Nagas share their struggle, concerns IST TNN,
Nagas share their struggle, concerns IST TNN,
BANGALORE: Voices from the distant hills of Nagaland are echoing in Bangalore. The Naga community and leaders held a vibrant festival of Naga arts and crafts and cultural performances at the `Naga Journey for Peace' at the Bishop Cotton Boys School on Saturday.
The performance was followed by a panel discussion on `Indo-Naga peace process __ difficulties and prospects' by Naga leaders who came from Kohima.
President Naga Ho Ho, Kevilotuo, shared the six decades of Naga struggle with the audience. He recollected the initial 16 point-agreement that created the state of Nagaland and said the Nagas were then divided into the four North Eastern states. In 1964, there was a ceasefire with the Indian government, but problems continued.
"In 1997, there was a ceasefire again. It's been 13 years since then and we still haven't reached a negotiation. The Indian government has to be sincere about the peace talks that we are having. The Naga journey is one of self determination and fight for independence. Our movement is for an independent nation but that doesn't mean that we cannot have peace," he said.
Speaking about the unique cultural identity and different topography of Nagaland, he added that their uniqueness has to be recognized. "Nagaland is a nation in the making and we want our message to reach all parts of India. India is a friend and we have now come to tell our story to the south of India. I am hopeful that we will achieve a resolution," he added.
President, Naga Students Federation, Metsekaoya Yhobo, said they had given several representations to the government of India and had met the Prime Minister too. "India has been insincere in dealing with our problems. The desire of the young Nagas is to work together for a resolution," he said.
Slur on AR, refuted Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 06 2010: All Zeliangrong Students' Union (Assam, Manipur Nagaland) has accused troops of 11 Assam Rifles of ransacking and looting money from a house at Khoupum Duithanjang of Tamenglong district.
However, the Defence Spokesman has strongly refuted the allegations as baseless and meant to tarnish the image of the security force.
A press release issued by its General Secretary said that the troops barged into the empty house of one M Aniampi w/o Kabibuan and ransacked household items at around 12.30 am on November 3 .
The security team also took away a cash of Rs 1.5 lakhs by breaking the locks of a wooden almirah, it alleged.
Aniampi, a Primary teacher of Tamenglong ADC, was not at home when the incident occured as she had gone to the district headquarters with her husband to collect her salary.
The troops not only rounded up one Paul Phaomei of Gaidimjang village, a former NSCN (IM) cadre but also enquired the family members of NSCN (IM) cadres regarding their whereabouts, the press release said.
Maintaining that many such incidents had happened in the past as well, AZSU urged the concerned authority to pull up the involved personnel and take up punitive action against them.
However the Defence spokesman has strongly refuted the story dubbing it baseless with the intention to tarnish the image of the security forces.
The spokesman said that on November 3 night troops of Assam Rifles conducted a search operation in Khoupum are and a S/S Pvt of the NSCN (IM), identified only as Paul, was arrested.
Apart from a binocular, troops recovered a large number of extortion ntes from him.
He was handed over to Imphal West police on November 5, said the spokesman.
NSCN/GPRN responds to Wangtin morungexpress
Dimapur, November 6 (MExN): The Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim, Ministry of Information & Publicity has issued a rejoinder to the press write up issued by GPRN/NSCN Kilonser Mr. Wangtin wherein the latter under the caption “Fourth Point Draft Flayed” carried by the local papers on the 31st October 2010 had accused the Naga Civil Societies on what was termed as “groundless points and also denigrated the NSCN and blackmailed the ongoing Indo-Naga political dialogue”.
Describing Mr. Wangtin as “a chameleon who changes his color every moment”, the NSCN/GPRN pointed out that Wangtin spoke “one thing at a place and speaks another of the same thing at any other place”. “He speaks one thing in Chingmai and speaks another of the same thing at Khehoi Camp. He speaks one thing at Mon and speaks another at Dimapur. Such man is dangerous for any group or society”, stated the press note issued by the MIP.
On Mr. Wangtin’s statement that the Naga Political movement “is a collective issue” and that the declaration of Naga Independence on August 14, 1947, the plebiscite of 1951 and the uniqueness of Naga political history and situation were not private properties of NSCN/GPRN, the MIP note stated that in all these he was “cent-per-cent right and the NSCN leadership is pursuing them in the interest of the Nagas as a whole”.
With regard to the point made by Wangtin that “no faction is superior to the other”, the MIP note stated that in this case “the NSCN have a say”. “Whether NSCN under the leadership of Isaac-Muivah is superior or inferior, Mr. Wangtin may better ask this question to the Indian leadership and the foreign political analysts who have the profiles of every group on their finger-tips”, the MIP note stated. It was informed that “during the parleys between the NSCN leadership and the Indian leaders from 1995-1997, the NSCN leadership openly told the Indian leaders to talk with the ‘K’ group or NNC/FGN”. “But they refused to talk with them, the reason best known to them”, the MIP note stated.
Further on the statement made by Wangtin that “No faction could claim to be the mandatory body”, the MIP note stated that Wangtin was “completely ignorant of what is going on around him”. In this regard, the NSCN/GPRN maintained that the fourth Naga people’s consultative meeting towards strengthening the Indo-Naga political dialogue, was held on January 20 and 21 2005 at NSCN council Headquarters, Hebron. The meeting was attended by more than 6000 Nagas from different walks of life and representing almost all known Naga organization and Christian denomination, stated the MIP note.
The NSCN/GPRN also reminded that a declaration was made during the consultation. This included giving fullest support for an honorable solution to the Indo-Naga political Issues on the basis of the uniqueness of the Naga political history and situation. It also declared that the unifications of all Naga areas is legitimate and therefore, non – negotiable and also that the political solution should be found through peaceful means and further that both GoI and NSCN uphold utmost sincerity towards finding a political solution.
The MIP note reminded that this “solemn declaration was signed by representatives of almost all known Naga organizations including Dimasas, Kacharis, Kukis, ect. and all the Christian denomination leaders in Nagaland and almost all known Naga organizations in Manipur State”. There were also Naga representatives from Arunachal and North Cachar of Assam who signed the declaration, it was stated.
“There were all together 66 organization leaders who signed the declaration. The declaration was properly documented and more than 30 Church leaders dedicated it by praying together over it and handed over to the NSCN collective leadership. This was total re-affirmation of Naga people mandate to carry forward the Indo-Naga political dialogue for finding and honorable solution”, the MIP note stated.
As such “what kind of mandate thus Mr. Wangtin want?” the MIP note queried. “Another mandate or plebiscite to be under Indian constitution? If any leader or Organization who and which signed the ‘declaration’ speaks otherwise then he or she or the group may be chameleon like Mr.Wangtin”, the MIP note stated.
NSF condemns extension of disturbed area tag on Nagaland PTI
Kohima, (PTI) The Naga Students'' Federation (NSF) today opposed the extension of Armed Forces Special Power Act in Nagaland by the Centre when ceasefire was on and talks with political groups were continuing.
The apex students'' body in a statement condemned the October report of the Union Home Ministry recently presented by Home Minister P Chidambaram, where the act was extended from October 20 to June 30, 2011 in Nagaland.
The NSF said it had been demanding for a decade for the withdrawal of the AFSPA from Nagaland along with other northeastern states, adding the organisation would continue to fight against violation of human rights in the state.
Nagaland extortion OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Kohima, The Nagaland government has expressed its inability to check the growing menace of extortion in the state.
Home minister Imkong L. Imchen said many angles crop up when it comes to dealing with extortion and illegal collections by militant outfits.
He blamed the people for not informing the authorities.
He said police were trying to curb extortion on a war-footing and sought the people’s co-operation.
The militants are even collecting money by issuing their own Inner Line Permits to non-Nagas in the guise of curbing influx of migrants into Nagaland. The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) has already begun this exercise on non-Nagas who have come to Nagaland for business purposes and to search for work.
NNC/FGN on extortion bid morungexpress
Dimapur, November 5 (MExN): In response to an article which appeared on local dailies on November 5, 2010, under the caption, “Two held with arms,” the Federal Government of Nagaland, once again strongly clarifies to the general public of Nagaland, that the extortionists in question and particularly Mr. Atoka, called and appointed himself as Midan Peyu under FGN in order to extort. Therefore, the government through a press note issued by Hekhuvi Achumi, Dy. Kilonser, Lota-cum-Midan Peyu, Federal Government of Nagaland (NNC/FGN) firmly makes it clear to the public that there are no such names in their party fold, headed by honourable Kedahge and Kedallo S. Shingya and Zopra Vero and hence, branded them as “Ghost Cadres of FGN” and asked the responsible citizen never to entertain those ghosts and warned them to clarify their stand as well.
It is also clarified to the general public that the Sema/Sumi region forwarded Hekhuvi Achumi to be appointed as Midan Peyu, (CAO/RAO) and as per the approval from the Cabinet Hoho, the Kilo ministry appointed the same, who is presently, the Dy. Kilonser, Lota, holding the additional charge of Midan Peyu till date. The note further asked the public to be vigilant in order to avoid confusion and extortion in future.
Nagalim: ‘Disturbed Area tag salt to Nagas’ injury’ Unpo
The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has denounced the Government of India’s extending the ‘Disturbed Area’ status on Nagaland, under the black law the infamous Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).
Below is an article published by The Morung Express:
The NPF said the latest action of the Centre is an ‘instrument’ of ‘genocide’ against the people. A statement denouncing the AFSPA, and the extension of the ‘Disturbed Area’ status, was received here from NPF advisor Ato Yepthomi. “It is sad episode that while Nagaland is currently experiencing one of the most peaceful times, the Government of India has chosen to turn a blind eye to this peaceful atmosphere and extended the tag on Nagaland as ‘Disturbed Area’ under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1985 for a period of eight months,” the NPF advisor stated.
The NPF said the various Naga underground factions are in ceasefire with the Government of India and the peace and reconciliation process “steering on well ahead under the aegis of Forum for Naga Reconciliation.” During such significant junctures, “must the GoI try to sabotage the ongoing peace process by extending the ‘Disturbed Area’ Period? This is nothing more than rubbing salt on the injury of the Nagas, who in recent times are recovering from fratricidal killings,” the statement said. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram who presented the report under which the stated was re-set in the status, ought to have understood that no other country in the world is imposing such an Act ‘against its own people except India,’ the party said.
