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01/22/2011: "Swu push to reconciliation OUR BUREAU The telegraph"

Swu push to reconciliation OUR BUREAU The telegraph

Kohima/New Delhi, Jan. 21: The chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), Isak Chishi Swu, and his wife Avuli will land in New Delhi from Bangkok late tonight.
Swu is expected to reach Nagaland soon to meet leaders of other groups and push forward the ongoing reconciliation process, spearheaded by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and supported by several organisations and churches.
Swu, who was scheduled to reach New Delhi earlier, was delayed because of a technical problem with his travel documents.
The NSCN chief has now been issued an Indian passport.
According to a source, he had been travelling the world with a Bangladeshi passport.
The Centre wanted him to surrender the passport to the Bangladesh authorities.
Sources said the Centre had inked certain restrictions in Swu’s Indian passport, to which the outfit was objecting.
The sources said six of their senior kilonsers (ministers) are currently camping in Delhi to receive their chairman.
The Naga community in New Delhi will organise a civic reception for Swu on January 23 at 5.30pm at 61, Lodhi Estate.
Before leaving for Nagaland, Swu will meet Thuingaleng Muivah, the outfit’s general secretary, who is in the national capital.
Swu and Muivah will live in New Delhi for nearly a month before a trip to Nagaland, sources said, unless there are “more important” meetings.
Interlocutor for the Naga talks, R.S. Pandey, will hold parleys with the militant leaders.
Hours before Swu’s arrival, top government officials said the Naga political problem was nearing its conclusion.
“The parties may arrive at a broad agreement by the end of the year,” a senior home ministry official said.
S.S. Khaplang, the chairman of the NSCN (Khaplang), is also expected to reach Nagaland soon, according to sources.
The NSCN, which was formed on January 30, 1980, split in 1988 after a bloody clash between the supporters of Swu, Muivah and Khaplang in the jungles of Burma.
Over 200 supporters of Swu and Muivah have been killed in fratricidal clashes. Since then, fratricidal killings have claimed hundreds of lives.
According to the mandate of the Naga people and also the resolutions of the Joint Working Group of Naga groups, a meeting of the highest level is imminent.
The FNR and the Joint Working Group have requested the Naga people to pray for the reconciliation process.
They have also asked the churches and prayer centres to arrange special programmes, the convenor of the forum, Rev. Wati Aier, said.
‘State demand may break peace in Nagaland’
CORRESPONDENT Assam tribune
DIMAPUR, Jan 22 – Naga People’s Front (NPF) President and Minister for Urban Development & Higher Education Dr Shürhozelie Liezietsu, while stating that he has ‘nothing to comment’ on the demand of the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation (ENPO) for a separate State, however, expressed apprehension that the development may dismantle the hard won peace which has paved the way for a final solution to the Naga political issue.
Touching on the ‘Frontier Nagaland’ demand issue for the first time during the inaugural function of the 63rd meet of the United Sangtam Students Conference at Kiphire, Shürhozelie said, “I have nothing to comment on the ENPO demand for a separate State.”
The veteran politician, however, voiced fear that the demand may dismantle the hard earned steps won by peace makers towards a final solution to the Naga political problem.
Expressing the hope that good sense will prevail at the right time in the larger interest of the Nagas as a whole, he said, “We do not want Nagaland to be disintegrated further.”
Army files FIR against erring IRBs morungexpress
Dimapur, January 21 (MExN): Responding to the assault meted out to an AR personnel by IRB cadres, the Army has filed an FIR against the defaulters under Indian Penal Code Section 325 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and Section 395 (Dacoity) at the East Police Station, Dimapur.
The Army in a press note stated that on January 20, expressing concern over the incident , the Army authorities deputed a Brigadier and a Colonel from Rangapahar Military Station, who had met the SP and conveyed that such heinous acts call for prompt and strict action by police. Army authorities brought out that there are a large number of soldiers from Nagaland who are serving in various parts of the country and they return to Nagaland to meet their families and friends.
"Such atrocities on an Army jawan who is on leave not only affects the morale of the Naga jawan and his family but also it can act as a catalyst to disturb the peace and security in the locality unless Police authorities initiate action to prevent such incidents and book the defauters at the earliest," it lamented.
The note stated that Sepoy Robinson Komou, an Army jawan belonging 2 Assam Regiment, presently posted at Lucknow, was brutally assaulted by some personnel of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) without any provocation on January 18 night while the former was returning from Railway station, Dimapur after booking the train ticket.
It also added that the Assam Regiment jawan’s cell phone and other personal documents were also stolen by the IRB persons. The jawan, who was found in an unconscious state after the incident, is now undergoing treatment in the Military Hospital. “The incident has been viewed very seriously by Army authorities at all levels.”

