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08/04/2010: "Nagas should have the right to decide their future: Muivah Bombay News.Net (ANI)"

Nagas should have the right to decide their future: Muivah Bombay News.Net (ANI)

National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah faction) leader Thuingaleng Muivah has said that Nagalim (Greater Nagaland) and India should co-exist, and that the Nagas should have the right to decide their own future.

On Tuesday, Muivah said that it was an insult to the Nagas that their land is kept divided by the Government of India.

"We have to have, the reason is that we have to have part of our land, you know Nagaland was divided and it is still kept divided by the Indian government. This is against our consensus. This is an insult, imposed upon us and we can't accept it. We are not asking any land belonging to the Assamese but our land, we must have," said Muivah.

The Naga leader further said that there were no demands from the group except that the Indian government should recognise the history of the Nagas.

"In real sense, there is no demand at all from our side. And because the Nagas have their history, very clear, and so what we taught them in the long process of the discussion in the past, even we taught that when the Government of India respects the history of the Nagas, on the part of the Nagas we are ready to respect the history of the India," he said.

The Nagas have been demanding a free state carved out of the northeastern region, including parts of Manipur. (ANI)
Corruptions make deep entrench into Naga society: Jamir PTI IBN
Kohima, Aug 04 (PTI) Nagaland's former chief minister S C Jamir today lamented that corruption lost its meaning in the state where people no longer have been ashamed to accept bribes. Pointing out that "a cloud of fear" enveloped Naga society, Jamir, former Maharastra governor, asserted that the Nagas have to solve their problems and should not expect others to do so.Jamir, donning full traditional regalia of an Ao Naga elder, was speaking at the celebration of Tsungremong, the traditional festival of Ao community at Chumukedima near Dimapur yesterday. Stating that the insurgency syndrome created uneasiness among the people, he rued that the villagers and their administrators were today reluctant to speak out the truth and Naga churches failed to raise voice against evils that have been plaguing the Naga society. Expressing concern over the present condition in the Naga society, Jamir pointed out that even many young scholars refused to return home and it was a problem that needed deep introspection. Reports of celebrations of the festival for past three days received from Ao villages in Mokokchung district and Ao community living at Kohima and Dimapur. Tsungremong is celebrated in the first week of August to propitiate the Almighty to have a bumper harvest and for wellbeing of the villages.
Manipur: Another economic blockade from tomorrow Hindustan Times
Imphal/Guwahati, Barely out of one economic blockade, militancy-mauled Manipur has landed in another. The United Naga Council (UNC), a frontal organization of Manipur-based Naga tribes, has ignored Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh's plea to go ahead with its 20-day economic blockade from 6 am on
Wednesday.

The blockade designed to choke Manipur's lifelines – national highways 39 and 53 – follows Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "indifference" to an ultimatum the UNC had submitted on July 27.

The frontier northeastern State is yet to get over the impact of the 69-day blockade another Naga organization – All Naga Students Association of Manipur – had ‘imposed' from April 11 against the holding of elections to "dummy" autonomous tribal councils.

"Blockades on highways can never be a solution to any problem," said Chief Minister Singh.
"We appeal to UNC to call off the blockade in public interest."

Chief Secretary DS Poonia said the blockade was uncalled for since the government "is open to dialogue and willing to provide a forum for a healthy exchange of views to address grievances of all stakeholders".
Steps, he added, were being taken to ensure uninterrupted supply of essentials.

According to UNC general secretary A Ashohrii, unresponsive governments in New Delhi and Imphal forced his organization to take the highway blockade decision.
"Our demands are not inconsiderate, and ours is a democratic protest," he said.

The UNC's demands include judicial probe into the May 6 firing at Mao Gate (Manipur-Nagaland border) that killed two Naga students, "demilitarization" of Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur and declaration of the tribal council polls as null and void.

Both NH 39 and NH 53, connecting Imphal to the rest of the country, pass through Naga territory. NH 39 is the better and shorter of the two routes, but it passes through Nagaland before entering Manipur. In Manipur, NH 39 pierces a 60 km stretch of Naga territory while NH 53 snakes through a longer stretch.