“At this present juncture, the entire NE is peaceful with various peace talks going on. If necessary, the home minister should instead impose such Act in his own state. With such time of decision taking mentality, a time may come when the Government of India will use even nuclear against its own people.” The Centre, and the Congress party is accused of resorting to “such tactics and Acts” in the “process carrying out systematic genocide against the NE people as in fake encounters, custodial deaths etc.” ‘Such acts are always imposed only by the Congress governments,’ Yepthomi explained. Naga civil organizations, political parties including the Congress are appealed to, to “voice out” against the imposition of the “Disturbed Area” status and the draconian law AFSPA upon Nagaland ‘which is at present very much peaceful’.
Land and its resources Kaka D. Iralu Morungexpress
The Unique Naga land ownership system
Naga land ownership system is unique in the whole of human history and societies. One cannot find any other nation’s land ownership system that can rival the Naga system. In the Naga system, the land of the nation does not belong to a King or the State or a Feudal Lord. The village lands and the tribal lands simply belong to the village and tribe in a collective ownership system. This automatically ensures that there is not a single Naga citizen who is landless. On the contrary, every individual of every village is a landlord in his own right. This is because by virtue of his citizenship to a village, every villager has the right to a private plot of land for the construction of his own private house and another plot of land for the cultivation of his family’s food requirements. Besides these two basic requirements, every family owns a small private reserved forest from where they can cut their firewood and building materials. Beyond these personal private lands, every individual has again land rights to his common clan lands as well as common village lands where they can fish, hunt collect wild vegetables and fruits and even cut trees for construction purposes. In this wider land ownership rights, no clan or village or tribe can exploit any other clan or tribe’s lands. The distribution system of land ownership slightly varies from tribe to tribe but the fact remains that every tribesman in every Naga village is a landlord with his unchallengeable rights. These rights extend from the village perimeter to the outskirts of the village and on to the jungles of the village. In the Naga context, a landless person is only one who has sold away his lands either through reckless living or gambling.
This very unique system of land ownership should be preserved by the Naga people and its Federal Government at all costs. Our own Yehzabo safeguards these land ownership rights under article 1: 4, 5 and 7. Article 1.4 states these safeguards thus: “Each village is a republic within its own territory and shall have full authority over its own affairs including land, community, organization, social, culture, religion, customs and practices.”
Nagas in the past with this unique system of land ownership, tilled the land and were politically and economically self sufficient.
But of course in a modern global world like today, we cannot continue to live isolated in our own respective village republics. Our national leaders therefore, with a solid knowledge of our past heritage and a forward look into the future tried to chart our own destiny through a modern nation state structure called the Federal Government of Nagaland. This government was guided by our own Yehzabo. The grand plan was to become a nation among nations and develop that nation “according to our own genius.” In this new venture in our history, we had a huge land and also minerals in their abundance to build the necessary infrastructure for a developed country. We also had some educated personnel to run the administration of that infrastructure. But as the nation hoisted its flag and desperately tried to defend its institutions, tragically, it would be these educated people who would betray the nation and tear its foundations apart from within.
In the subsequent years, our dreams and our plans to build a modern nation state was shot into bits and pieces. In our chequered modern history, the British had come and gone. But it was the coming of India to our lands that has left Nagaland a wasteland of broken villages and broken lives. The Indian government and the Indian army came claiming that our lands were part of their country. On the basis of this claim, they began to pass legislations and Acts that totally changed our system of land ownership and land management. First there were regulations like The Assam Maintenance of Public Order Act 1953 and the Disturbed Area Act 1955. Under these acts, suddenly the Governor of Assam became a Naga Landlord who could uproot and transfer entire Naga villages from one place to another and also impose fines on them. These sweeping powers of the Governor are found in sections like section 2: (1) a, b, c, f; and section 5 of the Assam Maintenance of public Order Act 1953. Through brutal application of these laws, by 1956/57 more then 645 Naga villages were burnt to ashes and the entire rural population of Nagaland was relocated from one place to another. (For details see The Naga Saga pp 65-144) As a result of all these atrocious acts, Naga polity and economy was shattered and Nagas in their hundreds and thousands perished from the face of the earth.
Then as if this was not enough, other acts like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Nagaland Security Regulation Act were added in 1958 and 1962. Nagaland Security Regulation Act 1962 under section 5A (i) (Power to shift persons from inhabited areas) states: “If the Governor considers it necessary…he may, by order direct that (a) all residents or any class of residents shall remove themselves or be removed from the said area to any other area specified by the Governor and remain in that area for such period as may be specified by him.” Contravention of such orders carried a penalty of five years imprisonment with fines as well (Art, 5A:3). Under section 28:1, the Governor could also requisition any property movable or immovable for the Indian Government’s use. Through all these heinous acts and regulations and the active assistance given by some second generation educated Nagas, Nagaland finally became a state of India in 1963.
Under this Indian statehood, in article 371 A of the Indian Constitution, under section (a: IV) there is a provision which seems to give guarantee that land and its resources shall belong to the people (Nagas) if the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland says so. However, even this obscure right stands nullified again under the Nagaland (Requisition and Acquisition) Act of 1965. Article 4 :( 2) of the mentioned Act states (under “Power to take possession of requisitioned land”) that the government …”may take possession of the land and may, for that purpose use such force as may be necessary.” Penalty for opposition to this government’s right is one year’s imprisonment and fine (Art. 16). The same Act also states that “…no suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against any person for anything which is in good faith done or is intended to be done in pursuance of this Act.”(Art, 18:1) As in the case of the AFSPA and other draconian Acts, the legal wordings are of course all preceded and followed by many sweet and grandiose words expressing concern for public welfare and safety! However, on careful analysis, one will discover that, as in the other cases, in this case too, the Nagaland (requisition and acquisition Act of 1965 is yet again, a clever device of the Indian Government to buy mineral rich Naga lands at very cheap rates by way of paying nominal land compensations. The land brokers in this whole business transaction will of course be our Ministers and bureaucrats! And all this nefarious activities will be carried out in the name of development, development and development!
Beware fellow Nagas- especially national workers and tribal leaders- and never ever give your consent to any foreign designed grandiose schemes of land transfers that will benefit only some clever Nagas under the Indian state of Nagaland.
Naga rebel group to check illegal immigrants aditighosh Humsafar news
Kohima, November 1, 2010: Irked by the alarming rise in the number of illegal immigrants in Nagaland, the Kilo ‘Home ministry’ of the NSCN (K) has decided to check the influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and others from India.
In a release issued by ‘Ministry of Information and Publicity (MIP)’ of the NSCN (K) said the outfit, in coordination with regional authorities, will identify and record every illegal immigrants’ family living in Nagaland.
The ‘ministry’ also urged for fullest cooperation from Naga landown – ers as and when they are approached by the NSCN (K) officials for statistical reports and other necessary papers of the non – Naga tenants and farmers.
It said that the ministry also directed all regional authorities not to leave any area or region unchecked, adding that proper inquiry and records must be tabled to the office of the Kilo Kilonser at the earliest.
Stating that Naga homeland is not a sponge that would absorb all illegal immigrants from the neighbouring states, the release said the issue of influx of Bangladeshis and others from mainland India is certainly a bubble which will explode in a decade or so if the Nagas fail to tackle this enormous threat at the earliest.
Accusing the state government for being ‘eerily silent’ on this issue, it lamented that the some Naga NGOs have known nothing about the reality except parroting the lines of their masters.
The NSCN (K), however, acknowledged the support and cooperation of various other NGOs towards checking the illegal immigrants, the release said.
Commanders’ Conference’ held morungexpress
Dimapur (MExN): High ranking officers of Naga Army along with commanders from all units converged at GHQ for the “Commanders’ Conference” under the theme: “Revitalization” which concluded today. The NSCN/GPRN in a press note issued by col. Levi Zimik, PRO, GHQ stated that the "Yaruiwo (President) of People’s Republic of Nagalim", Isak Chishi Swu sent the keynote address which was read out to the audience at the very onset of the conference.
It also said that the three-day conference, in contemplation of past experiences and making intensive analysis of the issues confronting the Nagas from different angles at present, finally culminated in adopting a formal declaration, which states: “The fact that freedom is an inherent right of the Nagas, it is the bounden duty of Naga Army to safeguard this right at all cost. The commanders, therefore unanimously vowing to work towards this end with renewed strength and zeal hereby reaffirmed the Oath of Allegiance to the sacred cause of the Nation, this day the 28th October 2010.”
Sedition or not? Mohit Sharma Midday
Our reporter Mohit Sharma got a copy of what the Delhi police sent home ministry as full transcript of Arundhati Roy's controversial Kashmir speech. Decide for yourself:
As the buzz over registration of a sedition case against Booker Award winner Arundhati Roy and hardcore separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani took twists and turns over the past few days, MiD DAY managed to get the full speech which Roy had made on October 21 at the LTG auditorium in Delhi.
"Today there are 7,00,000 Army personnel in Kashmir. One can imagine how to breathe through the barrel of AK-47. We are a 'slave' economy, which is growing today.
Arundhati Roy with hardcore separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani at the seminar on
This process has made 80 per cent of this country's people live on only Rs 20 a day," Roy had said in her speech. The Delhi police had sent a copy of the same to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
"We got the script of Roy's speech along with Geelani's from a video, and have sent it to the ministry to take a call whether to go ahead with the case or not," said a senior police officer. The Delhi police have sent the speech and a report to the MHA.
Suggesting the Indian government to change its tactics, she had said, "You have to look beyond stone pelting and how the state is using people. The colonial state whether it was a British state in India, or an Indian state in Nagaland, they are in business to create elite to manage their atrocities.
You have to know your enemy and have to be able to respond by aligning tactically, intelligently, locally or internationally. Otherwise, you'll be like a fish in a pond combing the walls and get tied down."
On October 21, an unknown person had thrown a shoe at Geelani at the LTG seminar in the capital. He also got a shock when people from his Muslim community showed up with a group of Kashmiri Pandits in their support at the auditorium.
what Arundhati Roy said
Transcript of her speech on October 21: About a week ago, I was in Ranchi in a Tribunal against "Operation green Hunt" and when I was about to leave, a TV journalist asked me "Madam is Kashmir an integral part of India or not? I replied that Kashmir was never been an integral part of India.
