Khaplang wins loyalists' trust Times of India
Khaplang wins loyalists' trust Times of India
DIMAPUR: Despite his recent impeachment by the Khole-Kitovi faction of the NSCN(K), outfit chairman S S Khaplang has managed to garner support from several of his loyalists in the past few days.
Recently, top NSCN(K) leader Kughalu Mulatonu has deserted the group;s Khehoi designated camp in Dimapur and joined his mentor, S Khaplang. Mulatonu was the special envoy to the collective leadership of NSCN (K).
Sources in the Khehoi camp confirmed Mulatonu's "desertion", but said this would not affect the organization based in Nagaland.
In another development, the NSCN's military wing, the People's Army of Nagaland, has expressed its loyalty to Khaplang, stating that "unprecedented leadership crisis and subsequent commotion that has been created need to be clarified so as to dispel any misconception".
In a statement, Niki Sumi, People's Army of Nagaland "maj-gen" said, "With a clear conscience and taking into account the historical bonds that the Nagas share irrespective of some artificially-imposed boundaries, we declare our unequivocal loyalty and reiterate our faith in the leadership of Khaplang."
In the meantime, Khaplang has promoted Sumi, who was the commander of the unit's 3rd brigade, as the "lieutenant general" for "his sincerity, efficiency and loyalty to the cause of the Nagas.
"There cannot be two opinions within one group. Our stand on Khaplang is clear. The Naga army met at its general headquarters on June 22 and decided to support him," NSCN(K) general staff officer-1 'major-general' Nyemlang Konyak said here on Friday.
"Khaplang was our leader and will continue to be so. The Naga army will stand by him till the end. Khaplang has not only kept the Nagas of eastern Nagaland united, but has also safeguarded the Naga territory from other raiding groups," he said.
Earlier this month, some Nagaland-based leaders of the NSCN(K) had impeached Khaplang and elected General Khole as their acting chairman in a "parliament session" held at the group's designated camp at Khehoi. "Khaplang has been functional from his hideout in Myanmar and taking unilateral decisions without the consent of the leaders at the Khehoi designated camp," a top functionary of the outfit had said.
However, two days after his impeachment by the NSCN(K)'s Khole-Kitovi faction, Khaplang came up with counter-expulsion orders against senior functionaries of the outfit. Using the nomenclature of NSCN and addressing himself as its chairman, Khaplang issued two expulsion orders - one against Khitovi Zhimomi and the other for "home minister" Azheto Chophy.
NSCN-K reaffirms its strength - Legitimacy war continues OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Kohima, The Khaplang group of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland claims to still have control over parts of Nagaland, Manipur, Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar.
Terming the Khole and Kitovi group as “breakaway”, Y. Wangtin Konyak, a senior functionary of the NSCN (K), said rival groups would have no impact on the Khaplang group as it still controlled parts of Nagaland, eastern Nagaland (Myanmar) southern Nagaland (Manipur sector) and Tirap and Changlang districts.
Konyak hails from Mon district of Nagaland and is still with Khaplang along with many other Konyak leaders. Rival Khole Konyak also hails from the district’s Tobu area.
Dismissing the legitimacy of what he called “the breakaway group formed by Khole and Kitovi”, Konyak said the NSCN (K), under its chairman S.S. Khaplang, was still intact.
He accused “some forces” of misguiding Khole, and appealed to the “group of people misguiding our great general not to further misuse him, let him hold honour and respect till his last breath.”
He appealed to Nagas to stand firmly for their genuine cause despite the “sinister designs” and reiterated that the “recent crisis” would have no impact on the NSCN/GPRN dominancy.
He warned that any NSCN (K) worker, irrespective of rank, found getting involved in the activities of the “breakaway group” would be expelled.
Self-styled major general Nyemlang Konyak, general staff officer-I, general headquarters, NSCN (K), stated through the group’s publicity wing that an emergency meeting was held on June 22 during which the Naga army at the general headquarters resolved to stand firmly with Khaplang. “Our position is clear and firm. Chairman Khaplang was our leader and will always remain so and we, the Naga army at the GHQ, vow to stand by him till the end,” he stated. The communiqué termed as unfortunate that Khole and Kitovi had “defected from the party to form their own organisation” but said that this didn’t detract the NSCN from achieving its goal.
