Hope floats in talks NISHIT DHOLABHAI The Telegraph
Hope floats in talks NISHIT DHOLABHAI The Telegraph
New Delhi, March 29: The frustrations of recent times gave way to hope as the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) resumed its dialogue with Delhi today. Sensing the increasing anxiety within the rebel group over the Naga impasse and the possibility of a volatile situation in the Northeast, Delhi agreed to go by a roadmap for a permanent solution to the Naga problem, sources said.
Usually suspicious about the government’s motives, even the NSCN (I-M) conceded that the discussions between the government delegation and the Naga leadership — both Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah are here for the dialogue — showed a beacon of hope.
“There was mutual acceptance of each other’s stand and rights. I can say there has been progress and if we go ahead this way, there will be a solution,” V.S. Atem, special emissary of the NSCN (I-M) leadership, told The Telegraph.
The last time the NSCN (I-M) spoke in such positive terms was when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee admitted that the Naga issue was “unique”. The word was repeatedly used by the outfit in the subsequent years to tom-tom the Naga community’s “unique history”.
Asked if the spirit of “mutual acceptance” had grown over the years, Atem said it did not even exist until now. Sources in the government confirmed that the talks were held in a “cordial atmosphere”.
The apprehensions of the NSCN (I-M) stem from the fact that Delhi has been careful not to antagonise Manipur vis-à-vis the Naga issue. The outfit has also been accusing the government of using its rival, the NSCN (Khaplang), against it. No date was set for the second round of talks.
Clamour for suspects OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Imphal, March 30: The Manipur government is likely to approach the Dimapur-based ceasefire monitoring cell of the Nagaland Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) to ask the militant group to hand over the three main suspects in the murder of two minor boys to the state police.
Manipur police believe that the NSCN (I-M) has rounded up the three main accused in the abduction and murder of Muheni Martin and Hriini Hubert, the 10-year-olds who had gone missing in Senapati district on December 14. Their bodies were recovered from a gorge on Tuesday. “We believe the three main accused are at the NSCN (I-M)’s Camp Hebron in Dimapur,” a senior police official said. “Chief secretary Jarnail Singh will contact the ceasefire monitoring cell for getting custody of the three accused once he returns,” the official said. Singh is in Delhi and is expected to return soon.The accused have been identified as Manikho, Adai (both from Senapati district) and Brown (from Ukhrul district). A mob had burnt down Manikho and Adai’s house on Wednesday, a day after the bodies were found.
Resentment is growing in Senapati district against the NSCN (I-M)’s “inaction” regarding the accused. Protesters had shouted slogans against the militant group here yesterday.
Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh had rushed a team of legislators to Senapati yesterday to defuse the tension. They are still holding talks with public delegates in the office of the deputy commissioner. The latter want the accused to be handed over to the people for trial in accordance with tribal law. They have told the government team that the boys’ families have refused to accept the bodies till then, an MLA said.The government has promised a compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the boys’ families. Official sources said Naga organisations were also trying to contact NSCN (I-M) leaders to urge them to hand over the three accused. In a related development, Ukhrul observed a seven-hour bandh, from 7 am till 2 pm today in protest against the killings. Shops and institutions were closed and bus services remained suspended.
State not shying away from responsibilities: Dr Shurhozelie
Sat, 2007-03-31 02:37 By Oken Jeet Sandham – Asian Tribune
Kohima, 31 March, (NEPS): Nagaland Minister for Planning and Urban Development Dr Shurhozelie said the Government had never shied away its responsibilities from controlling law and order situation in the state. "We have done our best to control law and order whenever it occurred in any part of the state," he told the NEPS here at his official residence here on Friday.
The minister said, "We have never said killing is not law and order but only said the factional killings taking place occasionally in the state have come under political subject." "But when it came, we had never shied away our responsibilities from containing it, “he said. "We always controlled it." "I have told Oscar Fernandez, Union Minister, who is the head of the ministerial team for the political negotiation with the NSCN-IM, when he visited the state, that we have done well to contain the law and order situation except factional clashes that have occasionally taken place in the state," the minister disclosed. "But I explained to him that our underground groups have entered into ceasefire agreements with you and not with the state government and this they said, they were doing for political reason."
Dr Shurhozelie also mentioned that he told Fernandez that the Center had also part to play to control them (NSCNs) as when they killed one another, it created "law and order problem in the state." "So factional killing comes under political subject," he explained. "However, when the law and order comes up, we as state do not shy away our responsibilities from containing it." "We are doing our job well," he pointed out.
"I had also told Fernandez our government's stand very clear that we always support any peace process and in the event of any political settlement acceptable to all sections of the people, we will not stand on the way and give way for an alternative arrangement," Dr Shurhozelie said.
So what more could they do more than this in the political field, he stated and saying, "We are not failing in the political field." Not agreeing to the opposition demand that the outcome of the ongoing peace process between the NSCN-IM and the Government of India be made known to the people, Dr Shurhozelie pointed out as a state government they could not force the union home ministry to "divulge" what was going on between the parties concerned. The Minister also said they as state government was only playing a "mediator" and not part of the conflicting parties. "And when the conflicting parties refused to listen to us, what else can we do as a mediator," he pointed out. - Asian Tribune
Solve Naga political problem first: Wangyuh The Morung Express
Dimapur, March 30 (MExN): The lone Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha from Nagaland, Wangyuh Konyak today said that the problem of extremism in India would cease once the Indian government satisfies the Nagas with their demands.
Speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural function of the Chakhroma Public Organisation (CPO) building at Chumukedima here today, the MP from Nagaland said that he is an MP now and that he will be an MP in the future also. He said that without peace there will be no development. He also said that the Nagas are now paying five taxes like government tax, “NSCN (IM) tax, NSCN (K) tax” etc and said that how the people are going to survive when they have to pay so many taxes. In that same vein the eloquent Wangyuh said that the naxalite problem in some Indian states and the insurgency problem in the North East is an impact of the Naga political movement and said that the problem of naxalism and the insurgency movement will cease once the Nagas are satisfied.