Even Indian govt. has accepted that in UN. In 1947 we were told that India has become a sovereign nation, sovereign democracy but soon Indian military intervened. In Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Goa, Hyderabad, Junagadh and Punjab India always fought with the minorities.
This is the history of India. This is a historic meeting today in the heart of the capital of a hollow super power. Midnight of 1947 the country's imagination was fired by the spirit of independence. British drew the map and now the Indian govt is behaving like a colonizing power.
The elite accuse naxalites of staging a protracted war. The govt relentlessly fights its own people for waging a war as in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Goa, Hyderabad, Junagadh, Punjab, Kashmir always the minorities be it Sikh, Christians, Tribal, Dalit, Adivasis.
In 2007 during the Amarnath land row in Kashmir I was there in Srinagar and an Indian TV journalist who said that India needs freedom from Kashmir in the same manner as Kashmir needs freedom from India. Today there are seven lakh army personnel in Kashmir.
One can imagine how to breathe through the barrel of AK-47. We are a slave economy which today is growing. This process has made 80% of this country's people live with Rs 20 a day. Is this the idea of justice? We are not aligned with all the struggle in the street it is idea for justice.
When I was in Kashmir during Amarnath row and recently to I stayed in a place that was filled with appreciation by people waiting for struggle and I won't let down, even by their own leaders because this is a fight for justice.
In 2007, I wrote that what broke my heart on the street of Srinagar was when people say "Nanga Bhukha Hindustan, Jaan se Pyara Pakistan" and I said no because "Nanga Bhukha Hindustan" is with you, and if you are fighting for a just society the you must align yourself with powers and here are people who have fought their lives opposing Indian state and you must know repression. People who are long associated with Narmada Valley dam and I always say that we must thank these two valleys Kashmir valley and Narmada valley.
In Narmada valley people talked about repression, spying, intelligence operations, etc. you have to decide what kind of justice you want. You can't kill 68,000 of Kashmiri Muslims and call yourself a secular state and can't allow massacre of Muslims in political debate. I have been listening to, watching and following the recent uprising in Kashmir, where innocent people, women, children are taking on the massive army.
It is for us people to take it higher because Indian State's tactics is also to wait for the energies to bow down sometime in the name of crisis management, elections, etc. But the point is that people have to look for methods to avoid direct confrontation. You have to ask yourself why the people of Nagaland the Naga Battalion is committing the most atrocities in Chhattisgarh.
After spending so much time in Kashmir watching CRPF, BSF, RRs knocked down by lies, you know Kashmiri CRPF, the Kashmiri BSF all the way to kill people in Chhattisgarh. You have to look beyond stone pelting and how the state is using people.
The colonial state whether British state in India or Indian state in Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, etc. they are in business to create elite to manage their atrocities.
You have to know your enemy and you have to be able to respond by aligning tactically, intelligently, locally or internationally otherwise you will be like a fish in a pond bombing the walls and get tied down and don't pick and choose your injustices because justice is key stone to integrity and integrity is key stone to real resistance.
RECONCILIATION BUT WHY AND HOW W. SAYAI Morungexpress
The recent news about our politicians from Nagaland state going to England and having the opportunities to interact with the various Irish nationalist groups shows the positive side of our state leaders in their search for reconciliation to our faction ridden organizational imbroglio. Reconciliation is a must and the becoming of one body and having a single goal will be mightier than pen and sword; invaluable than gold and silver, brighter than the lighthouse of the world put together. It is a force more powerful than acquiring a nuclear reactor. We are many, have many but we are one and therefore need to be one because we are Nagas yesterday today and eternal. Numbers decide everything in democracy but in our case, it is a single vote that is required to decide our common destiny.
People will surely appreciate if the concern is expanded beyond the FNR (forum for Naga reconciliation) horizon. In my humble understanding, FNR seems to have exhausted the ideas of HOW to the very purpose of their existence. The reason I believe will be many but God knows we are only human and we all succumb to it- human pride! The prides of THE RIGHT, THE WRONG as well as the unfortunate pride of the MIDDLEMAN need to be discussed. The right one feels that he needs to be appreciated acknowledged and not keeps in the equal footing with the wrong one and that the wrong one has to be admonished, trashed, mocked, humiliated and submit to their diktat- the pride of being the right. The wrong one without any remorse feeling think that what has done has done and that the past shall not be open for discussion and they shall be treated as if no wrong has ever been committed. The middleman believe that they are the peace maker, the good one and therefore the people must be with them and both the right and wrong one must abide by their rules otherwise let the people judge! In this way the middleman shows their middle finger wherever they go. The common characteristic of the three participants is their pride and we all know that pride fall.
The most disgusting characteristic of all is not of the above mention players but the obnoxious silence of the public in not using their reasoning power to observe, analyze and question the naked lies and dramas being played in the courtroom of sham in the most pleasing name of reconciliation. Are we so new to the arms conflict that we have to be reminded again that when two elephants fight it is the grass that hurt the most! In fact everybody is affected whether near or far yet we choose to remain mum or play safe by being neutral to the most dangerously volatile factor against our peaceful existence. Or are we waiting for the real bloodshed of our parents, brother, sisters, friends and even our own to realize the cost of being silent when we should not? Silence on this matter is nothing but lack of education, understanding, backwardness, insecurity, and a sign of political immaturity. Change as we all longed for will not happen unless people are stubborn and resist participation. Look at how the people of Kashmir and other struggling people like the Palestinians resist the occupational forces without depending on their nationalist organization. They become the bigger forces than any other organization. Likewise the progress of Naga reconciliation and political movements largely depend on the enlightenment and participation of Naga people.
The pertinent questions which the Naga public have been holding for a long time and which need to be clarified by our nationalist organization who are part of the signatories to the covenant of reconciliation under the banner of FNR are put forward; firstly to the NSCN/GPRN who is having a political negotiation with the GOI at the highest level since 1997 that 13 years has passed yet solution to the vexed Naga issue still seems like a distant dream and that the sincerity of the GOI is in question since the peace process started. Wouldn’t it be an endless wait for the Nagas to hang around in this situation without looking for an alternative? We definitely don’t wish to die talking without any positive result. Secondly the GPRN/NSCN must demonstrate their seriousness in dealing with the GOI. Cease fire has been declared and extended time and again yet not a single political talk has been initiated till now. What is the point of cease fire with them when there is no space for talk? The Naga people have not had opportunities to meet and interact with the Chairman SS. Khaplang therefore he must be invited to spend time with his people in different parts of Nagalim. Nagas cannot blindly follow leaders without knowing them properly in the first place and a leader must know the opinion of his people. In our case both the references are missing. We ought to follow leaders who can lead us and whom we have confidence. Thirdly, the Naga people wish to know from both GPRN/NSCN and NNC (non accordist) who have openly declared at the Monyakshu conclave that they have merged which means they have become a single entity yet the Naga people continues to pay taxes to both the parties which is a great burden to the people; the two party continue to attend the FNR meeting as separate entity and till now the nomenclature remain the same. Naga people including me have openly expressed our joy and appreciation when Monyakshu Conclave was declared. Nagas cannot be fooled without concrete proof. Those civil societies including FNR who have expressed their happiness through press release must be sharing the same feeling yet too meek to ask question. It is therefore the duty of our nationalist organization to update their people democratically if they truly represent them.
The Naga reconciliation cannot be realize in the shadows of suspicion and mistrust. It must begin with sincere effort and with open mind. Truth is hard to accept and bitter to swallow but it is the only way to set us free. Without acknowledging truth through self realization it will be a futile exercise. Secondly the contending parties must accept that they need one another to define the common agenda and destiny. What has happen to the gospel of Jesus Christ that were taught in the Sunday school class when we were all young, that we must learn and inculcate the art of saying sorry and be ready to forgive those who wrong against us. We cannot be young again but we can surely revisit those bygone days and get inspiration! If the wall of Germany could be broken down why not the Nagas, who doesn’t even have any visible wall but plenty of opportunities to meet, talk, eat and spend time together. We just lack sincerity and commitment which I believe is a total negation from the traditional characteristic of a true and genuine Naga.
Finally the most obnoxious deterrent to reconciliation is the unfortunate failure of the Nagas to identify the classic question i.e. who is our enemy. We fail to admit that the real enemy is lurking behind us. She is in the market place, in the universities, in the school, in the theatre, in the field and in the bedroom; she is everywhere yet we failed to notice. Look at Dimapur, the town is now infested with outsiders who have come for different trade and purposes but for the enemy who is scheming shrewdly, it is a policy were their extra population are used as an agent to slowly overrun the local population. Their influences are increasing felt each day and it won’t be long for them to have their chief minister in Nagaland soon. Look at Tripura whose politics and economy have been overtaken by the outsiders! Observe and calculate the job opportunities that the Govt. of India has meticulously arranged for the Nagas, we will see that the rate of people getting the Govt. jobs remain the same as it was five years ago. Many of our bright youth are thronging in the metro cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore running from pillar to post looking for any odd job for survival at the cost of racial, sexual humiliation and harassment. In fact they are purposefully made to rot their. Is this the price that we have to pay for being a part of India? The only prominent employment that the Govt. of India has accommodated the Nagas is in the defense service i.e. to kill others and die with them. At the recently concluded commonwealth games held at New Delhi, the Mahila IRB from Nagaland received lots of media attention as well as praises from the Govt. of India not because they are brave and capable (remember they are the newly recruit without any experience and exposure to outside world) but because they have never seen a smart, fair and alien looking ladies in combat cloths with a semi- automatic rifle slung over their shoulder in the heart of their capital city. Another example of high drama is the deployment of Naga IRB in the tribal areas of India like Chattisgardh, Jharghand, West Bengal and Orissa to hunt down the oppressed Naxalites and Maoist cadres. It is a clear policy of employing tribal to kill tribal. We are pitted against one another now. The face of innocent looking Naga people is now but the face of terror for that part of tribal people. Our innocent IRB from Nagaland may not know how the Naxalites, Maoist and Kashmiri friends sincerely wish the Nagas to be free from the chain of Indian imperialism. Who is our common enemy then? India since its independence from the British has been manufacturing chaos, division, conflict and violence in Nagalim. Today our country is in the list of the most prestigious, highly militarized zone in the world and to maintain that status the capitalist state like India continues to retain the draconian law like AFSPA and Disturbed Area Act. We must not hesitate to identify and admit that the enemy is the occupational forces who have exploited our people, land, resources and trampled our political rights. Identifying our common enemy and pursuing together to drive out such evil forces is the suggestion to be pondered by Naga nationalists who are better equipped to analyze and contain them. Remember that we all have been used by the capitalist India in one way or the other and that our nation will be doomed if we continue to let them use us for our short term gain.