The Khole and Kitovi group, however, maintained that there was no split in the group and that Khaplang had been expelled for his opposition to the reconciliation process under the aegis of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation.
Naga purge benefits New Delhi By Sudha Ramachandran Asia Times
BANGALORE - A recent split in the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) (NSCN-K), one of the most powerful insurgent groups operating in India's conflict-ridden northeast, has injected uncertainty into an already complex ongoing Naga peace process. But it has the potential of putting in place an inclusive peace.
Less than a fortnight ago, the NSCN-K's hardline founder-chief, the Myanmar-based S S Khaplang, was expelled by his India-based commander-in-chief Khole Konyak on charges of acting in a "unilateral and dictatorial manner". Khaplang is reported to have removed Khole from his post, prompting the latter to have him "impeached" by the "national assembly" of the outfit's underground "government".
Khaplang's ouster has resulted in a vertical split in the NSCN-K between the outfit's India-based leaders and cadres and those operating from Myanmar. Coming close on the heels of a rift between the United Liberation Front of Assam's (ULFA's) Myanmar-based military chief Paresh Barua and its pro-talks leaders based in Assam in India, the tensions in the NSCN-K between its India and Myanmar-based leaders is being quietly welcomed in New Delhi.
Khaplang, a Hemi Naga from Myanmar's Sagaing Division (Naga nationalists consider Sagaing to be Eastern Nagaland), is a benefactor of several anti-India insurgent groups such as Barua's faction of the ULFA and the Manipur-based United National Liberation Front (UNLF), having allowed their cadres to train in his camps. If these groups continue to draw on Khaplang's support in Myanmar, they will not be able to count on cooperating with Khole's men in India. The impact of the NSCN-K's split will therefore be felt across the region on other insurgent groups and their equations.
The Naga insurgency is India's longest running insurgency, dating back to 1946. On August 14, 1947, the eve of Indian independence from colonial rule, the Naga National Council (NNC) declared its independence. Subsequently, the movement went underground and armed struggle against the Indian security forces followed. In 1975, the NNC leadership signed the Shillong Accord with the Indian government and accepted the Indian constitution "without conditions".
Rebelling against this "sellout of the Naga cause", Thuingaleng Muivah, Isak Chishi Swu and Khaplang left the NNC to form the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in 1980. Eight years later, the NSCN was plunged in internal bloodletting that culminated in Isak and Muivah forming the NSCN-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) and Khaplang giving his name to the other faction, the NSCN-Khaplang.
In 1997, the Indian government and the NSCN-IM entered into a ceasefire agreement and have engaged in around 70 rounds of talks since. In 2001, the government entered into a ceasefire with NSCN-K too but it did not lead to initiation of a dialogue process.
The prospects of that happening appear to have brightened now.
Khole recently said that the "process would be expedited that would lead towards a peaceful resolution of the Naga political issue," the Morung Express, an English daily from Nagaland, reported. He has also expressed support for the ongoing reconciliation process among various Naga armed outfits.
Although the ceasefires with the Indian government have held over the past decade, Nagaland has been convulsed in violence with militant groups training their guns at each other. Much of this violence is driven by turf wars over the drug trade, extortion and other "businesses" that the insurgent groups are involved in.
Various tribal, civil society and church groups are working to reconcile the feuding Naga groups. It appears that Khaplang was opposed to any reconciliation with the NSCN-IM and forbade his India-based leaders from attending reconciliation meetings initiated by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation.
Reconciliation was an important issue driving the rift between the NSCN-K's Indian-based leaders and Khaplang. Khole and his supporters felt that Khaplang was out of touch with the ground situation in India.
"The mood among the Naga public is in favor of the insurgent groups uniting and engaging in talks with the Indian government," an insurgent-turned-social activist told Asia Times Online. "Unlike Khaplang, Khole saw the writing on the wall and is keen to respond to this sentiment," he says.