“If India gives solution to the Nagas then there will be no extremism” said the MP to the audience mostly comprised of tribal leaders from the Angami region. “Naga mog poila phon kore-poli lakhe, polia” said the MP (The Nagas mouth has to be closed first). The MP further speaking about the CPO Hall, called upon the Chakhroma community to let the building be open to all the communities in the area. He said that hates tribalism and that when he is with the Ao community, he is Ao, with the Angamis, he is an Angami, with the Konyaks he is a Konyak and so on, clearly giving a message to the assembled tribal leaders to do away with tribalism and live in harmony with each other.
Centre approves border trade centers for Nagaland Economic Times
KOHIMA: The Centre has approved setting up five Border Trade Centres (BTC) along Indo-Myanmar border in Nagaland to promote trade and commercial activities in the state. This was stated in the annual administrative report of industries and commerce department tabled in the just concluded state assembly session. The BTCs will be set up at Pangshm, Lungwa and Avakhung districts.
To promote international trade and commercial activities in the state, five border points have been identified along the international border of Indo-Myanmar. They are Lungwa in Mon district, Pangsha in Tuensang district, Mim in Kiphire district, Mohe, Avangkhu in Phek district, the report said. In the first phase, trade-related infrastructure facilities are on the anvil at Lungwa, Pangsha and Avangkhu, the report said. Under the NEC programme, the state PWD (roads and bridges) is constructing road to Pongkhungri to the border point via Avangkhu village.
On NSCN (IM) talks- Nagaland Post Opinion
In the interest of public information, I would like to state shortly on the scenario of the Government of India and Isak-Muivah's talks that according to reliable source, their talk in the second week of March 2007 was concentrated on the issue of exit passage for Isak and Muivah to go to abroad again, in which Indian interlocutors urged them to write official application to the Government of India.
According to the media, this time their talks will be concentrated on the issue of controlling Khaplang group and also for the exit passage of Isak and Muivah alone. Also as routine, they are attacking the Nagas when they are about to hold talks with the Government of India after they take fasting and prayer. However this time, instead of killing others their own man Somipem S/o A.W Wungting Tangkhul was killed on March 28 at Thiulon village, Zeliangrong region.
All these are the evidences that they have come down from their demand for sovereignty to integration from there to affiliation and then reduced to involving in the Indian elections and now demanding to control Khaplang groups and for the exit passage. Are these the achievements for them or for the Nagas? The Nagas will not play such funny games at the cost of Naga blood and tears, but the Nagas shall continue to defend our sovereignty at all cost under the banner of the NNC and FGN. This is the burden duty of the good sons and daughters of Nagaland. And the Nagas will never yield the "God given sovereignty" to any nation.
Maj. Wichanlungbo Naga Army, FGN
Finally IM admits : Three suspects in our custody Our Staff Reporter Sangai Express
IMPHAL, Mar 30 : The NSCN (IM) has finally admitted that three persons sus- pected to be involved in the kidnapping and gruesome murder of school boys, Hriini Hubert and Muheni Martin are in their custody. On being contacted by The Sangai Express, deputy kilonser of the Ministry of Information and Publicity of the outfit, Kraibo Chawang said that the three persons in their custody are Monikho, Brown Tangkhul and Adai. “They have partially confessed” (of the their involvement in the issue), said Chawang and added that fitting punishment would be given to anyone found guilty of the macabre crime. To a question on when the findings of the Committee set up by the outfit under a Kilonser some time back may be furnished, Chawang did not give any time frame but said that the NSCN (IM) is keen on finishing the investigation in good time. The deputy kilonser further said that public leaders have got in touch with the outfit in connection with the case. An informed source informed The Sangai Express that some public representatives have established contacts with the NSCN (IM) to hand over the suspects in their custody to the people. As announced earlier, the Core Committee is gearing up to launch a series of intense agitation if the Government fails to nab the culprits and give them fitting punishment within the given time frame which is 10 days. Chairman of the Core Committee, Solomon Vieno said, “We will wait for the 10 days time given by the Government and if it fails to meet the deadline then we have no alternative but to launch intense agitation.” There is no meaning in having a Government if it is not in a position to crack the case and secure the arrest of the culprits, he asserted. The matter was brought before the notice of the Government since the two kids were kidnapped, added Solomon.
Meanwhile as assured by the State Government, the police have started an inquiry to get to the bottom of the kidnapping and later murder of Hriini Hubert and Muheni Martin.
Despite the assurance given by the Government yesterday, the mortal remains of the two school boys are still at the Senapati police station and their last rites may be performed tomorrow.
Six MLAs, on behalf of the State Government had yesterday assured the Core Committee and other NGOs of Senapati that a probe would be initiated to book the culprits.
“We have begun our investigation and the Investigating Officer (SDPO, Senapati police) is working over time to crack the case. We will put in our best effort to unmask and book the culprits,” said the SP of Senapati, Nishit Ujwal when contacted by The Sangai Express today.
Since some suspects are in the custody of the NSCN (IM), this may prove to be a major hurdle in the investigation, said police sources. The SP however said that the police is ready to swing into action when any clue is found pertaining to any suspects in the case. With many social organisations condemning the dastardly murder of the two boys, normal life at Ukhrul came to a grinding halt today in response to the bandh call given to protest the killing. Business establishments at the district headquarters remained closed for the day. Passenger buses stayed off the road. The bandh however did not affect the HSLC and HSSLC examinations. SP of Ukhrul Lhari Dorjee Lhoto said that no untoward incident took place during the bandh.
On the other hand responding to the call of AMSU, students of various schools and colleges staged sit-in-protest demonstrations in front of their respective school gates to protest the killing of the two school boys. Students of class III in Don Bosco School, Maram, Senapati, the skeletal remains of Martin and Hubert were recovered from near Viewland colony of Senapati district on March 27 after 104 days of being kidnapped for ransom.