As mention earlier that the agents of reconciliation need to be expanded by involving all the Naga civil societies, students, churches and trade unionist by activating them in one chorus that is “reconciliation”. Reconciliation cannot be made in a quick fix manner but it is a continuous process which shall never be stopped therefore the necessity to involve one and all. De-legitimating the role of civil societies in this period of reconciliation process by threatening them and calling names is uncalled for and therefore best avoided. Instead they must be encouraged and supported if required. Serving of quit notice and ex-communicating selected tribes or communities is but the total negation against the spirit of reconciliation, therefore it must be rectified at the earliest. Lastly, this article wishes to conclude with a word of caution that in our hurry to bring reconciliation let us not add salt to the wound. It takes time to heal and for that we must be patient. Yet patience doesn’t also mean forever. There is always a limit to everything so Nagas must have the wisdom to know what the right time to come together is, and when such time comes the leaders must show their statesmanship and comradeship. I believe that the exercise of the democratic rights will not hurt the sentiment of any group or individuals.
KUKNALIM.
greenfieldbowe@gmail.com">greenfieldbowe@gmail.com
THE AFSPA 1958: A REVIEW FROM NAGALAND AFTER 52YEARS Kaka D. Iralu Morungexpress
A long fifty two years have passed since the AFSPA was first introduced into Nagaland in April 1958. This Act was first introduced into Naga soil in order to crush the Naga struggle to defend their declared independence which was declared on August 14, 1958. The political and historical situation in which the Act was introduced was therefore, a situation of war. This was clearly described by the then Director of the Indian Intelligence Bureau B.N. Mullik in his book,”My years with Nehru.” Mullik wrote:
“Troops moved into Tuensang by Oct. 1955, and the war with the Nagas started from then.”
About the number of troops deployed at this stage of the war, he wrote:
“Ultimately, nearly two divisions of the army and thirty five battalions of the Assam Rifles or armed police were in operation in the Naga Hills and Tuensang Frontier Divisions and in the adjoining areas.” (BN. Mullik, My years with Nehru, pp308, 312)
About this number of troops deployed; two Divisions means 18000 troops and thirty five Battalions means 35000 troops which totals into 53000 troops. These troops were assisted by the Indian Air Force, heavy artillery and light armored tanks.
Very soon, more then six hundred Naga villages were burned to ashes and hundreds upon thousands of Nagas died from bullets, bombs, starvation and disease.
The Indian Government however, desperately tried to project the war as a law and order break down. But it was very much a war in which tiny Nagaland was desperately trying to defend its declared independence while India tried its best to impose its declared independence on the Nagas. This was done through brutal military might.
In this war, this draconian law was preceded by the equally heinous Assam Maintenance of Public order Act of 1953 and the Disturbed Area Act of 1955.These acts would later on be followed by similar Acts like the Nagaland Security Regulation Act of 1962 and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967. But however hard India had tried to stamp out Naga nationalism and Naga Independence from the face of the earth, it has failed so far. This is because the national identity of a nation is indestructible and unchangeable.
The ASPA which gives the Indian soldiers sweeping powers like searching without search warrants, arresting without arrest warrants, and even shooting to death on mere suspicion is a most illegal act enacted in the annals of human legal history. In fact it is an Act that negates and even nullifies the very concept and principles of law. This is because here is an act that says a person can be shot to death on mere suspicion when the Law says “A person is innocent until proven guilty.” This extra judicial law is sanctioned by Indian Law, protected by Indian Law and is even immune from legal prosecution- “except with previous sanction of the Central Government.” This Act in short is an act that amounts to state sponsored terrorism. And the sponsorer of this heinous law is the central Government of India through its Parliament.
The grounds on which this Act can be promulgated is of course based on the Disturbed Area Act of 1955. According to the procedure, when a State Government has declared an area to be disturbed, then the AFSPA can come into operation. (This was amended in the 1972 AFSPA amendment and now the Central Government can bypass the concerned state and declare the Act from over the State’s head.)
Now, since all these heinous Acts and regulations were promulgated from the context of a war situation in Nagaland in the 1950’s, let us go back to 1955 and ask the question, Who disturbed who in 1955? Did the Naga National Council (NNC) or the Naga army go down to the plains of Assam and started burning Assamese villages and killing Assamese villagers in 1955 to necessitate the promulgation of AFSPA? So far as the verifiable records go, Nagas were simply defending their declared independence from within their ancestral territories. They were simply fighting against the 53,000 Indian invasion forces that had come into their land with the totally false claim that Nagas were Indians and Nagaland was Indian Territory. Prior to this spirited defense of their rights, all historical, political and cultural facts showing that Nagas were not Indians and would not join the Indian Union of 1947 had been furnished to both the departing British government and the incoming Indian government before 1947. This was done in the form of submitting six memorandums to the British Government and ten memorandums to India right from Jan. I, 1929 to 14 August 1947. (For details read the book, The Naga Saga.)
In all these peaceful endeavors, all that the Nagas had asked was that India and the rest of the world leave the Nagas alone so that they could politically and economically develop themselves according to their own genius. Who then was disturbing who in 1955 that that the Indian Government was compelled to promulgate acts like Disturbed Area Act and AFSPA to check law and order breakdown with tanks aero planes and artillery???
In the subsequent years, when the Naga nation took up arms to protect their houses from being burnt and their sisters from being raped and their people from being butchered, another act called the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967 was again slammed on the Nagas. Now, Nagas would like to ask the Indian government this second question: Is self defense activities against invasion, domination and persecution- unlawful activities in your legal understanding? If these activities are unlawful activities according to you, then your whole struggle against British imperialism and colonization from 1857 to 1947 were also unlawful activities.
Now in review and conclusion, allow me to state the following:
1. In 52 long years of implementing and exercising this heinous AFSPA, all that the Indian Government has achieved is alienating not only the Nagas but all the peoples of the whole North east region of India. This work of alienation is now being extended to the people of Jammu and Kashmir where it is also in operation now.
2. A second achievement of the AFSPA is that it has insulted Mahatma Gandhi and all the good people of India. Consequently, in the annals of human history, it will be recorded that the Indian government used this most unlawful law to persecute and kill people for over half a century. With its renewal on Oct. 20, 2010, it remains to be seen how much further the GOI wishes to extend this black record to smear India’s democratic face before the world for all times to come.
As for the Nagas and Meiteis as well as other North Eastern peoples who have all suffered under this inhuman law, it will also be recorded in the annals of history that they had done all that they could do to oppose this law. Their record will be written in the following manner:
1. They first took up arms to defend themselves against this life nullifying act. For more then a century, they fought against it in their villages and also in their jungles and were hunted like animals all their lives. They even marched across international boundaries into Pakistan and China to carry on the fight. Yes, their men folk did what a man and a father was supposed to do to defend their national honor as well as their family’s honor.
2. As for their womenfolk, they even stripped naked before the Indian soldiers to protest against this heinous law because under its protective umbrella thousands of women had been raped. One of their women even resorted to hunger strike and went for a fast on to death for ten years. But even these desperate actions were all ignored by the government of India.
In the end, the people who have suffered under this cruel law are only left wondering as to whether the Indian government is trying to force them to become human suicide bombers. On their part, they do not want to resort to this kind of protest because if a people are reduced to a state of hatred, then hatred destroys both “The hater” as well as “The hated.”
A short discourse on Corruption T. Shanbenthung Kithan Morungexpress
The Chief Minister of Nagaland has rightly pointed out, during the Vigilance Awareness Week, held from October 25th to November 1st that “Corruption perpetuates inequality”. It is commendable on the part of the government for enlightening the people with such meaningful initiatives and hope that the conviction to check corruption at all levels remains on their priority list of every department. The question I ask is do we always need such kind of programmes to remind us that corruption is bad? When will we stop complaining or procrastinating and take a proactive stance against it? Let me first make it clear that the short discourse which I am about to embark does not in any way aim towards any particular individual or group; it is approached in a realist manner.
According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘corruption is a dishonest or illegal behavior and it is the action of corrupting someone or the state of being morally corrupt’. Transparency International, a global civil society against corruption, also defines it as ‘the abuse of entrusted power for private gain’ It further goes on to differentiate between "according to rule" corruption and "against the rule" corruption. Facilitation payments, where a bribe is paid to receive preferential treatment for something that the bribe receiver is required to do by law, constitute the former. The latter, on the other hand, is a bribe paid to obtain services the bribe receiver is prohibited from providing.’ In its 2010’s Report on Corruption Perceptions Index, nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index score below five, on a scale from 10 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt).In this context Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore are tied at the top of the list with a score of 9.3, followed closely by Finland and Sweden at 9.2. At the bottom is Somalia with a score of 1.1, slightly trailing Myanmar and Afghanistan at 1.4 and Iraq at 1.5. India comes at 87th rank with a score of 3.3 which is a clear indicative of being a substantially corrupt country. Corruption and cronyism is so conspicuous in India, that it has become a part of our everyday lives. Bribery, nepotism, favoritism seems have to have crept comfortably into our lives. Today India claims itself to be fast tracking towards a high GDP growth rate, riding amongst top economies of the world and to outrace China’s economy in the near future. But in reality the liberalization of the Indian economy, after the end of the cold war, has benefited only a small stratum of the Indian population. Of course, the government on its part has introduced many assorted schemes and programmes to ameliorate the rising rate of poverty, among other social and economic factors, in order to alleviate the downtrodden. It becomes a matter of concern when the funds for the various schemes, which are meant to benefit the right people usually ends up in the wrong hands. The list begins from top politicians, bureaucrats, government officials, to the bottom of the hierarchical structure which leaves out hardly anyone. Red tapism and stringent rules plays a stumbling block in providing transparency and accountability of the government to the people. Even the Right to Information act (RTI) implemented in 2005, which was supposed to bring about greater accountability and transparency, also fails, most of the time, to deliver justice especially to the common man. It becomes an onus task in the process of filing an RTI application, even if the application is accepted; the time taken to get the required information is overwhelmed due to the procrastination of working officials. These kinds of corrupt practices which are prevalent today are just a tip off the much larger iceberg. At this juncture, the role of the media is very important in checking the menace of corruption, in the recent years, the media: print as well as the electronic media has gearing up, building the momentum for truly carrying out its task as the forefront of Vox Populi. The media is an indispensable tool for creating awareness, disseminating information, and most importantly as the watchdog of democracy. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the media always remain independent and objective in its views, free of amalgamation of any kind.