NSCN-IM issues directives - Group prohibits burning of forests, chemicals for fishing OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Kohima, Jan. 21: The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) has banned burning of jungles and fishing with poisonous chemicals.
The highest policy-making body of the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim (GPRN) has decided to immediately ban burning of jungles and fishing with poisonous chemicals in rivers and streams.
The outfit’s ministries of forest and environment, and kilo (home) affairs have issued the directive to all Naga areas in a bid to keep waters clean and prevent wanton burning of jungles.
The outfit said punitive measures would be taken against those who violate the directive.
The GPRN’s forests and environment secretary T.A. Rao appealed to the Nagas to preserve natural forests, medicinal plants, flora and fauna. He said random burning of forests had damaged the environment in the Naga-inhabited areas.
He said massive trees had been destroyed and wild animals and birds killed in recent years. Besides, use of chemicals had poisoned rivers and harmed fish.
The group said drying up of rivers and streams had caused climate and weather changes.
“Thick forests and jungles have become a Naga desert land,” Rao said.
He said air pollution, caused by burning of forests and use of chemicals, had made breathing unsafe.
The outfit’s ministry of kilo affairs also affirmed the January 18 decision, issued by D.G. Robert, kilo (home) secretary at its council headquarters of the steering committee to preserve the depleting flora, fauna and aquatic bio-diversity in “Nagalim”.
The outfit’s forest and environment ministry also appealed to all regional central administrative officers, council members, leacys (legislators), commanding officers of brigade, battalion, Naga army and village chairman/secretaries to endorse and enforce this.
“To err is to human but forgiveness is not compulsory,” it stated.
The outfit has banned the hunting of wild animals a couple of years ago in the Naga-inhabited areas.
Fresh modalities for oil production in Nagaland (PTI)
Kohima, Jan 22 A Nagaland government cabinet sub-committee on exploration and mining of petroleum and natural gas would soon submit its report to the state government recommending fresh modalities for production of oil in the stare, an official release said here today.
The release quoting member secretary of cabinet sub-committee and Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) H K Khulu said the oil spill issue in Champang area under Wokha district would be addressed by the state government.
He asked the land owners and department of geology and mining not to take any initiative by their own to deal with it, it added.
The committee members recently visited proven oil fields of Wokha district and inspected some of the abandoned oil rigs where oil was spilled causing environmental concern.
ONGC, which had earlier undertaken exploration and production in Champang and other areas in the district, had to leave the oil fields in May 1994 following violent protest by undergrounds and student activists.
Since then the state government has been attempting to resume oil production in the area with a fresh set of modalities to be executed with the production companies.
The government set up a cabinet sub-committee headed by planning minister T R Zeliang to study and recommend various pros and cons of resumption of oil production in the state.
Khulu said that the sub-committee members while visiting the area explained to the villagers about the government''s intension where maximum possible benefits are accrued by the state as well by the local stake holders.
So, at this stage when the sub-committee is about to submit its report to the government, the land owners should not complicate the matter by inviting ONGC to clean up those spilled rigs, he said.
The panel had learnt that department of geology of mining invited ONGC for a joint verification of the oil spillage in Changpang without any consultation with the cabinet sub-committee, and asked the department not take any initiative on its own in this regard, the release said.
Since oil spill is extremely hazardous for the environment as well as a technical matter, the sub-committee has clearly spelt out that the issue would be addressed by the state government at the earliest, Khulu said.