For the Manipur government, NH 53 is less troublesome. But it is in a pathetic shape, landslide-prone and has several temporary bridges that cannot withstand the weight of a single goods-laden truck.

Manipur truckers have continued to avoid NH 39 citing extortion by Naga organizations, but traffic via the "unpredictable" NH 53 has been erratic.
Consequently, Manipur's 2.5 million people are still reeling under scarcity of food grains and fuel. Bandhpur

Guwahati
The 20-day UNC economic blockade from Wednesday morning is not the only shutdown in Manipur. There are at least half a dozen more bandhs in force or planned in the next few days.
Here are a few:
Ongoing boycott of NH 39 by Transporters and Drivers' Council, Manipur
Indefinite stir against price rise by women vendors of Imphal markets from Tuesday (August 3)
48-hour 'chakka bandh' by Zeliangrong Students' Union, Manipur from August 5 to protest handing over charge of NH 53 from Border Roads Organization to Manipur PWD.
Shutdown threat by Committee on Protection of Tribal Areas, Manipur on the issue of hill district boundary demarcation
Stir threat by All Manipur Hill Districts Contract Basis Association for extension of orders of their services
Bandh plan by Federation of All Tribal Youth Clubs, Manipur over demand for designation camps for a militant outfit
Naga council begins Manipur blockade Sobhapati Samom, Hindustan Times

Imphal, The United Naga Council of Manipur has resumed the economic blockade on Manipur on Wednesday for 20 days, despite the central and state governments' appeal to call it off in public interest. The Centre said in New Delhi that it had urged the group not to block supply of essential commodities to the
state. Home Minister P Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha: "Manipur chief minister recently called a meeting of all the groups, but the UNC did not attend the meeting."
On the first day of the blockade, no untoward incident was reported on the state's lifelines — the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati highway and the Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar highway.
"We've deployed eight CRPF companies along the Senapati-to-Mao sector (a 50-km-stretch) of National Highway 39," Senapati SP Nishit Ujjwal said.
He said, "Another CRPF team, escorting 48 empty oil tankers, left the state to ferry fuel from outside."
The Nagaland police on the Nagaland-Manipur border also confirmed the movement of the tankers, while more than 200 goods-laden trucks were on their way to Imphal.
Manipur witnessed the end of a crippling 68-day-long blockade of the Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati highway and Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar highway, called by the All-Naga Students Association, Manipur, on June 18.
The UNC announced the resumption of blockade in protest against the Centre's alleged inaction on their ultimatum to PM Manmohan Singh on July 27.
The demand included institution of a judicial enquiry into the May 6 firing at Mao Gate on the Manipur-Nagaland border, killing two Naga students, demilitarisation of Naga areas, removal of the "wanted" tags on Naga leaders and dissolution of the autonomous district councils.
4 women insurgents of NDFB (R) faction held Press Trust Of India

Tezpur, Four women insurgents of the anti-talk faction of NDFB (R) were arrested along with a two-year old child in lower Assam's Sonitpur district and documents containing plans of bomb blast were found in their possession. The four, along with the child, were apprehended at the Assam State Transport
Corporation bus stop in Tezpur by a team led by Superintendent of Police Jitmol Doley while proceeding to Myanmar via Nagaland last night and letters by a NDFB leader regarding bomb blast plans were recovered from them, official sources said.

Police also recovered Rs 12.16,135 lakh in cash, believed to be extortion money, from the four as well besides the letters of NDFB (National Democratic Front of Bodoland) Ranjan Daimary '3rd battalion' faction.
The seized documents included six letters of NDFB 'Vice-chairman' G Risikhang about 'resolutions' of the battalion taken on May 10 and June 17 last to carry bomb blasts on major bridges to disrupt communication and vital installations in Assam, besides proposals for sending certain NDFB ultras to Myanmar.
A mobile phone was also recovered containing numbers of senior NDFB members and the banned outfit's headquarters in different parts of Assam.
The women were to proceed on to Myanmar via bordering Mao district of Nagaland to hand over the money to yet unidentified persons for supplying arms, ammunition and explosives, the sources said.