Our own Nagaland is not far behind when it comes to corruption. Even though officially much of the corruption issues are watered down and becomes ambivalent. The apocryphal floating around tell us that the levels of corruption in our society is disheartening. So what can we do about it? Well, the blame game seems to be the order of the day; it is so easy to sit comfily, spirits flowing freely, and engaging in rhetoric of critical polemics of whom; The government bodies? The administrative officials? In a way it is perfectly ok for them to get the blame as they have taken the oath to serve the people, the very people on which the basis of the very foundations of democracy stands upon. But if we contemplate the situation carefully we find ourselves rocking in the same boat. For instance, When was the last time you didn’t pay off a bribe to make your work easier, when was the last time you voted for the right potential candidate without taking a reward? I am not saying that we are short on people with higher convictions, but there are many of us who indulge in such practices .Also do you realize that the amount of money pumped during elections by the candidates is, well, excessive. And where do all these cash go? Well, I guess we all know the answer to that too. It seems to be a clear case of I quid pro quo. I, as a youth find it appalling that the young people are used as a means to an end by some candidates, for carrying out their ‘liabilities’. The time has come for the younger generation to take a reality check and realize that immediate bonanzas are insignificant in the long run and should focus on investing in knowledge which pays the best interest as rightly said by Benjamin Franklin.
It is time that all of us realize that corruption is nothing but a hindrance to progress in our society. The need to compel the forces of corruption down to its knees should be the sine qua non for every right thinking individuals of the Naga society. Let us start by taking a proactive approach instead of just being critical. Let us give the Nagas a chance to shine in today’s ever changing world. Let us strive together, notwithstanding our petty feuds and differences, to achieve the objective for a common good. I have been told a number of times that, if I join the civil services then I am predisposed to become corrupt but I say ,Quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, the renowned American lecturer, essayist and poet ‘To be yourself, in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else ,is the greatest achievement’.
T. Shanbenthung Kithan.
Post graduate (Political Science)
St. Joseph’s college, Bangalore
Frans on 11.10.10 @ 11:38 AM CST [link]
Nagas share their struggle, concerns IST TNN,
Nagas share their struggle, concerns IST TNN,
BANGALORE: Voices from the distant hills of Nagaland are echoing in Bangalore. The Naga community and leaders held a vibrant festival of Naga arts and crafts and cultural performances at the `Naga Journey for Peace' at the Bishop Cotton Boys School on Saturday.
The performance was followed by a panel discussion on `Indo-Naga peace process __ difficulties and prospects' by Naga leaders who came from Kohima.
President Naga Ho Ho, Kevilotuo, shared the six decades of Naga struggle with the audience. He recollected the initial 16 point-agreement that created the state of Nagaland and said the Nagas were then divided into the four North Eastern states. In 1964, there was a ceasefire with the Indian government, but problems continued.
"In 1997, there was a ceasefire again. It's been 13 years since then and we still haven't reached a negotiation. The Indian government has to be sincere about the peace talks that we are having. The Naga journey is one of self determination and fight for independence. Our movement is for an independent nation but that doesn't mean that we cannot have peace," he said.
Speaking about the unique cultural identity and different topography of Nagaland, he added that their uniqueness has to be recognized. "Nagaland is a nation in the making and we want our message to reach all parts of India. India is a friend and we have now come to tell our story to the south of India. I am hopeful that we will achieve a resolution," he added.
President, Naga Students Federation, Metsekaoya Yhobo, said they had given several representations to the government of India and had met the Prime Minister too. "India has been insincere in dealing with our problems. The desire of the young Nagas is to work together for a resolution," he said.
Slur on AR, refuted Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 06 2010: All Zeliangrong Students' Union (Assam, Manipur Nagaland) has accused troops of 11 Assam Rifles of ransacking and looting money from a house at Khoupum Duithanjang of Tamenglong district.
However, the Defence Spokesman has strongly refuted the allegations as baseless and meant to tarnish the image of the security force.
A press release issued by its General Secretary said that the troops barged into the empty house of one M Aniampi w/o Kabibuan and ransacked household items at around 12.30 am on November 3 .
The security team also took away a cash of Rs 1.5 lakhs by breaking the locks of a wooden almirah, it alleged.
Aniampi, a Primary teacher of Tamenglong ADC, was not at home when the incident occured as she had gone to the district headquarters with her husband to collect her salary.
The troops not only rounded up one Paul Phaomei of Gaidimjang village, a former NSCN (IM) cadre but also enquired the family members of NSCN (IM) cadres regarding their whereabouts, the press release said.
Maintaining that many such incidents had happened in the past as well, AZSU urged the concerned authority to pull up the involved personnel and take up punitive action against them.
However the Defence spokesman has strongly refuted the story dubbing it baseless with the intention to tarnish the image of the security forces.
The spokesman said that on November 3 night troops of Assam Rifles conducted a search operation in Khoupum are and a S/S Pvt of the NSCN (IM), identified only as Paul, was arrested.
Apart from a binocular, troops recovered a large number of extortion ntes from him.
He was handed over to Imphal West police on November 5, said the spokesman.
NSCN/GPRN responds to Wangtin morungexpress
Dimapur, November 6 (MExN): The Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim, Ministry of Information & Publicity has issued a rejoinder to the press write up issued by GPRN/NSCN Kilonser Mr. Wangtin wherein the latter under the caption “Fourth Point Draft Flayed” carried by the local papers on the 31st October 2010 had accused the Naga Civil Societies on what was termed as “groundless points and also denigrated the NSCN and blackmailed the ongoing Indo-Naga political dialogue”.
Describing Mr. Wangtin as “a chameleon who changes his color every moment”, the NSCN/GPRN pointed out that Wangtin spoke “one thing at a place and speaks another of the same thing at any other place”. “He speaks one thing in Chingmai and speaks another of the same thing at Khehoi Camp. He speaks one thing at Mon and speaks another at Dimapur. Such man is dangerous for any group or society”, stated the press note issued by the MIP.
On Mr. Wangtin’s statement that the Naga Political movement “is a collective issue” and that the declaration of Naga Independence on August 14, 1947, the plebiscite of 1951 and the uniqueness of Naga political history and situation were not private properties of NSCN/GPRN, the MIP note stated that in all these he was “cent-per-cent right and the NSCN leadership is pursuing them in the interest of the Nagas as a whole”.
With regard to the point made by Wangtin that “no faction is superior to the other”, the MIP note stated that in this case “the NSCN have a say”. “Whether NSCN under the leadership of Isaac-Muivah is superior or inferior, Mr. Wangtin may better ask this question to the Indian leadership and the foreign political analysts who have the profiles of every group on their finger-tips”, the MIP note stated. It was informed that “during the parleys between the NSCN leadership and the Indian leaders from 1995-1997, the NSCN leadership openly told the Indian leaders to talk with the ‘K’ group or NNC/FGN”. “But they refused to talk with them, the reason best known to them”, the MIP note stated.
Further on the statement made by Wangtin that “No faction could claim to be the mandatory body”, the MIP note stated that Wangtin was “completely ignorant of what is going on around him”. In this regard, the NSCN/GPRN maintained that the fourth Naga people’s consultative meeting towards strengthening the Indo-Naga political dialogue, was held on January 20 and 21 2005 at NSCN council Headquarters, Hebron. The meeting was attended by more than 6000 Nagas from different walks of life and representing almost all known Naga organization and Christian denomination, stated the MIP note.
The NSCN/GPRN also reminded that a declaration was made during the consultation. This included giving fullest support for an honorable solution to the Indo-Naga political Issues on the basis of the uniqueness of the Naga political history and situation. It also declared that the unifications of all Naga areas is legitimate and therefore, non – negotiable and also that the political solution should be found through peaceful means and further that both GoI and NSCN uphold utmost sincerity towards finding a political solution.
The MIP note reminded that this “solemn declaration was signed by representatives of almost all known Naga organizations including Dimasas, Kacharis, Kukis, ect. and all the Christian denomination leaders in Nagaland and almost all known Naga organizations in Manipur State”. There were also Naga representatives from Arunachal and North Cachar of Assam who signed the declaration, it was stated.
“There were all together 66 organization leaders who signed the declaration. The declaration was properly documented and more than 30 Church leaders dedicated it by praying together over it and handed over to the NSCN collective leadership. This was total re-affirmation of Naga people mandate to carry forward the Indo-Naga political dialogue for finding and honorable solution”, the MIP note stated.
As such “what kind of mandate thus Mr. Wangtin want?” the MIP note queried. “Another mandate or plebiscite to be under Indian constitution? If any leader or Organization who and which signed the ‘declaration’ speaks otherwise then he or she or the group may be chameleon like Mr.Wangtin”, the MIP note stated.
NSF condemns extension of disturbed area tag on Nagaland PTI
Kohima, (PTI) The Naga Students'' Federation (NSF) today opposed the extension of Armed Forces Special Power Act in Nagaland by the Centre when ceasefire was on and talks with political groups were continuing.
The apex students'' body in a statement condemned the October report of the Union Home Ministry recently presented by Home Minister P Chidambaram, where the act was extended from October 20 to June 30, 2011 in Nagaland.
The NSF said it had been demanding for a decade for the withdrawal of the AFSPA from Nagaland along with other northeastern states, adding the organisation would continue to fight against violation of human rights in the state.
