major player in this arms deal.

Can not India mount diplomatic pressure on Myanmar like Bangladesh for crackdown on extremist leaders ? Observers say it is difficult to implement. Two important reasons are that military junta of Yangon have no control over Kachin and Shan provinces where the rebels are active. Secondly, Beijing has great influence over Myanmarese military rulers and the rebels too maintain better Chinese connections for their own interests.

NLFT rebels admit crisis OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Agartala, Jan. 4: The cadres of the banned NLFT, demoralised by a growing resource crunch and hostile attitude of the Bangladesh security forces, are continuing their surrender spree.
Yesterday, four hardcore rebels of the outfit surrendered before officers of the 15 battalion of the Assam Rifles at remote Taidum under Kanchanpur subdivision, sharing its boundary with Mizoram.
The militants deposited an AK-56 assault rifle, an SLR, a G-3 rifle, a 9mm pistol and huge quantity of ammunition.
Police sources said yesterday acting on a tip-off, around 1pm a group of Assam Rifles jawans of the Kanchanpur-based 15 battalion, led by K.B. Thapa, had left for Taidum to conduct special search operations.
During the search operations, the four NLFT militants called for help and came out of a thatched hut with their hands up.
The four have been identified as self-styled corporal Bhandiram Reang, 27, Purnajay Reang, 26, Samarbabu Reang, 28, and Kripajay Reang, 25.
In the course of primary interrogation in the Assam Rifles camp, the militants said the NLFT had been affected by a severe resource crisis and demoralisation.
“Our movement in Bangladesh has become restricted and it is very difficult even to procure food because of resource constraints,” they had told the Assam Rifles.
Police sources here said the growing pressure of counter-insurgency operations had restricted the movements of the NLFT and the All Tripura Tiger Force within the state.
“The Tripura State Rifles jawans have now been given night vision devices and GPS for operations at night. This is helping them a lot; other paramilitary forces like the Assam Rifles and the CRPF must be using advanced devices during operations,” deputy inspector-general (operations), Nepal Das, said.
Guns and Roses Nagaland page

He is a journalist by profession. But for almost quarter of a century, he has been a legend himself; the most authoritative voice of militancy in southeast Asia and nobody knows northern Myanmar (Burma) more than him. He is Bertil Linter who walked through Nagaland-Kachin-China in an epic 18-month trek with his wife and a 6-week-old baby to understand the nuances of militancy in a region which for rest of the world is more of an enigma.
The Linters travelled by bus from Guwahati to Dimapur, by jeep to Kohima and from there to the border, which they crossed on October 22, 1985. From Longva in Nagaland border, they continued on foot by elephant across northern Burma. They then crossed the border into China on April 19, 1987 only to be promptly arrested and deported to Hong Kong.
In that journey they met, stayed with and understood the top leadership of ULFA, NSCN, NNC, KIA, Communist Party of Burma (CPB), Shan State Army (SSA) and Karen National Union (KNU). Nobody had done that and nobody will ever be. The man himself was in Northeast India, 20 years after his first clandestine visit when this author caught him on a busy day. Excerpts of the interview:
Welcome to the Northeast once again after 20 years...
Yeah... it is quite a nostalgic feeling. Most of the Northeast I travelled in that trip was either at night or behind the back of the racketing jeep covered by hood. So, I actually had seen very little of the region.
But you stayed quite a few weeks in Kolkata, Delhi and much longer in Kohima...
Yes that's true. We were holed up in Delhi, trying to get a Naga contact. We came by bus to Guwahati, then to Dimapur and finally to Kohima where my daughter was born on September 27, 1985. This time I could not locate the house where my daughter was born.
(Bertil's wife Hseng Noung Linter, a Shan girl gave delivery to a healthy baby in a house in Kohima as Bertil was in hiding waiting for the Naga contacts to arrive from the NSCN headquarters. By the time it arrived, the baby was 5 weeks old and then they travelled to Mokukchang, re-entered Assam through Amguri and Sonari and entered Nagaland and finally left the Indian territory through Longva to enter Northern Burma on that epic journey.)
Now after visiting Nagaland legitimately for the first time and meeting all those Naga leaders, starting from Phizo to Muivah over the decades, do you think a greater Nagalim is possible?
I asked the same question to Phizo also in London and all the top present leadership of NSCN. The Naga civil society has constantly been doing something for the Naga talk in my own home town Chiang Mai. But considering new geopolitics, a separate independent Nagalim is a hopeless case. I do not think that will take place ever. The same way an independent Assam will never be possible.
When you were in NSCN camp, you met the top leadership of the ULFA also...
They were young and had romantic revolution in their eyes. But frankly speaking, I was confused what they were demanding and even now also, I am confused what their demand is? I was confused with their map when the same territory has also been demanded by Nagalim also.
The ULFA leadership tried to impress me with a utopian Assam. But some of their leaders like Paresh Barua were good fighters, while there is similarity between ancient Assamese and mother tongue of my wife who is a Shan.
Where do you think the 12-year-long Naga talk will lead to?
Definitely not for a separate Nagalim. Perhaps the Nagas will achieve some more autonomy and not beyond that and with the changed scenario, the Nagalim cannot expect anything more also.
Do you think militancy of the Northeast will survive and thrive in future also?
To some extent yes, but may not thrive like it did in the past. The Northern Burma is not the Burma when I visited 2 decades back. There has been an understanding between the Kachin Independent Army (KIA) and the Burmese Junta. So KIA is not going to help much and the arms supply has also been reducing. Although it will remain for some period the intensity and the striking power will be less.
Would you like to make a trip once more?
That was 20 years ago and 20 kg less of me. I do not think I shall be able to make a trip again in that area.
Although your book Land of Jade on this trip has reached an iconic stage, would you like to recall everything in a brief for the benefit of those who could not lay hand on your book.
As it was impossible to penetrate China-Thai border to reach Northern Burma, I took the India route. We were desperate to get a contact with Naga militants and I thought there could be some one in New Delhi. With a loose contact we arrived at Shillong via Guwahati but actually worked our way through Nagaland in the next 3 months to reach Longva, last time we boarded a motor vehicle before disappearing in the jungles of Northern Burma till reappearing in the Chinese border 18 months later at Sipongpanna of Yunan province.
You had a baby with you and the NSCN camp was attacked by the Burmese army...
There was no way. We could not have gone back to Bangkok empty-handed. When we were about to leave the NSCN camp to KIA camps, the Burmese army attacked the camp. The NSCN might be good at ambushes but they had no protection of their camps. There were no bunkers and no trenches. There was a big cross in the middle of the camp as the Naga had strong belief that Jesus would save them. But in reality it did not work out. They were saved by the team which came from the KIA to escort us. That was a big fight and in fact, Muviah apologized to us personally for the trouble.
I believe that during that period both Muviah and Khaplang were together...
They were together but I could see the problem was coming. It was not late when we heard that both fell apart and it was actually inevitable.
Do you still believe that an honourable solution is possible with NSCN?
This is a tricky question because who will decide what is honourable. They have been talking for the past 12 years and it is not transparent. But one thing is clear that independent Nagalim is a hopeless case. That is not going to be. However, the NSCN has managed to bring the Naga issue to the fore at the international level and that is a big success. Even the Northern Burma-based militant organizations are also not being able to do that. By Mrinal Talukdar
(Courtesy: The Assam Tribune)