If Khole is indeed in favor of reconciliation with other Naga insurgent groups, the split in the NSCN-K could pave the way for his faction to move closer, if not, join hands with the NSCN-IM. Reconciliation could result in New Delhi having "to listen to a broader Naga voice," writes Wasbir Hussain, director of the Guwahati-based Center for Development & Peace Studies, and member of India's National Security Advisory Board.
As for the Khole faction's participation in talks with New Delhi, much will depend on how the NSCN-IM leadership will respond. Will they allow Khole into a process they have monopolized for 13 years? More importantly, will India risk disturbing the equilibrium it has managed to establish with the NSCN-IM?
Talks between the Indian government and the NSCN-IM have been criticized for their slow pace. Besides, it is not a transparent process. Little is known about what has transpired at the table; so thick is the shroud of secrecy under which India has conducted the negotiations with the NSCN-IM leadership. This has fed suspicion that a deal rather than a solution is in the pipeline.
The process has been a narrow and exclusive one with only the NSCN-IM at the high table. Other stakeholders like the NNC and the Naga HoHo have been kept out. Important tribes like the Angamis who support the NNC and the Konyaks who back the NSCN-K feel left out.
If a settlement has been slow in coming it is because of the huge gap in the positions of the two sides. While the NSCN-IM demands an independent homeland for the Nagas and lays claim to territory that includes not only the state of Nagaland but Naga-inhabited areas of neighboring states like Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh in India as well as Myanmar's Sagaing Division, India is firm that a solution must be within the framework of the Indian constitution. It is opposed to redrawing of state borders too as it will inflame an already restive region.
Despite the cynicism, there have been positive developments, pointing to softening positions. After years of travelling abroad under fake names and foreign passports, NSCN-IM leaders Isak and Muivah have taken Indian passports, a sign of their willingness to be Naga and Indian, and also of a new flexible approach.
Earlier this year, Hussain wrote that "New New Delhi was toying with the idea of a 'boundaryless' Naga superstructure where Naga representatives from around the northeast, including, of course, Nagaland, would run Naga affairs in the region related to their development and uplift." This suggests a solution wherein the Nagas would get maximum autonomy within the Indian constitution. There would be no redrawing of boundaries although a politico-administrative superstructure would be set up that would involve and provide for development of Nagas in Nagaland and beyond.
Just when it seems that a solution to the vexed Naga conflict could be within grasp, an organization called the Eastern Nagaland People's Organization (ENPO) has raised the demand for a separate "frontier state" comprising four districts in Nagaland - Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire and Longleng. The Chang, Konyak, Phom, Sangtam, Khiamniungan and Yimchunger communities in these four districts are complaining of isolation within Nagaland and are demanding statehood.
It is important that India includes representation of these districts and tribes to help calm rising separatist tensions here.
Khole is a Konyak from the Mon district. Both the NSCN-IM and the Indian government would be well-advised to reach out to his faction of the NSCN.
Khole has indicated that he is keen on reconciliation and talks. The split from Khaplang will allow him to engage in these.
New Delhi looks upon the split in the NSCN-K as a blow to the once formidable outfit. It is much more than that. The split has opened up space for a more inclusive peace process that could result in a more sustainable peace agreement.
The question is whether the Indian government and the NSCN-IM have the foresight to grab the opportunity that has opened up.
Sudha Ramachandran is an independent journalist/researcher based in Bangalore. She can be reached at sudha98@hotmail.com">sudha98@hotmail.com
(Copyright 2011 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)
Rio puts Enpo statehood demand in Delhi court Times of India
DIMAPUR: Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio has said the Eastern Naga People's Organization's demand for a separate state within the present state of Nagaland can be resolved only by the Centre and not his government.
On Saturday, a delegation of Eastern Naga People's Organization (Enpo) leaders met Rio and submitted him a memorandum on their demand. The organization had submitted the same memorandum to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 25, 2010 seeking a separate "Frontier Nagaland", a demand that was not endorsed by the state government.
"We had a thorough discussion. The issues that they came up with need to be discussed in detail both within and outside the assembly. But I made it clear to them that the Centre has to decide whether it would agree to their demand," Rio told newspersons after meeting the Enpo delegation.