In condemnation of the gruesome act, students of Khurai Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Blooming Academy, Khurai; Khurai Popular High School; SS Residential High School, Chingmeirong; Don Bosco Chingmeirong; Camps English Academy, Khabam Lamkhai; Manipur Public School, Koirengei; Heritage Convent, Uripok; JIM Higher Secondary School; Mem Higher Secondary School; Havard Higher Secondary; Diviner English School; Little Rose, Can-chipur; Stratford English School, MU Gate; Bishnu-pur Public School; Modern Higher Secondary, Bishnu-pur; PG English School, Bishnupur and St Mark School.
Students of DM College and GP Women College also staged similar demonstra-tion and shouted slogans demanding the arrest of the killers. Various social organisations and individuals have also come out strongly agai-nst the killing of the two innocent children. The Archbishop Most Rev Dominic Lumon, the Fa-thers, Sisters and the Catho- lic Faithful of the Archdiocese of Imphal has express- ed shocked as well as sorrow over the cruel killing of two Catholic Children Hrinii Hubert and Moheni Martin, both students of Don Bos-co School, Senapati at the hands of their abductors. Besides condemning the dastardly crime, we offer our heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family and their well wishers, Chancellor of Archdiocese of Imphal Fr L Jayaseelan said in a statement. We also prayer that the culprits be brought to justice and may God accom- pany the grieving parents at this hour of great pain and sorrow, the statement added. Condemning the gruesome murder of the two young students, ACTSOM has also castigated the State Govt for its alleged failure to book the culprits. All Manipur Women’s Samaj Reformation and Development, Meira Paibi Welfare Association (Kan-gleipak), United Manipur Muslim Women Development Organisation, Leipak Kanba Ahallup, Dharma Raksha Samiti, Young Paite Association (Imphal Blo-ck), etc have also condem- ned the killing.
Nationalist Congress Party, Manipur Pradesh; Bharatiya Janata Party, Ta-menglong District Commi- ttee and Manipur People’s Party Youth Front, etc were also among the political parties and units which have strongly decried the killing of the two innocent children. The Hmar Women Association, General Head- quarters has also mourned the death of Hrinii Hubert and Muhini Martin whose skeletal remains were recovered on the 27th March 2007 at a hillock in Senapati. In a statement the association said that they are shocked to hear the ghastly murder and demanded that the culprits responsible for the kidnapping and subsequent killing should be bring to book. The Zomi Students' Federation said it is shell sho-cked at the beastly murder of Hrinii Hubert and Muheni Martin and express its endorsement of the demand for ex-gratia payment to the-ir family with words of won- der that reads ‘what were the Govt and security forces doing all this time.’ Joining the outcry against the gruesome murder of the two Senapati Don Bosco School kids–– Hrinii Hubert and Muheni Martin, the District Private School Association, Tamenglong has submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister urging to book the culprits.
It further demanded that the innocent school going children be given proper security and protection during school hours and before they reach home.
Nagaland Information Commission launches website Kuknalim.com
KOHIMA, Mar 30 Thanks to the IT revolution, the Right to Information Act (RTI Act) and all related information of the state is now just a mouse click away with the Nagaland Information Commission launching its own website. One can log on to http://nlsic.gov.in/ and avail all the required information on the RTI Act by sitting at home, office or in a cyber café.
The Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), Nagaland, P Talitemjen Ao formally launched the new website at his office chamber in the presence of media persons here today.
The website, according to Talitemjen, is aimed at making it user friendly and provides all the required information on the RTI Act and all relevant matters of Nagaland and links to National Information Commission and also other state commissions. The website also provides information on the state information commission, its functions including minutes of all meetings of the commission, hearings and judgments, names and designations of all the PIOs and CPIOs of the state departments, public sector undertakings (PSUs) and central government establishments in the state, voluntary disclosure of information by all the departments as per the Act and also on various questions on the RTI Act frequently asked by people.
So far, only five departments including Chief Election Office, Rural Development, Information and Public Relation (I&PR), Excise and Nagaland Information Commission, have submitted their voluntary disclosures. All the departments were supposed to provide voluntary disclosures within 120 days from the day of enactment of the Act. The website was designed and constructed by a Dimapur-based local firm Computer Edge, at a cost of Rs.60,000 and an annual maintenance contract of Rs.50,000. Talitemjem who was accompanied by his two commissioners Rev. Dr. Pongsing and Dr. Kuhoi K. Zhimomi and other officials, told media persons that since its inception, the commission had so far received only one appeal and the same was disposed of after hearing. However, the commission is receiving many complaints and presently it has about seven complaints, including five from the state and two from outside the state, he added. (NPN)
Six Naga tribes oppose delimitation exercise Assam Tribune
NEW DELHI, March 30 – Trouble is brewing for N Rio Government in Nagaland after six tribes of the States joined hands to protest the ‘raw deal’ given to them in the ongoing delimitation exercise. A delegation of the six ‘marginalised’ tribes that called on chairman of the Delimitation Commission, Justice (retd) Kuldip Singh were appalled to learn about the machination of the Rio Government to change the Commission’s first draft, thereby reducing their entitlement.
“We oppose and object the stand taken by the Rio government on the working paper of the Delimitation Commission prepared for Nagaland,” said secretary of the Joint Action Committee on Delimitation, Idailung Thou. The bone of contention is the number of seats the ‘bigger tribes’ has cornered leaving the six ‘smaller tribes’ in the lurch. The smaller tribes include Lotha, Phom, Sangtam, Sema, Rengma and Zeliang among others. They represented the tribal Hoho of Wokha, Peren, Longleng, Kiphire and units in Kohima and Dimapur.
“We are not against any tribes. But we have been deprived since 1974. There will be social unrest in the future unless this imbalance is rectified,” warned convenor of the Joint Action Committee on Delimitation, E Konpemo Ovung. The leaders said taking advantage of the absence of any Associate members from the community, the State Government connived to keep them in the dark. They pointed out that Mokokchung district, which has a population of 2.23 lakh is actually entitled to eight seats, but is proposed to be given 10 seats. On the other hand, Longleng district with a population of 1.21 lakh may be given only two seats, while it is entitled to four. The Naga leaders claimed that the chairman of the Commission was surprised to learn about the situation. “He has assured us that he would be visiting Nagaland shortly and would interact with the tribal hohos,” said the members of the JAC.