Nagaland extortion OUR CORRESPONDENT The Telegraph
Kohima, The Nagaland government has expressed its inability to check the growing menace of extortion in the state.
Home minister Imkong L. Imchen said many angles crop up when it comes to dealing with extortion and illegal collections by militant outfits.
He blamed the people for not informing the authorities.
He said police were trying to curb extortion on a war-footing and sought the people’s co-operation.
The militants are even collecting money by issuing their own Inner Line Permits to non-Nagas in the guise of curbing influx of migrants into Nagaland. The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) has already begun this exercise on non-Nagas who have come to Nagaland for business purposes and to search for work.
NNC/FGN on extortion bid morungexpress
Dimapur, November 5 (MExN): In response to an article which appeared on local dailies on November 5, 2010, under the caption, “Two held with arms,” the Federal Government of Nagaland, once again strongly clarifies to the general public of Nagaland, that the extortionists in question and particularly Mr. Atoka, called and appointed himself as Midan Peyu under FGN in order to extort. Therefore, the government through a press note issued by Hekhuvi Achumi, Dy. Kilonser, Lota-cum-Midan Peyu, Federal Government of Nagaland (NNC/FGN) firmly makes it clear to the public that there are no such names in their party fold, headed by honourable Kedahge and Kedallo S. Shingya and Zopra Vero and hence, branded them as “Ghost Cadres of FGN” and asked the responsible citizen never to entertain those ghosts and warned them to clarify their stand as well.
It is also clarified to the general public that the Sema/Sumi region forwarded Hekhuvi Achumi to be appointed as Midan Peyu, (CAO/RAO) and as per the approval from the Cabinet Hoho, the Kilo ministry appointed the same, who is presently, the Dy. Kilonser, Lota, holding the additional charge of Midan Peyu till date. The note further asked the public to be vigilant in order to avoid confusion and extortion in future.
Nagalim: ‘Disturbed Area tag salt to Nagas’ injury’ Unpo
The Naga People’s Front (NPF) has denounced the Government of India’s extending the ‘Disturbed Area’ status on Nagaland, under the black law the infamous Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA).
Below is an article published by The Morung Express:
The NPF said the latest action of the Centre is an ‘instrument’ of ‘genocide’ against the people. A statement denouncing the AFSPA, and the extension of the ‘Disturbed Area’ status, was received here from NPF advisor Ato Yepthomi. “It is sad episode that while Nagaland is currently experiencing one of the most peaceful times, the Government of India has chosen to turn a blind eye to this peaceful atmosphere and extended the tag on Nagaland as ‘Disturbed Area’ under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act 1985 for a period of eight months,” the NPF advisor stated.
The NPF said the various Naga underground factions are in ceasefire with the Government of India and the peace and reconciliation process “steering on well ahead under the aegis of Forum for Naga Reconciliation.” During such significant junctures, “must the GoI try to sabotage the ongoing peace process by extending the ‘Disturbed Area’ Period? This is nothing more than rubbing salt on the injury of the Nagas, who in recent times are recovering from fratricidal killings,” the statement said. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram who presented the report under which the stated was re-set in the status, ought to have understood that no other country in the world is imposing such an Act ‘against its own people except India,’ the party said.
“At this present juncture, the entire NE is peaceful with various peace talks going on. If necessary, the home minister should instead impose such Act in his own state. With such time of decision taking mentality, a time may come when the Government of India will use even nuclear against its own people.” The Centre, and the Congress party is accused of resorting to “such tactics and Acts” in the “process carrying out systematic genocide against the NE people as in fake encounters, custodial deaths etc.” ‘Such acts are always imposed only by the Congress governments,’ Yepthomi explained. Naga civil organizations, political parties including the Congress are appealed to, to “voice out” against the imposition of the “Disturbed Area” status and the draconian law AFSPA upon Nagaland ‘which is at present very much peaceful’.
Land and its resources Kaka D. Iralu Morungexpress
The Unique Naga land ownership system
Naga land ownership system is unique in the whole of human history and societies. One cannot find any other nation’s land ownership system that can rival the Naga system. In the Naga system, the land of the nation does not belong to a King or the State or a Feudal Lord. The village lands and the tribal lands simply belong to the village and tribe in a collective ownership system. This automatically ensures that there is not a single Naga citizen who is landless. On the contrary, every individual of every village is a landlord in his own right. This is because by virtue of his citizenship to a village, every villager has the right to a private plot of land for the construction of his own private house and another plot of land for the cultivation of his family’s food requirements. Besides these two basic requirements, every family owns a small private reserved forest from where they can cut their firewood and building materials. Beyond these personal private lands, every individual has again land rights to his common clan lands as well as common village lands where they can fish, hunt collect wild vegetables and fruits and even cut trees for construction purposes. In this wider land ownership rights, no clan or village or tribe can exploit any other clan or tribe’s lands. The distribution system of land ownership slightly varies from tribe to tribe but the fact remains that every tribesman in every Naga village is a landlord with his unchallengeable rights. These rights extend from the village perimeter to the outskirts of the village and on to the jungles of the village. In the Naga context, a landless person is only one who has sold away his lands either through reckless living or gambling.
This very unique system of land ownership should be preserved by the Naga people and its Federal Government at all costs. Our own Yehzabo safeguards these land ownership rights under article 1: 4, 5 and 7. Article 1.4 states these safeguards thus: “Each village is a republic within its own territory and shall have full authority over its own affairs including land, community, organization, social, culture, religion, customs and practices.”
Nagas in the past with this unique system of land ownership, tilled the land and were politically and economically self sufficient.
But of course in a modern global world like today, we cannot continue to live isolated in our own respective village republics. Our national leaders therefore, with a solid knowledge of our past heritage and a forward look into the future tried to chart our own destiny through a modern nation state structure called the Federal Government of Nagaland. This government was guided by our own Yehzabo. The grand plan was to become a nation among nations and develop that nation “according to our own genius.” In this new venture in our history, we had a huge land and also minerals in their abundance to build the necessary infrastructure for a developed country. We also had some educated personnel to run the administration of that infrastructure. But as the nation hoisted its flag and desperately tried to defend its institutions, tragically, it would be these educated people who would betray the nation and tear its foundations apart from within.
In the subsequent years, our dreams and our plans to build a modern nation state was shot into bits and pieces. In our chequered modern history, the British had come and gone. But it was the coming of India to our lands that has left Nagaland a wasteland of broken villages and broken lives. The Indian government and the Indian army came claiming that our lands were part of their country. On the basis of this claim, they began to pass legislations and Acts that totally changed our system of land ownership and land management. First there were regulations like The Assam Maintenance of Public Order Act 1953 and the Disturbed Area Act 1955. Under these acts, suddenly the Governor of Assam became a Naga Landlord who could uproot and transfer entire Naga villages from one place to another and also impose fines on them. These sweeping powers of the Governor are found in sections like section 2: (1) a, b, c, f; and section 5 of the Assam Maintenance of public Order Act 1953. Through brutal application of these laws, by 1956/57 more then 645 Naga villages were burnt to ashes and the entire rural population of Nagaland was relocated from one place to another. (For details see The Naga Saga pp 65-144) As a result of all these atrocious acts, Naga polity and economy was shattered and Nagas in their hundreds and thousands perished from the face of the earth.
Then as if this was not enough, other acts like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Nagaland Security Regulation Act were added in 1958 and 1962. Nagaland Security Regulation Act 1962 under section 5A (i) (Power to shift persons from inhabited areas) states: “If the Governor considers it necessary…he may, by order direct that (a) all residents or any class of residents shall remove themselves or be removed from the said area to any other area specified by the Governor and remain in that area for such period as may be specified by him.” Contravention of such orders carried a penalty of five years imprisonment with fines as well (Art, 5A:3). Under section 28:1, the Governor could also requisition any property movable or immovable for the Indian Government’s use. Through all these heinous acts and regulations and the active assistance given by some second generation educated Nagas, Nagaland finally became a state of India in 1963.
Under this Indian statehood, in article 371 A of the Indian Constitution, under section (a: IV) there is a provision which seems to give guarantee that land and its resources shall belong to the people (Nagas) if the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland says so. However, even this obscure right stands nullified again under the Nagaland (Requisition and Acquisition) Act of 1965. Article 4 :( 2) of the mentioned Act states (under “Power to take possession of requisitioned land”) that the government …”may take possession of the land and may, for that purpose use such force as may be necessary.” Penalty for opposition to this government’s right is one year’s imprisonment and fine (Art. 16). The same Act also states that “…no suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against any person for anything which is in good faith done or is intended to be done in pursuance of this Act.”(Art, 18:1) As in the case of the AFSPA and other draconian Acts, the legal wordings are of course all preceded and followed by many sweet and grandiose words expressing concern for public welfare and safety! However, on careful analysis, one will discover that, as in the other cases, in this case too, the Nagaland (requisition and acquisition Act of 1965 is yet again, a clever device of the Indian Government to buy mineral rich Naga lands at very cheap rates by way of paying nominal land compensations. The land brokers in this whole business transaction will of course be our Ministers and bureaucrats! And all this nefarious activities will be carried out in the name of development, development and development!
Beware fellow Nagas- especially national workers and tribal leaders- and never ever give your consent to any foreign designed grandiose schemes of land transfers that will benefit only some clever Nagas under the Indian state of Nagaland.
Naga rebel group to check illegal immigrants aditighosh Humsafar news
Kohima, November 1, 2010: Irked by the alarming rise in the number of illegal immigrants in Nagaland, the Kilo ‘Home ministry’ of the NSCN (K) has decided to check the influx of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and others from India.
In a release issued by ‘Ministry of Information and Publicity (MIP)’ of the NSCN (K) said the outfit, in coordination with regional authorities, will identify and record every illegal immigrants’ family living in Nagaland.
The ‘ministry’ also urged for fullest cooperation from Naga landown – ers as and when they are approached by the NSCN (K) officials for statistical reports and other necessary papers of the non – Naga tenants and farmers.
It said that the ministry also directed all regional authorities not to leave any area or region unchecked, adding that proper inquiry and records must be tabled to the office of the Kilo Kilonser at the earliest.