"I told them categorically that some states were opposed to the creation of Nagaland as a full-fledged state. The issue was was debated in Parliament and MPs from Assam were against the idea. Despite this, the Centre went ahead with the creation of Nagaland. Now, it is up to New Delhi to decide whether there can be another state within the state. The people of Nagaland should keep this in mind and there's no point fighting among themselves," the CM added. "One thing the Nagas should remember. They may stay in Myanmar, Manipur, Assam or Arunachal Pradesh. But wherever we are, we are Nagas first," Rio said.
Six major tribal groups in insurgency-hit Nagaland have come together to demand carving out of "Frontier Nagaland". The demand was raised by the Changs, the Konyaks, the Sangtams, the Khiamniungans, the Yimchungrus and the Phoms under the aegis of Enpo. The demand is considered a setback for outfits like NSCN (IM), which is now engaged in peace negotiations with the government after leading a six-decade- long bloody insurgency movement. The NSCN(I-M)'s key demand is unification of all Naga inhabited areas comprising entire Nagaland and some areas of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Asked about the plights of Nagas living in Myanmar, the CM said, "They have got recognition there. The situation is improving. I am in touch with them." He added that he had written to the ambassador of Myamar, thanking the government of that country for recognizing the Nagas and electing them as MPs and MLAs.
Southern Nagaland NSCN/GPRN backs Khaplang
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Dimapur, June 26 (MExN): The National Socialist Council of Nagaland Khaplang group has condemned the quit notice served against Meiteis living in the Naga inhabited districts of Manipur by the “Naga Crusader’s group” recently. It has demanded the Naga crusaders to reveal their identities. The group in a press note appended by Retd. ‘maj’ N. Panmei, ‘medical kilonser cum political supervisor’, Southern Nagaland, stated that such display of sensitive matter by some ill- responsible group of people can not be tolerated at all.
“The Naga National movement has no agenda for communal discard and hatred in the neighbourhood. The peaceful co-existence and relationship that continued till today since time in immemorial can not be sabotaged by any senseless group and they shall not be allowed to escape unpunished,” it retorted.
Emphasizing that it stands for unity, it stated: “There is no division, nor discord within the NSCN/GPRN. The towering figure of S.S. Khaplang is unquestionable. There is no slightest blame on the credential of S.S. Khaplang. He is our well acclaimed genius and undisputed father for the NSCN/GPRN who has stood the pest of times for the great cause of Naga National-hood. The Southern Nagas, their respective regional councils are still intact standing behind the internationally known leader S.S. Khaplang.”
It also cautioned that all concerned in the Southern Naga areas are warned against any evil designed which may harm the Naga solidarity under the genuine and true leadership. The Zeliangrong Region of the Khaplang group which caters a vast area of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and elsewhere are solidly standing firmly under the leadership of S.S. Khaplang, it affirmed.
Civil bodies appeal for peaceful co-existence in the face of Nagaland Post report
IMPHAL, June 22: Concerned with the news report published in a Nagaland based daily ‘The Nagaland Post’ on June 22, 2011 which stated that a certain unrecognized organization calling itself “The Naga Crusaders” has served a notice to all Meiteis residing/staying in the hill districts of Manipur to go away from the hill districts of Manipur, various organizations and bodies of the state have today strongly appealed the local populace of the state not to succumb to rumours and to refrain from any acts which could hurt the peaceful co-existence of the various communities in the state.
Apprehensive about the sensitivity of the issue, and with numerous queries to the state media houses from the general public, the All Manipur Working Journalist Union also called an emergency meeting of all editors of various media houses based in the state this afternoon, to discuss the issue.
A statement issued by the AMWJU said that taking serious note of the report and the confusion it has created; the body contacted various sources to determine the authenticity of the report and the group which issued the reported statement which came out in the Nagaland daily.
It said that on being contacted, the editor of the Nagaland Post conceded that it was an unintentional error committed due to negligence on the part of the daily.
Further according to the statement, the editor of the newspaper while regretting the mistake committed, has assured AMWJU that the staff who committed the error will be sternly warned and also instructed to determine the identity of the group with the help of the email id used in sending the report to his office.
It further stated that AMWJU has intimated various civil bodies to establish the identity of the group.