Bandh hits normal life in Ukhrul district Sobhapati Samom Assam Tribune
IMPHAL, March 30 – Normal life in Manipur’s Tangkhul community-dominated Ukhrul district was paralysed today due to the seven-hour bandh.
Civil societies based at the beautiful hill station, 80 km north east of here called a total bandh from 7 am to 2 pm in protest against the merciless killing of the two school kids at Senapati, whose skeletal remains were found on Tuesday from a jungle near Senapati town after 104 days since their abduction on December 14 last year.
The victims were Hriini Hubert and Mohini Martin,both Class III students of Don Bosco School, Senapati. Condemning the merciless killing in the strongest terms, Tangkhul Naga Long, an apex body of the Tangkhul community in the district spearheaded the bandh following an emergency meeting yesterday. Normal activities came to a halt fduring the bandh, including functioning of government and private institutions, besides business establishments. Vehicular traffic along the Ukhrul-Imphal highway was suspended for the day. ”However we saw at least five passenger vehicles moving towards Imphal from Ukhrul early in the morning,” informed a local shopkeeper based at Ukhrul over telephone.
All Ukhrul-bound passenger as well as goods carrier suspended their normal services today. In the state capital too, schoolchildren staged a sit-in demonstration against the inhuman act.
In a sign of solidarity towards the people of Senapati, citizens of Chandel district too staged a protest march against the gruesome killing.
Citizens in Senapati demanded immediate arrest and handing over the culprits to the public.
A six-member team of MLAs subsequently reached an understanding with the striking Senapati public leaders and agreed to pay ex-gratia to the next of kin of the victims and to conduct an inquiry for booking the culprits within 15 days.
Noble savages and civilised beasts Nagaland Post Opinion
Our forefathers were called savages by the outside world. Yes, they were savages for they lived in isolation for many centuries but there was a code of conduct which was Honourable and their noble character was never questioned. As such, even the civilized world which came into contact with them had words of praise for their nobility and integrity. For they, knew no deceit, no jealousy, no greed for powers but were content to live their lives as per the general code of conduct; settling minor and major issues as per the unwritten law and code of conduct.
But today, we are called civilized as the modern way of life intruded into our midst. But by forgetting and forsaking all the age old values and nobility and character, we have turned ourselves into civilized beasts. The façade of civilized character is just a mask but inside we have turned ourselves into the most abominable beasts. The value of human life has become so cheap that morality is forsaken. And for a piece of land, for a morsel of food and for a paisa we are ready to take the lives of our fellow human beings without justification but on the pretext of being on the other side of the fence. Without ascertaining the facts but for being a defenseless human being; gun toting men and women in the name of nationalism killing many promising and innocent lives. And this is what we called civilization? Our forefathers had no written law but their code of conduct was honourable. Now we have written laws to safeguard and protect but it is treated with scant respect. When innocent lives are massacred, when good leaders' lives are snuffed out for being on either side of the camp or on mere suspicion, how can one sanely justify it as a great cause or as Nationalism?
Isn't it time the Naga leaders, the Church leaders and intellectuals take stock of the situation and the environment we are in? Is this the kind of environment you as leaders wish for your children and the future generation? If you keep quiet now, if you become a tool of others without analyzing the course of history, then the future generation will spit and curse on your graves. When you can't stand up for what is right then you are not fit to be a leader; when you turn a blind eye to the injustice meted out on the innocent public, you are equally responsible for the act of injustices. Where is our conscience at this hour of peril or are we immune to the happenings around us? I cry with anguish and helplessness on seeing the inhuman beastly acts committed by our brothers on their fellow Nagas in the grab of Nationalism.
If this is Naga nationalism, I don't want this kind of Naga nationalism and Naga nation where anyone with gun has the license to kill his own brothers and sisters. What I foresee is a Nagaland or Nagalim, whatever, where there is complete peace, prosperity: where the rule of law reigns supreme; where rational and sane counsel prevails; where there is no tribalism but all Nagas bonded together with a common language, common culture, common outlook and common goal. This is the Nagaland we could achieve if we forsake violence and pursue our lofty goals through non-violence means.
Ao Yemen Chang, Advisor Chang Students Union,
When will the Guns stop and Roses bloom? Nehemiah Rong Naga Nation News Conflict is persistent issue that continues to affect the lives of everyone living in a given society at that point of time. The domestic violence has a direct affect in the society and nation. The conflict amongst any contending parties needs to be resolved by way of proper peaceful dialogue rather than taking up violent means. In any democratic movement the bone of contention or disagreement between or amongst the group(s) can be openly debated for the people to judge and give their conscious comments. The proper rational dialogue over the disagreement or conflict is the best way to prevail. Violent means to resolve any conflict pay heavier price in terms of loss of human lives and material loss. That definitely leads to more killings and bloodsheds. In the game of violence, there is no sign of surrender until one party completely eliminates the other. That is near to impossibility.
When the contenting group(s) dissects out their disagreements and could understand one another than only could a workable solution be brought forth. The unwillingness to admit the past mistakes is one amongst others that block the road to peace and reconciliation. No party involved in the conflict is infallible. Instead of trying to rectify the wrong past and heal the wounds, people try to justify their actions and decisions. Looking the past may be bitter as it was yet it is inevitable that past’s mistakes must be rectified to reconcile at present so as to restore the lost chord of common objective for better posterity. Coming closer to the Naga society the ‘factionalism’ brought much bloodshed and violence. The ‘factionalism’ as many have said was due to the fall out of ‘ideological clash’ that leads to political violence. This violence is synonymous with the ‘gun culture’. Guns kill a person. That person uses guns to kill more people. Gun shots in the market place, near the college campuses, in the nearby jungles, it happens to your next door, it is as easy as for a boy to shoot a bird with his catapult.
