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06/06/2012: "Can forgo power for solution: Rio The Telegraph"

Can forgo power for solution: Rio The Telegraph

Neiphiu Rio

New Delhi, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio, who has been in power for nine years and will face the Assembly polls in 2013, spoke to Nishit Dholabhai on various issue. Excerpts from the interview:

TT: What is your take on the peace process between New Delhi and the NSCN (Isak-Muivah)?

NR: This is the 15th year so how can one be satisfied with the peace process? We want a solution so that we don’t have to face elections, so that Nagas can come closer. Elections are fought on party lines and this divides the Nagas. This is the time when Naga undergrounds (rebels) have come closest to the government. If we lose this opportunity, we will have to start from zero. It is our desire that the government and the undergrounds find a solution.

TT: What about factional wars and reconciliation?

NR: Reconciliation is a continuous process and will go on. It is also the wish of the Naga people. If the undergrounds really represent the people, they should listen to their voice. They should reconcile among themselves and find a solution with the government of India.

TT: One solution or different solutions? (There are three NSCN factions, two of whom are in ceasefire with the Centre, and two Naga National Council factions).

NR: The government of India is one government, the Nagas are one (people). So a piecemeal settlement may not be good. That’s why reconciliation (is important) but they are again having problems. The K split (split in the Khaplang group last year) has created problems again.

TT: How does the Khaplang group’s agreement with Myanmar impact Nagaland?

NR: India and Myanmar became independent and Naga insurgency began. Now it is 60 years of Naga struggle. The government of India has recognised the “uniqueness of the Naga history” (former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s statement often quoted by Naga rebel leaders). The Nagas have been recognised, their identity protected under Article 371A of the Constitution, their culture and traditions protected. Now Myanmar has recognised the Nagas by giving them autonomous administrative zones. There are six Naga representatives in (Myanmar) parliament. This shows the division of Nagas and the injustice done to them. If integration is not possible, emotional integration will continue.

What is done cannot be undone. The undergrounds were fighting for sovereignty and then came the signing of the 16-point agreement that spoke of integration of Naga areas, a demand that was also passed four times in the Assembly. This was the language of the undergrounds…but undergrounds are now speaking the language of the overgrounds. They have realised, reconciled that the situation is such that now we have to live in the Indian Union. That is why this is the closest moment for the Nagas and the Indian government …this is the time for a solution.

TT: Do you think this is the time for the NSCN (I-M) or the Centre to speak to neighbouring states, putting aside any shyness, because they are the affected parties. Can any solution be achieved without talking to Manipur or its political leadership?

NR: No, without talking to them (Manipur) there is no solution. Whether we are integrated or not integrated, Naga interests should be protected wherever they are. And they should be given due recognition be it in Assam, Manipur or Arunachal. The government of India should be broadminded to take a bold decision and have a discussion with neighbouring states. If integration is not possible, what is possible should be discussed. I wish there was a solution. I am ready to vacate my position. For settlement or to have peace in our land, we are ready to sacrifice. We have no hesitation.

TT: Can there be dialogue between you and Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh?

NR: When you and I cannot compromise, we need a judge. Is there space for a dialogue? Forget (not) allowing Muivah to visit his village Somdal, they also tried their best to stop me from visiting Manipur during elections. We are living as neighbours, we will continue to live as neighbours. (Officials accompanying Rio said Ibobi Singh has even skipped official national programmes in Kohima).

SPEECH OF RH. RAISING, ON INDO-NAGA PEACE PROCESS IN THE SEMINAR AT UKHRUL TOWN HALL, ON 6TH JUNE 2012, ORGANIZED BY WUNGNAO LONG





There was a time when the world powers were deeply engaged in the wars of political, military, cultural, and economic imperialism and colonialism for supremacy of one over the other. Many people and nations of the world were the innocent victims of those wars and the Burmese, the Nagas, the Indians and other Asian nations were no exception.



The irony is that soon after their liberation from the rule of the British imperialist, the Indian and the Burmese States, adopting the condemned colonial policy have been trying to annex Naga territories through military means. However, military campaigns and military might brought them no dividend. What they learned from their killing field was that military means never solves political problem.



On the part of the Nagas, they too picked up arms to drive out the Indian and Burmese occupation forces from Nagalim. They served quit Nagalim notice to the occupation forces. They hated the Indians and the Burmese like anything. They went even to the extent of saying, “We have nothing to do with India and Burma. Therefore, they gave more important to military battle than political and international legal battle. They too realized that giving military defeat to the colossal Indian and Burmese armed forces with military means would be too big a price. Military victory is fragile. It is political and political means alone that can bring solution to the political problem.