Meanwhile, the United Naga Council (UNC), NSCN-IM and NSCN-K has revealed that they are not aware of the existence of the so called Naga crusaders group who had circulated the report to the newspaper, on being contacted through their sources, the statement said.
Late in the evening the NSCN-IM in a press communiqué released by its ministry of information and publicity (MIP), termed the group so called “Naga Crusaders” as not recongnised by the Nagas.
It said that the outfit is on a hunt to track down the perpetrator who released the statement and has also appealed to the public not to be apprehensive.
In the meantime, the All Manipur United Club organization (AMUCO) in a statement has also appealed the people not to panic. At the same time it has also appealed the general public to refrain from sentimental activities that could disturb the communal harmony of the different indigenous communities residing together in the state.
It has further appealed the various Naga apex bodies to take strong initiative in finding out the perpetrator and award punitive action against them.
The government concerned should also take precautionary measures to further stone-wall the possibilities of escalation of the issue, added the statement.
The AMUCO has also vowed to confront such intimidation at any cost to retain the co-existence of all indigenous communities in the state.
The statement has further added that there has been such divisive plans in the state in the past also and added that it will always be against such divisive policies and will continue to confront such forces, it said.
The United Committee, Manipur has also sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister of Manipur to take precautionary measures in the wake of the news reports.
NPCC-CLP team meets PM seeks solution to Naga problem Times of India
DIMAPUR: A joint team of Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) led by president S I Jamir and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) led by Tokheho Yepthomi has met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday in New Delhi. The delegation apprised the Prime Minister of the need to resolve the Naga political crisis as soon as possible. "A 35-year-long stalemate Shillong Accord, 14 years of negotiation without conclusion, 10 years of Ceasefire Agreement without opening talks had not helped in bringing about a solution," said a member of the joint team.
The delegation expressed the need for transparency in the dialogue. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said this was a unique opportunity for Nagas to resolve the political problem. "UPA is ready to go an extra mile to resolve the issue.? He assured the delegate of positive actions at the earliest," Singh said.
Earlier, on June 20, the NPCC and CLP teams had also met Luizinho Faleiro, CWC member and general secretary in-charge of Nagaland at Goa Niwas in New Delhi. The delegation of NPCC, while reacting to revocation order, has submitted the executive committee's resolution reaffirming the expulsion order of I Imkong, former CLP leader.
The delegate expressed that NPCC Executive Committee has functional autonomy unlike other Congress Units in the nation and that it was born out of an agreement between late Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India and the delegate of Nagaland Nationalist Organization (NNO) in 1976. It functions under its own constitution in the spirit of "national in outlook and regional in content" as was agreed upon. tnn
The NPCC memebers stated that when I Imkong is now unattached member in the Nagaland State Assembly and is no more Congress CLP member, revocation is meaningless.
Cong leaders at PM door OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Kohima, The Nagaland unit of the Congress has urged the Centre for an early solution to the Naga political problem ahead of the talks between Delhi and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah).
The Congress delegation, led by PCC president Sungit Jamir and leader of the Congress Legislature Party Tokheho Yepthomi, called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last evening in New Delhi and apprised him of the need to resolve the Naga political problem within a time frame.
The Congress leaders expressed the need for transparency in the talks with the NSCN, led by chairman Isak Chishi Swu and general secretary Thiungaleng Muivah, so as to give opportunity to the stakeholders to react positively.
The Opposition Congress has been demanding transparency in the talks and had criticised the state government for concealing its progress.
The Congress delegates told Singh that 35 years of stalemate since the Shillong Accord of 1975, 14 years of talks between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) and 10 years of ceasefire agreement without talks with the NSCN (Khaplang) did not make any sense.
The Shillong Accord was signed between the Centre and the Naga National Council (NNC) within the ambit of the Constitution. The members who had signed the accord still live in “transit camps”.
The Congress leaders said Singh was very receptive to the suggestion and gave them a patient hearing. He told the delegation that this was a unique opportunity for the Nagas to solve the political problem, as the Centre was ready to go the extra mile to hammer out a solution. He assured the delegates of positive action at the earliest.