Stating that Naga homeland is not a sponge that would absorb all illegal immigrants from the neighbouring states, the release said the issue of influx of Bangladeshis and others from mainland India is certainly a bubble which will explode in a decade or so if the Nagas fail to tackle this enormous threat at the earliest.
Accusing the state government for being ‘eerily silent’ on this issue, it lamented that the some Naga NGOs have known nothing about the reality except parroting the lines of their masters.
The NSCN (K), however, acknowledged the support and cooperation of various other NGOs towards checking the illegal immigrants, the release said.
Commanders’ Conference’ held morungexpress
Dimapur (MExN): High ranking officers of Naga Army along with commanders from all units converged at GHQ for the “Commanders’ Conference” under the theme: “Revitalization” which concluded today. The NSCN/GPRN in a press note issued by col. Levi Zimik, PRO, GHQ stated that the "Yaruiwo (President) of People’s Republic of Nagalim", Isak Chishi Swu sent the keynote address which was read out to the audience at the very onset of the conference.
It also said that the three-day conference, in contemplation of past experiences and making intensive analysis of the issues confronting the Nagas from different angles at present, finally culminated in adopting a formal declaration, which states: “The fact that freedom is an inherent right of the Nagas, it is the bounden duty of Naga Army to safeguard this right at all cost. The commanders, therefore unanimously vowing to work towards this end with renewed strength and zeal hereby reaffirmed the Oath of Allegiance to the sacred cause of the Nation, this day the 28th October 2010.”
Sedition or not? Mohit Sharma Midday
Our reporter Mohit Sharma got a copy of what the Delhi police sent home ministry as full transcript of Arundhati Roy's controversial Kashmir speech. Decide for yourself:
As the buzz over registration of a sedition case against Booker Award winner Arundhati Roy and hardcore separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani took twists and turns over the past few days, MiD DAY managed to get the full speech which Roy had made on October 21 at the LTG auditorium in Delhi.
"Today there are 7,00,000 Army personnel in Kashmir. One can imagine how to breathe through the barrel of AK-47. We are a 'slave' economy, which is growing today.
Arundhati Roy with hardcore separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani at the seminar on
This process has made 80 per cent of this country's people live on only Rs 20 a day," Roy had said in her speech. The Delhi police had sent a copy of the same to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
"We got the script of Roy's speech along with Geelani's from a video, and have sent it to the ministry to take a call whether to go ahead with the case or not," said a senior police officer. The Delhi police have sent the speech and a report to the MHA.
Suggesting the Indian government to change its tactics, she had said, "You have to look beyond stone pelting and how the state is using people. The colonial state whether it was a British state in India, or an Indian state in Nagaland, they are in business to create elite to manage their atrocities.
You have to know your enemy and have to be able to respond by aligning tactically, intelligently, locally or internationally. Otherwise, you'll be like a fish in a pond combing the walls and get tied down."
On October 21, an unknown person had thrown a shoe at Geelani at the LTG seminar in the capital. He also got a shock when people from his Muslim community showed up with a group of Kashmiri Pandits in their support at the auditorium.
what Arundhati Roy said
Transcript of her speech on October 21: About a week ago, I was in Ranchi in a Tribunal against "Operation green Hunt" and when I was about to leave, a TV journalist asked me "Madam is Kashmir an integral part of India or not? I replied that Kashmir was never been an integral part of India.
Even Indian govt. has accepted that in UN. In 1947 we were told that India has become a sovereign nation, sovereign democracy but soon Indian military intervened. In Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Goa, Hyderabad, Junagadh and Punjab India always fought with the minorities.
This is the history of India. This is a historic meeting today in the heart of the capital of a hollow super power. Midnight of 1947 the country's imagination was fired by the spirit of independence. British drew the map and now the Indian govt is behaving like a colonizing power.
The elite accuse naxalites of staging a protracted war. The govt relentlessly fights its own people for waging a war as in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Goa, Hyderabad, Junagadh, Punjab, Kashmir always the minorities be it Sikh, Christians, Tribal, Dalit, Adivasis.
In 2007 during the Amarnath land row in Kashmir I was there in Srinagar and an Indian TV journalist who said that India needs freedom from Kashmir in the same manner as Kashmir needs freedom from India. Today there are seven lakh army personnel in Kashmir.
One can imagine how to breathe through the barrel of AK-47. We are a slave economy which today is growing. This process has made 80% of this country's people live with Rs 20 a day. Is this the idea of justice? We are not aligned with all the struggle in the street it is idea for justice.
When I was in Kashmir during Amarnath row and recently to I stayed in a place that was filled with appreciation by people waiting for struggle and I won't let down, even by their own leaders because this is a fight for justice.
In 2007, I wrote that what broke my heart on the street of Srinagar was when people say "Nanga Bhukha Hindustan, Jaan se Pyara Pakistan" and I said no because "Nanga Bhukha Hindustan" is with you, and if you are fighting for a just society the you must align yourself with powers and here are people who have fought their lives opposing Indian state and you must know repression. People who are long associated with Narmada Valley dam and I always say that we must thank these two valleys Kashmir valley and Narmada valley.
In Narmada valley people talked about repression, spying, intelligence operations, etc. you have to decide what kind of justice you want. You can't kill 68,000 of Kashmiri Muslims and call yourself a secular state and can't allow massacre of Muslims in political debate. I have been listening to, watching and following the recent uprising in Kashmir, where innocent people, women, children are taking on the massive army.
It is for us people to take it higher because Indian State's tactics is also to wait for the energies to bow down sometime in the name of crisis management, elections, etc. But the point is that people have to look for methods to avoid direct confrontation. You have to ask yourself why the people of Nagaland the Naga Battalion is committing the most atrocities in Chhattisgarh.
After spending so much time in Kashmir watching CRPF, BSF, RRs knocked down by lies, you know Kashmiri CRPF, the Kashmiri BSF all the way to kill people in Chhattisgarh. You have to look beyond stone pelting and how the state is using people.
The colonial state whether British state in India or Indian state in Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, etc. they are in business to create elite to manage their atrocities.
You have to know your enemy and you have to be able to respond by aligning tactically, intelligently, locally or internationally otherwise you will be like a fish in a pond bombing the walls and get tied down and don't pick and choose your injustices because justice is key stone to integrity and integrity is key stone to real resistance.
RECONCILIATION BUT WHY AND HOW W. SAYAI Morungexpress
The recent news about our politicians from Nagaland state going to England and having the opportunities to interact with the various Irish nationalist groups shows the positive side of our state leaders in their search for reconciliation to our faction ridden organizational imbroglio. Reconciliation is a must and the becoming of one body and having a single goal will be mightier than pen and sword; invaluable than gold and silver, brighter than the lighthouse of the world put together. It is a force more powerful than acquiring a nuclear reactor. We are many, have many but we are one and therefore need to be one because we are Nagas yesterday today and eternal. Numbers decide everything in democracy but in our case, it is a single vote that is required to decide our common destiny.
People will surely appreciate if the concern is expanded beyond the FNR (forum for Naga reconciliation) horizon. In my humble understanding, FNR seems to have exhausted the ideas of HOW to the very purpose of their existence. The reason I believe will be many but God knows we are only human and we all succumb to it- human pride! The prides of THE RIGHT, THE WRONG as well as the unfortunate pride of the MIDDLEMAN need to be discussed. The right one feels that he needs to be appreciated acknowledged and not keeps in the equal footing with the wrong one and that the wrong one has to be admonished, trashed, mocked, humiliated and submit to their diktat- the pride of being the right. The wrong one without any remorse feeling think that what has done has done and that the past shall not be open for discussion and they shall be treated as if no wrong has ever been committed. The middleman believe that they are the peace maker, the good one and therefore the people must be with them and both the right and wrong one must abide by their rules otherwise let the people judge! In this way the middleman shows their middle finger wherever they go. The common characteristic of the three participants is their pride and we all know that pride fall.
The most disgusting characteristic of all is not of the above mention players but the obnoxious silence of the public in not using their reasoning power to observe, analyze and question the naked lies and dramas being played in the courtroom of sham in the most pleasing name of reconciliation. Are we so new to the arms conflict that we have to be reminded again that when two elephants fight it is the grass that hurt the most! In fact everybody is affected whether near or far yet we choose to remain mum or play safe by being neutral to the most dangerously volatile factor against our peaceful existence. Or are we waiting for the real bloodshed of our parents, brother, sisters, friends and even our own to realize the cost of being silent when we should not? Silence on this matter is nothing but lack of education, understanding, backwardness, insecurity, and a sign of political immaturity. Change as we all longed for will not happen unless people are stubborn and resist participation. Look at how the people of Kashmir and other struggling people like the Palestinians resist the occupational forces without depending on their nationalist organization. They become the bigger forces than any other organization. Likewise the progress of Naga reconciliation and political movements largely depend on the enlightenment and participation of Naga people.
The pertinent questions which the Naga public have been holding for a long time and which need to be clarified by our nationalist organization who are part of the signatories to the covenant of reconciliation under the banner of FNR are put forward; firstly to the NSCN/GPRN who is having a political negotiation with the GOI at the highest level since 1997 that 13 years has passed yet solution to the vexed Naga issue still seems like a distant dream and that the sincerity of the GOI is in question since the peace process started. Wouldn’t it be an endless wait for the Nagas to hang around in this situation without looking for an alternative? We definitely don’t wish to die talking without any positive result. Secondly the GPRN/NSCN must demonstrate their seriousness in dealing with the GOI. Cease fire has been declared and extended time and again yet not a single political talk has been initiated till now. What is the point of cease fire with them when there is no space for talk? The Naga people have not had opportunities to meet and interact with the Chairman SS. Khaplang therefore he must be invited to spend time with his people in different parts of Nagalim. Nagas cannot blindly follow leaders without knowing them properly in the first place and a leader must know the opinion of his people. In our case both the references are missing. We ought to follow leaders who can lead us and whom we have confidence. Thirdly, the Naga people wish to know from both GPRN/NSCN and NNC (non accordist) who have openly declared at the Monyakshu conclave that they have merged which means they have become a single entity yet the Naga people continues to pay taxes to both the parties which is a great burden to the people; the two party continue to attend the FNR meeting as separate entity and till now the nomenclature remain the same. Naga people including me have openly expressed our joy and appreciation when Monyakshu Conclave was declared. Nagas cannot be fooled without concrete proof. Those civil societies including FNR who have expressed their happiness through press release must be sharing the same feeling yet too meek to ask question. It is therefore the duty of our nationalist organization to update their people democratically if they truly represent them.