The factionalism not only disrobed the peaceful coexistence in the Naga society but also has serious implication in the Nagas’ political movement for independence. As it is a known fact, it is like tearing apart the kingdom by killing each other. Now it has become more serious with the media war being fought amongst the various Naga factions. It is more or less like pointing out the weaknesses of one another not to strengthen each other but to weaken and claim the dominance. In the house of those factional groups, it is very unfortunate that the knowledge and wisdom one possesses is being reduced to just a mere play of words. ‘If’ those efforts, time, resources that the factional groups invest in this media war were used for creative purposes like researching the literature of Naga society, then surely Nagas will be by now so rich in this field. Also ‘if’ they invest their time for research and analysis in the Naga movement in the most intelligible way then that will give many plus points to make best decisions. Also ‘if’ those times were invested in socio-economic planning then it can contribute largely in the future once the Nagas secure its independence. ‘If’ those articles of condemnations written by the factions were done so to educate people in the field of nationalism and its true meanings, they would only strengthen the movement more. These are some ‘if’ points expressed in this humble piece with an attempt to let noble leaders give a thought and ponder upon for positive change.
Many peace-builders and scholars have said, ‘conflict is cyclical’ and the trick is to stop the wheel turning. This ‘factionalism’ will go on in cycle until its wheel is stopped. The ways to stop is, it needs repentance, true realization of brotherhood, forgiveness, reconciliation, rebuilding of lost hope and trust and reconstruction of collective common goal and vision. That is not at all impossible in Christian framework.
Many thinkers, intellectuals, civil societies, writers, church leaders, political leaders, young and old called for the stop of ‘factional fight’ and to start a ‘reconciliation’ process. Even the leaders from the factions have acknowledged that atleast through press releases and statements but the question of coming to ground reality is the challenge for them. It challenges their courage, wisdom and maturity of true leadership and above all the love for the people and the land.
The lyrics of a song called ‘Where is the Love’ sung by the ‘Black Eyed Peas’ has got a profound relevancy in the Naga society more particularly with the factional violence/clash. Somewhere in the middle part of the song goes like this, ‘With ongoing suffering as the youth die young. So ask yourself is the loving really gone? So ask myself really what is going wrong. In this world that we are living in, people keep on giving in making wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends. The lines continue, ‘Not respecting each other, deny thy brother. A war is going on but the reason’s undercover. The truth is kept secret, it’s swept under the rug. If you never know truth then you never know love. Where’s the love?’ asked the song writer(s). Black Eyed Peas continue to sing, ‘People killing, people dying Children hurt and you hear them crying can you practice what you preach. And would you turn the other cheek.’
Towards the road of peace, unity and reconciliation, the guns must stop and the roses of trust, sense of shared history, and meaningful dialogue with true spirit of brotherhood must reign. The Black Eyed Peas at the end says, ‘Father, Father, Father help us, WE SEEK some guidance from above ‘Cause people got me, got me questionin’, Where is the love (Love).’ ThA land which needs healing, the people who need hope and love, where people want no more killing and bloodshed, the question at the end is when will the guns stop and roses bloom?
Government to government: The distasteful Burma-India embrace There are reasons why New Delhi has changed its tune with regard to Burma, but this makeshift relationship is full of problems. Himal South East Asean by | SOE MYINT
The Indian position towards Burma is characterised by a paradox. Across the political spectrum, civil society and media, there is support for the Burmese democratic movement. People sympathise with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who lived and studied there when her mother was the first Burmese ambassador to New Delhi in the 1960s. But in the past decade or so, the position of the Indian government has not reflected this support. Successive governments after 1994 have engaged with the generals, who continue to ruthlessly suppress Burmese democratic aspirations.
India and Burma have had close ties through history, from traditional cultural connections to intimate political relations in the modern era, going back to the struggle for independence from British colonial rule. India was the first nation to extend active support to Burma’s pro-democracy movement. New Delhi also condemned the regime in Rangoon for refusing to hand over power to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) following the party’s victory in the 1990 general elections. In 1995, the Indian government honoured Suu Kyi with the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding. Burmese refugees and activists have been allowed to stay in India, though the Indian government does not extend them any material or financial support.
Things changed dramatically in the second half of the 1990s, as the Indian government began to avoid making critical and controversial remarks on developments in Burma. Although individual parlia-mentarians and political parties continue to reiterate their commitment to the pro-democracy movement, state policy has taken an altogether different direction.
Since 1998, India has extended more than USD 100 million in credit to the Burmese regime, including for upgrading the Rangoon-Mandalay railway line. In addition, it has contributed USD 27 million to the building of the 160-kilometre Tamu-Kalewa highway in Burma’s Sagaing Division. India has also emerged as Burma’s second largest market after Thailand, absorbing 25 percent of the country’s total exports, and hopes to double bilateral trade to a billion US dollars per annum in the next few years. India is also providing training to Burmese armed forces personnel and helping build border infrastructure. As a part of its energy strategy, it also plans to buy natural gas from Burma’s reserves. This would benefit the military regime millions of dollars annually. The Indian government rolled out a red-carpet welcome to Senior General Than Shwe when he visited India in October 2004. Top Indian dignitaries, including the president, vice president and military generals, have made state visits to Rangoon in recent years.
Realism…
This engagement with the military junta stems from a multiplicity of factors. Modern-day Burma happens to pose a strategic challenge on India’s eastern flank and at its maritime frontiers. Beijing’s increasing influence in Burma and what can be called the Indo-Burmese region has India worried. By building ties with the junta, New Delhi can limit China’s presence in the Indian Ocean and prevent Rangoon from becoming a Chinese toehold in that area. More importantly, China’s past support to various insurgency groups in India’s Northeast, and the fact that Burma serves as a base for many of these insurgents, has also forced the Indian government to befriend the military government. Burma’s inclusion in ASEAN in 1997 made it convenient for New Delhi to include the country in its official ‘Look East Policy’. Burma was increasingly seen as the launching pad by which to enter Southeast Asia and access the markets there. Moreover, Burma, as a part of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), is a vital partner for regional projects in which India is involved. There is also a strong perception that interaction with Burma can hasten economic development in those state of the Indian Northeast that share a border with the country.