Both the Nagaland government and the Opposition Congress have been insisting on an acceptable and honourable solution to the Naga problem.
Sources said the Congress leaders also met top Indian policymakers and apprised them of the need to hammer out a solution at the earliest.
Sources said the Congress leaders also met the party high command and lodged their resentment over the revoking of the expulsion of Jangpetkong legislator I. Imkong.
Sources said talks between the Centre and the NSCN had reached a crucial stage and further talks would be held soon.
The NSCN collective leadership has convened a decisive meeting of its members in Delhi ahead of the next round of talks. Over 20 top functionaries of the NSCN (I-M) will be landing in Delhi within a day or two to have an internal discussion with Swu and Muivah, which would be immediately followed by meeting with the central leaders.
Sources said a few rounds of informal talks have already been held with the Centre.
NSCN (I-M) emissary V.S. Atem and at least five top functionaries of the group are currently in Delhi along with Swu and Muivah.
The Naga reconciliation meeting between the top leaders of Naga factions, which was slated for June 20, was postponed because of scheduled talks between the Centre and the Naga faction.
Sources said after the talks, Swu and Muivah would visit Nagaland for the reconciliation meeting under the aegis of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation.
Meet on border dispute - Naga villagers blame tea growers for mounting tension PULLOCK DUTTA The Telegraph
Jorhat, Naga villagers residing along the Nagaland-Assam border have held the small tea growers from Assam responsible for the mounting tension in the border areas.
“Small tea growers from Assam are destroying our jhum cultivation land in the border areas and are clearing jungles in reserve forests for tea cultivation. These small tea growers are responsible for the tension in the border areas,” Imnakumzuk Longkumer, chairman of Ankai-C village in Mokokchug district of Nagaland (bordering Sivasagar district of Assam), told the group of visiting Assam-Nagaland border peace coordination committee members yesterday.
The coordination committee members include divisional forest officer of Sivasagar Ranjan Kumar Das, border magistrate of Nazira Richand Ahmed and coordinator of the committee Temsu Wathi Ao among others. Longkumer alleged that at least seven tea gardens have come up in Geleki reserve forest inside Nagaland in the last few months and these tea garden owners have been encroaching upon areas owned by Nagaland villagers for jhum cultivation.
He alleged that immigrant Bangladeshis and Nepalis living in Bongaon village, Assam, were clearing jungles on the Nagaland side of the border and selling the land to small tea growers from Assam.
He said villagers from Nagaland have been abiding by the Supreme Court guidelines of not carrying out any cultivation or construction activities in the disputed areas along the border but the illegal settlers have continuously encroached the area.
He also alleged that the Assam police were helping these illegal settlers and clearing forest areas to make way for small tea growers, which has resulted in shrinking of land for jhum cultivation.
Longkumer complained that a former official of the sub-deputy collector of Nazira had allocated land to a few unemployed youths in Geleki reserve forest a few years back.
“These youths have encroached land for tea cultivation in these Naga traditional jhum cultivation land, which is creating underlying tension in the area,” Longkumer said.
The DFO and the border magistrate accompanying the team assured Longkumer of an inquiry into the charges.
Shingnyu Phom, village council chairman of Yonglok village in Longleng district of Nagaland, emphasised the need for immediate steps to evict the encroachers from traditional jhum land.
The border peace coordination committee (Assam-Nagaland), formed in 2005, has been working tirelessly to restore ties between the people of the two states.
Karuna Mahanta, secretary of the all Assam small tea growers’ association, said the plantations have come up on land belonging to Assam, while thanking the enterprising growers for helping protect the area from encroachers from neighbouring Nagaland.
A slice of Naga cuisine Svetlana Lasrado Deccan herald
Here is an eatery that offers a slice of Nagaland! Aptly called ‘The Naga Kitchen,’ the cuisine is typically North-Eastern. Located in the vicinity of Kamanahalli, this place has a lot of takers right from college students to professionals.
This place was started in September last year by Romeo Seth, who himself was born and brought up in Assam. He says, “I have grown up eating Naga food all my life. When I came to Bangalore, I realised that there are very few places that serve exclusive Naga food. This was the reason I opened this outlet here and the response has been very good.”