In course of time, the wind of change blew in the world political arena. Now this is the era of democracy. It is the time of negotiation, not confrontation. The global politics has changed and taken U-turn from armed confrontation to political negotiation, from colonialism to right to self-determination of the dominated people and nations, from autocracy to democracy, from isolationism to interdependent relationship and from the politics of construction of political wall to construction of political bridge among people and nations.



In keeping with the spirit of the wind of change, the government of India (GoI) and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) at long last, switched over to political dialogue. And it is now running 15 years since the peace process began. We make history when we fight and we make history when we talk. GOI and NSCN made history when the two parties talked in Paris in 1995. In the formal talk it was mutually agreed in principle between the Prime Minister of India and the collective leadership of NSCN that –1) the talks will be held without any condition, 2) talk at the Prime Ministerial level and 3) talk outside India, (in third countries) which is a landmark in history. Further, Mr. Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister of India officially stated on the coverage of cease-fire areas that cease-fire is (operative) everywhere, even in Paris. I believe in political solution.



In July 2000 at Bangkok, it was mutually agreed that cease-fire between GOI and NSCN as two entities had been extended for another period of one year. In 2001,at Osaka, Mr. Atal Bihari Vaypayee, the then Prime Minister of India officially clarified on the disputed cease-fire area coverage stating that wherever there is fighting, there is cease-fire. It is everywhere.



In July 2002, at Amsterdam, GOI and NSCN made another landmark in history when they signed the historic agreement where the GOI recognizes the unique history and situation of the Nagas.



Dr. Manmohan Singh the present Prime Minister of India repeatedly stated that honorable solution, which is acceptable to both parties, would be worked out. Further, he assured us that he would ‘go extra mile’ to solve the problem ‘outside the box.’



Mr. Pandey, the interlocutor of the GoI in his official press statement stated the term ‘shared sovereignty’, which I suppose may invite pro and against arguments. But political analysts will go beyond arguments.



In the past political talks, Mr. Kundivya, the delegation leader of the GoI proposed Bhutan status type of solution for the Nagas, which was rejected outright by the Naga leaders even without giving the slightest analysis on it. At last, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India proposed to negotiate with the Nagas to working out a solution on the basis of ‘Suisa’s proposal’ which was also rejected as a consequent of which, cease-fire broke down in 1967.



In spite of the fact, after a gap of 30 years, the gracious Lord has opened up the second chance where GOI and NSCN arrived at a cease-fire agreement in July 1997 Nagas cannot afford to miss this bus. They must use their brain to make capital out of this second chance.



The latest position of the current peace process is, I would like to say, in the final stage where both the parties are deeply committed to working out a type of solution based on the ‘unique history and situation of the Nagas’ and ‘shared sovereignty’. I believe Nagas will be exercising their sovereignty over their territories, minerals, taxation, culture and many others while there will be room for shared sovereignty with India in some areas.



Sensing that Nagas are approaching final solution, jealous people within and without the Naga community are working against us unceasingly. On top of that, we are talking with a kind of people who have different mindset from us. We are straightforward people. We mean what we say. But when they say yes it means many things. They do not honor their word. Of course, there are good leaders among them whom we can trust and respect their integrity. People from many quarters say that GOI is talking with the Nagas only to negate the right of the Nagas. This peace process is part of their so-called counter insurgency strategies. They are cunning enough to create factions from among the Nagas and engineer them. They are clever enough to make many cheap cease-fires with the factions and who knows, they may be having too many solutions for the Nagas. Nevertheless, if they would be faithful to what have been agreed between the two parties and keep their word, we can say, solution will not be far to seek.



But what if the peace process is used as a political bait to hook the Nagas?



Let me say something what I feel and understand. It is said, “Everything comes from within”. The mango tree comes from within its seed. All the nation states come from the decisions of their respective people and nations. Naga kingdom is within the Nagas and I firmly believe that Nagas are pregnant with the concept of free Nagalim. History says the rise and fall of Roman Empire came from the Romans themselves.



The Naga nation does not exist on account of good luck or the mercy of the aggressor states – India or Burma. It is alive, primarily because of the spirit of Naganess in the Nagas. It is also because of the fact that Naganess is being nurtured and protected by NSCN, the bulwark of the Nagas. Naga nation is an indestructible natural entity given to us by the good Lord. Enemies may kill hundreds or thousands of us, but they can never kill Naga nation. Heaven and earth and everything in them were founded on the rock of ‘the word.’ Do we have ‘the word’ with us? I can authoritatively say that the will of the Lord is the foundation of this Naga nation. Generation comes and goes, organization comes and goes, leadership comes and goes, but nation stays.