It is no one’s case that India should reverse its current policy, but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should, at the very least, make it clear to Burma’s generals that he stands firmly with the democratic aspirations of the Burmese people. The present Indian strategy can be said to have its advantages, as it provides some space for people-to-people relationships across the border. However, let us keep in mind that tourism, trade and business links tend to be restricted to the elite sections in Burma, which are invariably connected to the present ruling military establishment.
For its part, the Burmese regime is mainly interested in playing the diplomacy card between China and India, and between the Western countries and Burma’s neighbours. It has thus been adroit in ensuring that the international community suffers its brutal and repressive rule. On the one hand, the military junta uses its relationships with India and China to tell its Western critics that it has the support of the world’s two most populous countries. On the other hand, it dangles the China card in front of India to gain support for its rule. A close relationship with India helps enhance the generals’ image, both inside and outside the country. Moreover, it is important for trade purposes, for the balance of trade between India and Burma is hugely in Burma’s favour. It also dilutes the regime’s dependence on China.
…or myopia
It is debatable, however, whether India’s so-called strategic interests have been served after more than a decade of being cosy with the Burmese generals. Even as India maintains friendly ties with the junta, the relationship faces practical problems. Border trade between India and Burma is largely dominated by smuggling, including of drugs and arms. The border regions of the Indian Northeast adjoining Burma are plagued with political instability, drug trafficking, HIV/AIDS, arms smuggling and insurgency.
It is an open secret that some Northeastern rebel groups have their bases and training camps in Burma. While it is not certain whether shelter has been provided with the consent of top military leaders in Rangoon (and now the new capital Nay Pyi Daw), there is little doubt that the local Burmese military commanders and intelligence officers are hand in glove with the insurgents. Indeed, the presence of insurgents has served as a fine bargaining chip for the generals. It helps them to build a better relationship with New Delhi as well as to demand the suppression of Burmese pro-democracy and ethnic activists residing in India, whom the regime rejects as ‘outlaws’ or ‘insurgents’. In recent years, the government of India has cracked down on the Chin National Front (CNF), which is a part of Burma’s movement for democracy, human rights and self-determination. New Delhi has been seeking help from Rangoon to flush out Northeast insurgent groups such as the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF). Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee’s recent visit to Burma on 19-21 January is the latest attempt to seek such assistance. Though India continues to request cooperation from the Burmese side in counter-insurgency operations, the generals have at best been lethargic. Upon pressure from New Delhi, they attack the NSCN-K camps in Burma, but show little interest in cracking down on the other insurgent groups.
In trying to work with Rangoon, Indian policy makers forget that many of the problems they face are linked to the nature of governance in Burma, which precludes a sustained and co-operative bilateral relationship. There is no space for dialogue, freedom of speech and political expression in a country where the foremost pro-democracy leader and Nobel Laureate remains under strict house arrest. It is estimated that around 1000 political prisoners, including members elected to Parliament in 1990, are detained in jails across Burma. The India-Burma relationship is also complicated by the sizeable presence of the refugee community across the border. The constant flow of refugees from Burma into the Northeastern states of India has been a growing concern for inhabitants of the region. Fear of torture, rape, summary execution, imprisonment, forced labour and forced relocation by the Burmese army has led to a large exodus over the years.
The refugee population in India is comprised of mostly the ethnic minority nationalities of Burma and is concentrated in the four Northeastern states of Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. At present, around 1800 Burmese refugees and asylum-seekers live in New Delhi. Most of them are recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as refugees. But the rehabilitation of Burmese refugees in India has been a major UNHCR failure. The UNHCR has implemented a phase-out programme, cutting the already meagre subsistence allowance on the logic that refugees should earn their own keep in India. However, the majority of Burmese in New Delhi have no access to remunerated work (see Himal November 2006: “Refugees and Agency”).
Here, the case of 36 Burmese prisoners incarcerated without trial for more than half a decade in the Andaman Islands deserves attention. The episode exposes the reality behind the India-Myanmar government-to-government embrace. The Indian government arrested and illegally detained Burmese activists for six and a half years, and it is only now that they are being put on trial in a Calcutta court (see “The victims of Operation Leech”, below). The case will reveal whether the Indian democratic system stands in solidarity with the aspirations of the Burmese people. Even while being critical of India’s Burma policy, the Burmese democracy movement must introspect about its inability to capitalise on India’s initial support and the continuing empathy of its intelligentsia and political classes. Many political leaders in India are convinced that Burma’s movement for democracy and human rights is West-centric. The movement has neither organised a strong public campaign within India nor has it been able to convince sympathetic Indians that it is independent and value-based, and needful of the support of the Indian political classes and civil society.
In the long term, India’s national and security interests would that demand Burma be a democratic, economically strong and modernised nation state. India-Burma relations must be based on the common aspirations of the peoples of both countries. They must benefit the masses, not merely a few military generals and their associates in Burma.
Burma will sooner or later become a democratic nation, and once it does, it would be extremely unfortunate if the Burmese people perceived India as supportive of the ruthless dictatorship. The recent People’s Movement in Nepal is an encouraging sign for the people of Burma. India, especially its political parties, played an effective role in extending solidarity to the Nepali people. It is to be seen if India’s political class will extend this principled support to Burma in its quest for democracy.
Clueless & protesting ULFA wives arrested Wives of the missing ULFA cadres demands whereabouts of husbands Newmai News Network
Guwahati The Assam government prevented today the wives of six missing ULFA cadres to continue with the peaceful protesting demanding the whereabouts of their missing husbands and forcefully admitted to the MMC hospital. They were arrested under section 309 of the IPC.
A 15 member team of women police came to the protestors at around 12 am on Friday and forcefully took them to the police van to be admitted to the MMC hospital. The six women who have been on fast unto death since March 21 last were put under high security at the hospital.