The decor is very simple, given the fact that it is a converted terrace, open on three sides and surrounded by bamboo paneling. Lampshades and framed Naga art and a few tables complete the setting. The people who man the kitchen too are from the North-East like Offa and Chuba who serve the customers the authentic Naga cuisine. There are a lot of items on the menu, that one will be spoilt for choice. As starters, one can order the steamed or fried momos in vegetable, chicken or pork varieties. One will not fail to notice that the filling of meat is not mince but actual pieces
of meat.
This coupled with an extra spicy green chilli chutney perfectly compliments the bland taste of momos.
Then there are the veg and non-veg thalis served with rice, Naga curry made with crushed potatoes and tomatoes, different types of boiled vegetables, mashed potato and bits of pork fried with shallots and green chillies. But you should try the food item that this part of the country is most famous for — the pork dishes. The way pork is cooked here is very different from the rest and you can savour the tenderness and flavour of the meat. One should especially try the ‘Smoked Pork with Yam’, Bamboo shoots or Palak Leaves’.
Then there are smoked varieties of chicken and fish too. Says Romeo, “Such smoked dishes are very rare to find elsewhere which makes it all the more liked by the customers.”
To add a special touch to the whole dining experience, they serve food in wooden cutlery. The place has its share of regulars. Says Aquina, who is from Shillong, “When my friends brought me here for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to find a place that serves the same food that we get back home. The ambience also is so perfect that it reminds me of home.” Her friend says, “I have never eaten Naga food before this. But the place does serve brilliant food. Moreover, it is not expensive too which gives us all the more reason to come here often.” Contact 41732012.
No force can disintegrate Manipur : RB Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 24 2011: Categorically stating no (greater) Nagalim can be created at the cost of Manipur, Opposition leader Radhabinod Koijam has declared that no force on earth can upset the integrity of Manipur or disturb its territorial boundary.
He was speaking at a felicitation programme for HSLC 2011 first divisioners of Saikul Assembly Constituency at the residential quarter of Saikul AC MLA Doukhomang Khongsai at Lamphel today.
Around 200 students were feted at the 4th meritorious award distribution function.
Radhabinod Koijam who is also the president of NCP Manipur State unit stated that the efforts to disintegrate Manipur to create greater Nagalim would always remain a dream.
Those elements who have been scheming to ignite communal clash among different communities of Manipur who have been living together in harmony need to be challenged collectively.
Opening a unit of Naga People's Front in Manipur would not be of any use.
MIschievous elements should be barred entry and they should not be allowed to mislead the youth, Radhabinod asserted.
Calling upon the people not to be taken in by the voices from outside the State, Radhabinod pointed out that Manipur is the only home State for both the hill people and plain people.
Asserting that human resource development is the most crucial requirement in the life of human beings, the NCP leader stated that what is most needed in society is human resource development.
He also highlighted the importance of maintaining proper relationship as well as discipline among students, teachers and parents.
When these relationships become strained and the discipline disappears, the society would break down completely.
To ward off such a situation, it is paramount to develop human resources.
Doukhomang Khongsai exhorted students to take firm resolutions to safeguard the unity and integrity of Manipur.
The function was also attended by MLA Th Nandakishore and N Mangi.
Radhabinod Koijam was the chief guest of the function.
Talks with NE ultra groups progressing well: Pillai
R Dutta Choudhury Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, June 26 – The Government of India has been trying to capitalize on the greater desire for peace among the people of North East region to bring solution to the problem of insurgency through political dialogues, said the Union Home Secretary GK Pillai.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, the Union Home Secretary said that there have been marked improvement of the overall situation in the region and there have been greater desire for peace not only among the common people but also among different militant groups of the region. He expressed the view that the Government would have to take advantage of the situation and efforts have already been launched in this direction.
Pillai pointed out that the level of violence in the region has come down considerably, which is a positive sign. But at the same time, he admitted that extortions by militant groups remain a cause of concern. “Extortion is still a major problem and efforts must be made to check the menace,” he added.