Bertil Linter was born in 1953 in Sweden. He came to Asia in 1975 on the overland route from Europe to Australia. Bertil spent 5 years on the road in Asia from Istanbul to Bangkok and from Depensar to Tokyo before settling down in Thailand in 1980. Then he became a freelance writer and established himself as an authority over Northern Burma and the insurgent groups there. The epic journey across Northern Burma was reported first in the Far Eastern Economic Review. He now permanently lives at Chiang Mai in Thailand with his Shan wife Hseng Noung Linter who was a rebel herself in her teens before becoming the photographer and then married Bertil.
Books of Bertil Linter
• Great Leader, Dear Leader: Demystifying North Korea under the Kim Clan
• Outrage: Burma's Struggle for Democracy
• Blood Brothers: Crime, Business and Politics in Asia
• Land of Jade: A Journey from India through Northern Burma to China
• Merchants of Madness: The Methamphetamine Explosion in the Golden Triangle
• The Rise and Fall of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB)
• The Kachin: Lords of Burma's Northern Frontier
• Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948
• The Golden Triangle
• Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's Struggle for Democracy
Over 130 killed in BTC area since Jan’08 Staff Reporter Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, Jan 5 – If the Government of Assam cannot give protection to life and property of the people of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area, it should not oppose creation of a separate State of Bodoland, asserted the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) today. Talking to The Assam Tribune today, ABSU president Promode Boro said that the Government of Assam remained silent spectators when innocent people were being killed in the BTC area every day , “which forced us to think whether the Government is concerned about the security of more than 30 lakh people of the area.” According to an assessment of the ABSU, more than 130 persons were killed in the BTC area since January 2008 and those killed do not include militants killed in the operations by the security forces.

Boro said that time and again, the ABSU approached the Government with the request to take effective steps to stop killings of innocents in the BTC area, but unfortunately, the Government failed to take effective steps in this regard. He said that the ABSU submitted memoranda to three successive DGPs of Assam Police including the present DGP with the demand to take steps for protecting the life and property of the people, while, a delegation of the students’ body also met the Union Home Secretary, GK Pillai last month. But unfortunately, the Government did not pay heed to the concerns of the ABSU and the situation is deteriorating with every passing day, lamented the ABSU president.

Condemning the killing of Lilabati Daimary, elder sister of NDFB anti-talk faction chief Ranjan Daimary, the ABSU president expressed apprehension that the incident might trigger off more fratricidal clashes in the BTC area in the days to come. The ABSU has appealed to all the armed groups to stop killing of innocents.

Boro said that the students are the worst sufferers of the prevailing situation in the BTC area and many students had to leave for other places because of the situation. The High School Leaving Certificate and the Higher Secondary examinations are approaching but the situation is such that the students cannot study with an open mind, he added.

On the steps taken by the ABSU for improvement of the situation, Boro said that the ABSU has initiated talks with other Bodo national organisations in this regard. He said that the students’ body has also launched a mass movement for a “violence free and illegal arms free society.” But at the same time, he said that a students’ body can do very little for improvement of the situation and it is the responsibility ofthe Government to protect the life and property of the people.