The six fasting wives of the missing cadres however, refused to accept the treatment of the doctors at the hospital and demanded for written assurance from chief minister Tarun Gogoi saying that the government would inform about the whereabouts of the missing cadres on a stipulated timeframe.
“The incident took place at around 12 am when the police team came to us accompanied by a magistrate and forced us to go to the hospital. When we refused to go to the hospital, they forcefully put us in the police van and admitted to the MMC hospital,” said Hema Hansipi, wife of missing ULFA cadre Ashanta Baghphukan. “The police team also ransacked the place where we are protesting and destroyed the festoon and placards. Shamoli Gogoi, wife of the missing cadre Prakash Gogoi received injuries in her leg during the scuffle,” said Hansipi.
“The administration has also deployed gun totting women security personnel in and around our ward in the hospital as if we are hardcore criminals. But we are just peacefully protesting there only to know about our husbands who had been missing since December 2003,” said Anima Debi Rabha, wife of missing cadre Bening Rabha. “We shall not accept the treatment until our demands are fulfilled and the government would be responsible if anything happens to us,” said Anima. The six protesting women also told that their minor children would also join them very soon if the government do not fulfill their demands. Senior Superintendent of Police (City) SN Singh said that the fasting women were arrested under section 309 of the IPC.
“The doctors’ report on Thursday said that condition of the fasting wives of the cadres has been deteriorating and further deterioration might cause death. The fast was seen as an attempt to commit suicide and they were arrested,” said Singh. Reacting to the police action of the wives of the missing ULFA cadres, the Peoples Committee for Peace Initiatives of Assam (PCPIA) today staged a protest demonstration and said that the PCPIA would form a public opinion across the state in support of the demands. Representatives from various organizations like the AASU, AJYCP, CPI, Bodo Women Forum and others also joined in the demonstration today. The banned ULFA in an e-mail statement condemned the police action on the wives of the missing cadres and urged the people of Assam to extend their support to the protest of these fasting women.
In a related development today, the Guwahati High Court directed the Centre to file an affidavit on or before April 12 next pertaining to the list of individuals handed over by the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) to their Indian counterpart. The direction came after the Centre forwarded the records to Assistant Solicitor General of India H Rahman who placed the same before the court.
Justice BP Kotoky and acting chief justice D Biswas issued the instruction since it was not accompanied by an affidavit. The court also asked the state to follow its March 13 orders and file all records and affidavit by April 12.
Unrest over kidnap and murder rattles Ibobi The Morung Express
Imphal, March 30 (Telegraph): Protests lashed the streets of Senapati two days after the bodies of two abducted boys were found in a gorge, forcing a rattled Okram Ibobi Singh to rush a team of Congress MLAs to defuse the tension. The decomposed remains of Muheni Martin and Hriini Hubert lay at the local police station with their families refusing to accept the corpses. A group of protesters staged a demonstration at the district headquarters this morning, demanding punishment to the culprits. Martin and Hubert, both 10, had been abducted on December 14 last year. Protesters set ablaze houses belonging to a suspect. The district administration today invoked prohibitory orders under Section 144 from 7 pm to 5 am daily for an indefinite period. Fearing deterioration of law and order, Ibobi Singh sent a four-member team, led by local MLA D. Thaisii, for negotiations with the protesters.
Superintendent of police Nitish Kumar Ujjwal said the protests were peaceful. The core committee formed after the abductions to pressure the administration to mount a rescue operation demanded ex-gratia of Rs 500,000 for each boy’s family and the arrest of the culprits without delay. The police believe that the NSCN (I-M) has rounded up the three main accused in the abduction case. “We believe the three main accused are at the NSCN (I-M)’s Camp Hebron in Dimapur,” a senior police official said. The accused — identified as Manikho, Adai and Brown — are members of the Naga community. The victims were also Nagas.
Press Council concludes hearing on ULFA threat The Mortung Express
Guwahati, March 30 (Agencies): The Press Council of India (PCI) has concluded hearing in a case it registered on an ULFA threat to editors of two Assamese dailies and a private television channel.
The PCI took suo motu cognisance of media reports on the threat held out by the United Liberation Front of Asom to North East Television and its diktat to the editor of Dainik Asom, Dhirendra Nath Chakrabarty, and the editor of Dainik Agradoot, Kanaksen Deka, to give up journalism. While Mr. Chakrabarty presented himself before a three-member PCI team, Mr. Deka was represented by his son Pranjal Sen Deka.
Manoranjana Singh, chairperson and managing director, NETV, on which the ULFA served a quit notice over a news broadcast on the militant outfit withdrawing its ban on the National Games held recently, also personally made her submission.
This was stated by two members of the PCI team, Hiranmay Karlekar, consultant editor of Pioneer and former editor of Indian Express, and K.S. Sachidananda Murthy, resident editor of The Week, who briefed reporters here, after a two-day hearing, on Wednesday. Mr. Karlekar said the team would submit its report to PCI chairman G.N. Ray within a week.
It met Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to hear him on the ULFA threat to journalists as well as an NETV complaint against the Assam government for withdrawing accreditation to journalists of the channel over the broadcast on the National Games.
Centre directs State to launch crackdown Kalyan Barooah Assam Tribune
NEW DELHI, March 30 – Reports of massive extortions by outlawed ULFA has sent alarm bells ringing at the Centre, with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sending an advisory to the State Government to launch a crackdown against such illegal activities, highly placed sources said. The MHA’s advisory on Wednesday came after it received series of reports from the State about the massive collection drive launched by suspected ULFA militants right under the nose of Assam Police. The missive has been sent to the Director General of Assam Police and the Chief Minister’s Office, sources divulged.
What has baffled the MHA is that the extortions have been going on despite the Army and paramilitary forces continuing with the counter-insurgency operations against ULFA. The failure of Assam Police to get its act together has raised quite a few eyebrows at the MHA.
Sources said the State Government has been asked to check the extortion drives mounted by ULFA and report back to the Centre. Problem for the State Government is, if the ULFA rules the roost in Brahmaputra Valley, it is smaller militant outfits which call the shots in hill districts like Karbi Anglong and North Cachar Hills. The issue apparently was discussed at the highest level after receipt of the reports. It was after much deliberation that the MHA decided to send the advisory to the State Government, sources added.