Talks with different militant groups of the region are progressing in the right direction and the Government of India is confident that peace accords with a number of smaller militant groups of the region would be signed within this year, he said. However, he admitted that it might take some time before signing of peace pacts with militant groups like the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) factions and the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
Replying to a question on the slow progress of talks with the NSCN, Pillai said that with so many factions operating in Nagaland, it was a difficult task to expedite the pace of the peace process. However, he said that there have been much greater understanding between the Government and the NSCN at present and the Naga reconciliation group has also been trying its best to bring about unity among all the groups in Nagaland, which is necessary for restoration of permanent peace in the State. He hoped that something concrete would come up by the end of the year 2012.
On the progress of talks with the ULFA, Pillai said that the outfit is likely to submit the formal charter of demands to the Government of India in July this year and the formal talks with the outfit would start on the basis of the same.
Commenting on the refusal of the anti-talk faction of the ULFA, headed by the commander-in-chief of the outfit Paresh Baruah to join the peace process, Pillai admitted that it is a matter of concern but “we cannot force anyone to come for talks. With huge amounts of money lying in foreign banks and his business abroad, Paresh Baruah may feel that he is better off staying abroad rather than joining the peace process.” However, he expressed the hope that the pressure of the people of Assam would force Baruah to join the peace process in the days to come or else he might become redundant.
Paresh Barua faction of Ulfa on recruiting spree' Sanjib Kr Baruah, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, After having suffered sharp reverses when most of the senior leaders were brought out to the negotiating table for peace talks, the Paresh Barua faction of the Ulfa has recouped and organised its operational strength, intelligence sources said. The Barua faction has been resisting all peace overtures
.Senior leaders of the oufit who joined the dialogue with the Centre include Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and ideologue Bhimkanta Buragohain.
"The Barua faction has been on a recruiting spree drawing its new cadres mainly from the three Upper Assam districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Sivasgar. From November to June, it has recruited more than 100 youths, who have been sent for arms and operational training in the Myanmar-China border. Of this, a group of 30 has re-entered Assam and has engaged in two encounters till now," sources said.
Barua's faction, believed to comprising of 250 heavily-armed fighters, is at present based at Taga, about 70 km away from the Indo-Myanmar border. It is also home to insurgents from the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), United National Liberation Front and others.
Taga is just about a day's journey from the Chinese border. The area is under the control of the Kachin militia, which has the strength of about 1,50,000 cadres and prominent gun runners in that particular stretch.
"The Barua-led faction is also leading a renewed extortion drive targeting government agencies like the ONGC, tea estates, contractors and government servants in the Upper Assam area. Ulfa's extortion racket has also spread to the Changlang and Lohit districts of Arunachal Pradesh," the intelligence official said.
The Ulfa faction has also threatened 'Indian settlers' in Assam in a recent press release which was issued after the killing of a cadre - Moon Moran - on June 12 in Tinsukia by the security forces.
"While one faction is capturing political space (the Rajkhowa faction) in the state, another one is spreading fear and panic," said another official.
Niketu Iralu to be conferred UN Brahma award Correspondent Assam Tribune
KOKRAJHAR, June 26 – Social activist and peacemaker Niketu Iralu of Nagaland has been chosen for the prestigious UN Brahma Soldier of Humanity Award 2011, informed the Upendra Nath Brahma Trust (UNBT).
According to UNBT sources, the jury board selected Iralu for this award for his contribution to the peace initiative in Nagaland as a Gandhian under the guidance of Rajmohan Gandhi in the north-eastern region, among other areas.
UNBT sources further said that Iralu and the father of Naga insurgency Phizo hailed from the same village of Nagaland, but Iralu’s conviction for peace and non-violence has placed him among many celebrated peace initiators.
Iralu also received the prestigious Gopinath Bardoloi Award 2005 for his work towards national integration. He is also holding the post of chairman of Naga Reconciliation Committee and is the convenor of Naga National Reconciliation Commission working towards ending Naga conflicts. He also has a strong association with the Bodos since long and is also deeply concerned with working for peace and development in the area.
This award will be conferred on July 24 next at Kokrajhar town to Iralu by the UNBT at a function.
Frans on 06.28.11 @ 04:16 PM CST [link]