To every problem, there is a solution. Naga political problem too has its own solution. It may be delayed for some time, but it cannot be robbed or uprooted. Solution is a must. However, the problem is that there are some people among us who are fond of glorifying others, but criticizing and condemning their own people. We all know how this kind of people ever talks of divisionism, sectarianism and defeatism everywhere and every time. They never talk of shaping the future of their people and building of their Jerusalem.



People rise when they are political. Are we political? We can never rise unless we are political. We can never bring solution unless we are political. We need to be political to fight or speak for our cause. This political people should speak through faith force and peace force. As demanded by circumstances we have changed our warfare -- from guerrilla to mass warfare, from machine gun warfare to computer warfare and from military warfare to political warfare. Our people must speak in the street through mass rally, mass procession or non-cooperation movement etc. We need to re-organize and revitalize our youth Fronts, students’ unions, women organizations, human right organizations, Wungnao Long and other civil societies in the line of the national politics. All of them should be encouraged to be political and speak with conviction for the cause in one voice and one mind.



We are not alone in as much as everything is interrelated. We are closely interrelated with the international community. We need to rebuild our international support groups and take the issue even to the international court for justice. We must keep on speaking to the Indian leaders because it is they who aggress upon our right. Above all, whether we want to be merged with India or Burma or totally independence from them or co-exist with them with interdependent relationship is our choice. We are the prime factor. Let us decide, for our future is in our decision. Whatever differences there may be, all sections of Nagas wherever they are and whoever they may be, must unite when it comes to the question of our national survival issue.



KUKNALIM!

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(Rh. Raising)

Executive Member,

Steering Committee, NSCN.
Pranab Mukherjee discusses policy and development with CMs of northeastern states Times of India

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday held deliberations with chief ministers of seven northeastern states and Sikkim to give a push to the government's renewed northeast policy and key infrastructure projects linking neighbouring countries with rail and road.

The chief ministers of these states - Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, Assam, Mizoram and Sikkim -- raised the issue of lack of resources to contribute to the central schemes. For all central schemes in the North-East, the government provides 90% funds and these special category states are required to contribute 10%.

The CMs urged the finance minister to make central schemes 100% funded by the government as they are facing resource crunch and are unable to contribute their share leading to many schemes not being rolled out.

The CMs emphasised on the need to create job opportunities by development of industries in India's east to meaningfully engage youths of the state in employment and keep them away from influence of insurgency. Finance minister of Tripura represented the CM at the meeting. Deputy chairperson of planning commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and top official from the plan body and finance ministry were also present in the meeting.

The FM said that he has already asked the income tax authorities to issue the notification for income tax exemption on permitted excise duty refunds to give fillip to industrialisation. "If any state faced a problem on account of an undersubscribed market loan, the Centre would be ready to raise the loan within the state's permitted borrowing ceiling," he said.

The CMs, however, argued for raising of the borrowing limits for these states as all of them are facing resource crunch, a finance ministry official said.

Some of the projects that are likely facilitate trade and connect north-east with South-east Asia include India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral highway, the Trans-Asian Highway, India-Myanmar Rail linkages and the Myanmar-India-Bangladesh gas pipeline.

These projects are important for India's Look-East policy to improve its trade with Association of South East Asian Nations. Constructions of transport corridors are important part of this policy as the north-east connects India with the sub-continent.

Mukherjee said that the Centre is committed to the development of these states and it is aware of the special issues of the region, including a low base to mobilize resources and a geographical terrain that created challenges for communication and infrastructure development.



Merapani villagers foil Naga encroachment TNN Times of India

JORHAT: Villagers of the Merapani area along the Assam-Nagaland border in Golaghat district foiled a possible encroachment bid of Naga miscreants on Tuesday by chasing away a group of armed Nagas from the Kolajan Garbasti area.

The villagers also recovered two guns and four daos before the Naga group managed to flee the spot. Later, the villagers deposited weapons to CRPF neutral force and police for taking action. OC of Merapani police station Jayantajit Sinha said, "A group of Assamese villagers chased away some Naga miscreants from Kolajan Garbasti area when the Nagas cut down trees to occupy a vast area of Assam land. The angry Assamese men also recovered two SBBL guns and some other weapons from the spot. However, the Naga group fled the spot before police arrived there."