It has been learnt that apart from intelligence reports, several business houses, and trade bodies including those representing the tea industry approached the MHA independently, surprising the officials here. According to reports, the Assam Tea Planters’ Association and North Eastern Tea Association had recently sought the Chief Minister’s intervention and pleaded for protection from extortionist outfits. “If things continue like this, companies will have no alternative but to surrender to the whims of these gangs,” the North Eastern Tea Association said in its petition.
The tea association’s action came after gunmen kidnapped two senior executives. Interestingly, the MHA is not the only organisation which is alarmed, a section of State Congressmen has also sounded out their party high command about the unsavoury developments. They too were approached by the ‘victims’ of the extortions, a leader told this newspaper. At least two senior MPs as recently as last week separately met AICC president Sonia Gandhi to draw her attention to the menace and the failure of the State administration to curb extortions. “We are alarmed by the massive extortions back home and people are panicky, so it is our duty to alert our party high command,” said an MP, who did not wish to be identified. “Although extortions have been going on in the State for quite some time now, it has never been on such massive scale,” said the Congress leader. What might spell trouble for Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi is his ‘take it easy ‘approach’. The partyman said no special direction seems to have gone out to the security forces to curb the extortions. Gogoi, also being the Home Minister should have acted, said sources.
Similar is the feeling about Assam Police in North Block. An official said Assam Police has been taking a stand that victims do not approach the police and instead prefer to strike a deal with the militants. This may hold true in case of isolated cases but it is hard to buy the argument when extortions taking place are of such a huge scale, commented a security official. Security officials said the Assam Police has lost its edge over the militant outfits like ULFA primarily because of confusing signals from the political leadership. The force at one point of time was on top of the situation and had been able to break ULFA network, sources said. ULFA had stepped up its extortion drives during the period of suspension of operations last year. But it reportedly subsided after resumption of operations after a 40-day gap. However, it has since abetted and even small-time traders and office-goers are not being spared, sources said. The militant outfit depends on extortions in Assam to fill up its coffers though an US based intelligence agency, Stratfor-has reported that its top leadership runs mega money spinning enterprises in Bangladesh. Commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah’s personal wealth has been estimated at over $110 million.
Move to define Assamese people By A Staff Reporter Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, March 30 – The Committee of Ministers, formed by the State Government to finalize the definition of Assamese people and to suggest measures for providing constitutional protection under the provisions of clause 6 of the Assam Accord, started the process of holding talks with the political parties from today. The Minister in charge of Assam Accord implementation, Dr Bhumidhar Barman today informed the State Assembly in response to a call attention motion by Drupad Borgohain (CPI) that the State Government is committed to implement the Accord. He said that the committee of Ministers would take the views of all concerned to finalize the definition of Assamese people and the type of constitutional protection that should be provided. Dr Barman said that the process of implementation of the Accord expedited after Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh chaired a tripartite meeting on the issue on May 5, 2005. Earlier, raising the issue, Borgohain expressed concern over the delay in implementation of the Assam Accord and said, “ even after 22 years of signing of the Accord, we have not been able to finalize the definition of Assamese people.” He said that the clause 6 of the Accord must be implemented to provide constitutional, legislative and administrative protection to the Assamese people. He suggested that all those who lived in Assam as on January 26, 1950 should be treated as Assamese people.
Borgohain pointed out that in its report submitted in 1984, the Tribhuban Prasad Tewari commission recommended that Assam should be treated as a special category state with special grants. He said that the indigenous people should have right over land and they should get protection given to the people of Kashmir or to the people of the tribal states. He said that the State Government should put pressure on the Union Home Ministry, which is the nodal Ministry for the implementation of the Accord, to implement all the clauses as soon as possible.
Karendra Basumatary and Parameswar Brahma said that the words Assamese people should be changed to people of Assam while giving protection under the provisions of clause 6 of the Assam Accord. Prafulla Kumar Mahanta (AGP-P) said that during the tenure of the VP Singh Government at the Centre, the AGP Government in the State had submitted a proposal on the definition of Assamese people. Pranab Kalita (Ind) said that all sections of people of the state must be taken into confidence while implementing the Assam Accord.
Hills bodies insist Kuki villagers were abducted The Imphal Free Press
imphal, mar 30: Seeking to put the record straight on the controversy surrounding the alleged abduction of several hundred villagers in Chandel district, the Kuki Students Organisation, Hill Tribal Council, Moreh and Kuki Movement for Human Rights have furnished a report giving their version of happenings at ts laijang grouping centre on March 13 morning.
According to an open letter addressed to the state chief minister, about 400 innocent Kukis were forcibly taken to Lallim/Namunta, Myanmar on March 13 morning. At Lallin two busloads of the abducted people were sent away without informing where they were being taken, the letter stated.
At this point, the Myanmar Army intervened and detained two unlf leaders, one named Mangang, and another Paokeh, but released them later. The abducted people were left at Lallim/Namunta.
The latter scattered in fear and over 497 have sneaked back to Moreh, and are being temporarily fed and sheltered by the htc, churches, Kuki Women Union and KSO, it said. The statement went on to claim that the unlf held a feast by killling two pigs at Molcham on March 18, and brought together some people with a team of mediapersons. It further charged that the UNLF dictated what the people should say to the media, and the consequent reports created public confusion, reiterating that it was a made up story. It said the abducted people are now in Moreh without food and shelter, and demanded that the government provide food and other essentials to these people, as well as temporary shelter. The three organisations further demanded that the government clear all UGs and land mines from all areas of Chandel and Churachandpur within two months, and resettle all the villagers in their own villages peacefully. They also demanded that the villagers should be provide food for two years as their food provisions have been looted, and they missed jhumming for 2008. If anything falls short, it will be construed as the ruling government`s intentional negligence and it will be responsible for any consequences, the letter stated.
Frans on 03.31.07 @ 04:18 PM CST [link]