He added that the Nagas have been trying to occupy a vast area of Assam land at Kolajan Garbasti and Kolajan Tarani area for the past few days. They have damaged a forest land in the said area by cutting down trees. But on Tuesday, the encroachers were caught red-handed by Assamese villagers and they chased the Nagas from Assam land.

An Assamese villager said, "A group of Naga miscreants, coming from Mikirang Hilly Basti in Wokha district, is trying to occupy a vast area of Assam land in 'D' sector along the border. They made their first encroachment bid on April 26 and since then their efforts are on. But due to strong protest from our locals, they have failed to occupy our land so far but damaged some forest land here by taking advantage of the administration's silence."

Naga encroachment in the three upper Assam districts of Sivasagar, Jorhat and Golaghat is unabated and is on the rise over the last few months. In May, the Nagas destroyed more than 200 bighas of tea garden land in the Geleki area under Nazira subdivision in Sivasagar district in two separate incidents. In April, Nagas burnt a vast area of forest land in Tiru Hills Reserve Forest in Jorhat district.

NSCN (IM) worries about ‘moral standard’; clamps down on night life Nagaland Times

Dimapur, June 6 (MExN): Moral policing continues in Dimapur with another group, the NSCN (IM), issuing a “public notice” prohibiting use or sale of alcohol “beyond 10 PM” and even “discotheque activity” as such activities has “degraded the moral standard of our society.” A note was received here today appended by L Chuba Pongen “central administrative officer” of “UT-1”.

The NSCN (IM) explained that “no tolerance shall be afforded” to any individual, “restaurants, pubs, lounges, booze joints indulging in selling, consumption of alcoholic beverages” in Dimapur district “beyond “10 pm.” There will be total ban on any “discotheque activity” within Dimapur and “non-adherence of this notice shall invite serious consequences.” The group claimed that the “non-compliance of earlier notices has degraded the moral standard of our society” and that Dimapur has become the center of criminal activities “during the nighttime.”



NSCN (I-M) leaders consult Tangkhul bodies Nagaland times

"The meet also discussed the “boycott call” against the autonomous district councils (ADC). “Naga’s stand” should remain as far the ADC is concerned, reaffirmed a senior NSCN leader during the discussion. Today’s key agenda was the NSCN’s proclamation of involving in next parliamentary polls" NPN

NNC president passes away


“Gen.” I. Pangeryongdang Walling (Rtd), the president of NNC Passed away at the age of 87 and was laid to rest at his native village Sungratsu on June 5 at around 10 p.m. after a brief illness. NTimes

NNC general secretary V. Nagi speaking at the funeral said that “gen”. I. Panger Walling gave his best for the Naga nation and stated that he always toiled to bring peace and unity between the Nagas.

Nagi recalled Walling saying “I have retired from the post of President but not from national service, I will retire only on the day of my death” during a meeting in 2008.

Asetkong region NNC in a brief description about Walling said that he was serving in the Assam regiment from 1948 till 1956.

On April 30, 1956 when the village was “burnt down by the Indian army”, he was in his native village on vacation but when he intervened seeing the “mistreatment meted out” to women and children, he was badly beaten.

After that incident, he joined the “Naga national movement” and since then served under different positions, said Asetkong region NNC.

Walling retired from “active service in October 1978” but that did not deter him from involving in the Naga cause and held various posts like sub-regional member, central executive member, vice-president, acting president and president of NNC till his demise.

Sungratsu village council, members of NNC, Aoli mongsen mungdang, walling kidong and many organistions attended the funeral to pay homage to the departed leader.

“Gen.” I. Panger Walling, the second son of late Imtimeren is survived by his wife, three sons and two daughters and 15 grand children.
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NNC condoles
NNC (NA) has mourned the demise of ‘Gen.’ I. Panger Walling, who died at his native place June 5.
In a condolence message, NNC (NA) vice president Kiumukam said ‘Gen.’ I. Panger Walling was one among many Nagas patriots who sacrificed his life and time for the Naga sovereignty.

NNC (NA) vice chairman said Naga nation would always remember his good deeds in future. NNC (NA) members also conveyed condolence to bereaved family members.

In another condolence message, (NNC) Angami regional council also mourned the demise of I.Panger Walling, whom it described as “most senior Naga national patriotic leader, retired general, Naga army and former president of NNC.”

NNC Angami regional council further stated that “Gen (retd)” Lt.I.Panger Walling had “wholeheartedly sacrificed his service towards Naga national movement”, and conveyed condolences to the bereaved family members. It also regretted that many leaders and friends were unable to attend his funeral. NPN