The Naga reconciliation cannot be realize in the shadows of suspicion and mistrust. It must begin with sincere effort and with open mind. Truth is hard to accept and bitter to swallow but it is the only way to set us free. Without acknowledging truth through self realization it will be a futile exercise. Secondly the contending parties must accept that they need one another to define the common agenda and destiny. What has happen to the gospel of Jesus Christ that were taught in the Sunday school class when we were all young, that we must learn and inculcate the art of saying sorry and be ready to forgive those who wrong against us. We cannot be young again but we can surely revisit those bygone days and get inspiration! If the wall of Germany could be broken down why not the Nagas, who doesn’t even have any visible wall but plenty of opportunities to meet, talk, eat and spend time together. We just lack sincerity and commitment which I believe is a total negation from the traditional characteristic of a true and genuine Naga.
Finally the most obnoxious deterrent to reconciliation is the unfortunate failure of the Nagas to identify the classic question i.e. who is our enemy. We fail to admit that the real enemy is lurking behind us. She is in the market place, in the universities, in the school, in the theatre, in the field and in the bedroom; she is everywhere yet we failed to notice. Look at Dimapur, the town is now infested with outsiders who have come for different trade and purposes but for the enemy who is scheming shrewdly, it is a policy were their extra population are used as an agent to slowly overrun the local population. Their influences are increasing felt each day and it won’t be long for them to have their chief minister in Nagaland soon. Look at Tripura whose politics and economy have been overtaken by the outsiders! Observe and calculate the job opportunities that the Govt. of India has meticulously arranged for the Nagas, we will see that the rate of people getting the Govt. jobs remain the same as it was five years ago. Many of our bright youth are thronging in the metro cities like New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore running from pillar to post looking for any odd job for survival at the cost of racial, sexual humiliation and harassment. In fact they are purposefully made to rot their. Is this the price that we have to pay for being a part of India? The only prominent employment that the Govt. of India has accommodated the Nagas is in the defense service i.e. to kill others and die with them. At the recently concluded commonwealth games held at New Delhi, the Mahila IRB from Nagaland received lots of media attention as well as praises from the Govt. of India not because they are brave and capable (remember they are the newly recruit without any experience and exposure to outside world) but because they have never seen a smart, fair and alien looking ladies in combat cloths with a semi- automatic rifle slung over their shoulder in the heart of their capital city. Another example of high drama is the deployment of Naga IRB in the tribal areas of India like Chattisgardh, Jharghand, West Bengal and Orissa to hunt down the oppressed Naxalites and Maoist cadres. It is a clear policy of employing tribal to kill tribal. We are pitted against one another now. The face of innocent looking Naga people is now but the face of terror for that part of tribal people. Our innocent IRB from Nagaland may not know how the Naxalites, Maoist and Kashmiri friends sincerely wish the Nagas to be free from the chain of Indian imperialism. Who is our common enemy then? India since its independence from the British has been manufacturing chaos, division, conflict and violence in Nagalim. Today our country is in the list of the most prestigious, highly militarized zone in the world and to maintain that status the capitalist state like India continues to retain the draconian law like AFSPA and Disturbed Area Act. We must not hesitate to identify and admit that the enemy is the occupational forces who have exploited our people, land, resources and trampled our political rights. Identifying our common enemy and pursuing together to drive out such evil forces is the suggestion to be pondered by Naga nationalists who are better equipped to analyze and contain them. Remember that we all have been used by the capitalist India in one way or the other and that our nation will be doomed if we continue to let them use us for our short term gain.
As mention earlier that the agents of reconciliation need to be expanded by involving all the Naga civil societies, students, churches and trade unionist by activating them in one chorus that is “reconciliation”. Reconciliation cannot be made in a quick fix manner but it is a continuous process which shall never be stopped therefore the necessity to involve one and all. De-legitimating the role of civil societies in this period of reconciliation process by threatening them and calling names is uncalled for and therefore best avoided. Instead they must be encouraged and supported if required. Serving of quit notice and ex-communicating selected tribes or communities is but the total negation against the spirit of reconciliation, therefore it must be rectified at the earliest. Lastly, this article wishes to conclude with a word of caution that in our hurry to bring reconciliation let us not add salt to the wound. It takes time to heal and for that we must be patient. Yet patience doesn’t also mean forever. There is always a limit to everything so Nagas must have the wisdom to know what the right time to come together is, and when such time comes the leaders must show their statesmanship and comradeship. I believe that the exercise of the democratic rights will not hurt the sentiment of any group or individuals.
KUKNALIM.
greenfieldbowe@gmail.com">greenfieldbowe@gmail.com
THE AFSPA 1958: A REVIEW FROM NAGALAND AFTER 52YEARS Kaka D. Iralu Morungexpress
A long fifty two years have passed since the AFSPA was first introduced into Nagaland in April 1958. This Act was first introduced into Naga soil in order to crush the Naga struggle to defend their declared independence which was declared on August 14, 1958. The political and historical situation in which the Act was introduced was therefore, a situation of war. This was clearly described by the then Director of the Indian Intelligence Bureau B.N. Mullik in his book,”My years with Nehru.” Mullik wrote:
“Troops moved into Tuensang by Oct. 1955, and the war with the Nagas started from then.”
About the number of troops deployed at this stage of the war, he wrote:
“Ultimately, nearly two divisions of the army and thirty five battalions of the Assam Rifles or armed police were in operation in the Naga Hills and Tuensang Frontier Divisions and in the adjoining areas.” (BN. Mullik, My years with Nehru, pp308, 312)
About this number of troops deployed; two Divisions means 18000 troops and thirty five Battalions means 35000 troops which totals into 53000 troops. These troops were assisted by the Indian Air Force, heavy artillery and light armored tanks.
Very soon, more then six hundred Naga villages were burned to ashes and hundreds upon thousands of Nagas died from bullets, bombs, starvation and disease.
The Indian Government however, desperately tried to project the war as a law and order break down. But it was very much a war in which tiny Nagaland was desperately trying to defend its declared independence while India tried its best to impose its declared independence on the Nagas. This was done through brutal military might.
In this war, this draconian law was preceded by the equally heinous Assam Maintenance of Public order Act of 1953 and the Disturbed Area Act of 1955.These acts would later on be followed by similar Acts like the Nagaland Security Regulation Act of 1962 and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967. But however hard India had tried to stamp out Naga nationalism and Naga Independence from the face of the earth, it has failed so far. This is because the national identity of a nation is indestructible and unchangeable.
The ASPA which gives the Indian soldiers sweeping powers like searching without search warrants, arresting without arrest warrants, and even shooting to death on mere suspicion is a most illegal act enacted in the annals of human legal history. In fact it is an Act that negates and even nullifies the very concept and principles of law. This is because here is an act that says a person can be shot to death on mere suspicion when the Law says “A person is innocent until proven guilty.” This extra judicial law is sanctioned by Indian Law, protected by Indian Law and is even immune from legal prosecution- “except with previous sanction of the Central Government.” This Act in short is an act that amounts to state sponsored terrorism. And the sponsorer of this heinous law is the central Government of India through its Parliament.
The grounds on which this Act can be promulgated is of course based on the Disturbed Area Act of 1955. According to the procedure, when a State Government has declared an area to be disturbed, then the AFSPA can come into operation. (This was amended in the 1972 AFSPA amendment and now the Central Government can bypass the concerned state and declare the Act from over the State’s head.)
Now, since all these heinous Acts and regulations were promulgated from the context of a war situation in Nagaland in the 1950’s, let us go back to 1955 and ask the question, Who disturbed who in 1955? Did the Naga National Council (NNC) or the Naga army go down to the plains of Assam and started burning Assamese villages and killing Assamese villagers in 1955 to necessitate the promulgation of AFSPA? So far as the verifiable records go, Nagas were simply defending their declared independence from within their ancestral territories. They were simply fighting against the 53,000 Indian invasion forces that had come into their land with the totally false claim that Nagas were Indians and Nagaland was Indian Territory. Prior to this spirited defense of their rights, all historical, political and cultural facts showing that Nagas were not Indians and would not join the Indian Union of 1947 had been furnished to both the departing British government and the incoming Indian government before 1947. This was done in the form of submitting six memorandums to the British Government and ten memorandums to India right from Jan. I, 1929 to 14 August 1947. (For details read the book, The Naga Saga.)
In all these peaceful endeavors, all that the Nagas had asked was that India and the rest of the world leave the Nagas alone so that they could politically and economically develop themselves according to their own genius. Who then was disturbing who in 1955 that that the Indian Government was compelled to promulgate acts like Disturbed Area Act and AFSPA to check law and order breakdown with tanks aero planes and artillery???
In the subsequent years, when the Naga nation took up arms to protect their houses from being burnt and their sisters from being raped and their people from being butchered, another act called the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act of 1967 was again slammed on the Nagas. Now, Nagas would like to ask the Indian government this second question: Is self defense activities against invasion, domination and persecution- unlawful activities in your legal understanding? If these activities are unlawful activities according to you, then your whole struggle against British imperialism and colonization from 1857 to 1947 were also unlawful activities.
Now in review and conclusion, allow me to state the following:
1. In 52 long years of implementing and exercising this heinous AFSPA, all that the Indian Government has achieved is alienating not only the Nagas but all the peoples of the whole North east region of India. This work of alienation is now being extended to the people of Jammu and Kashmir where it is also in operation now.
2. A second achievement of the AFSPA is that it has insulted Mahatma Gandhi and all the good people of India. Consequently, in the annals of human history, it will be recorded that the Indian government used this most unlawful law to persecute and kill people for over half a century. With its renewal on Oct. 20, 2010, it remains to be seen how much further the GOI wishes to extend this black record to smear India’s democratic face before the world for all times to come.
As for the Nagas and Meiteis as well as other North Eastern peoples who have all suffered under this inhuman law, it will also be recorded in the annals of history that they had done all that they could do to oppose this law. Their record will be written in the following manner:
1. They first took up arms to defend themselves against this life nullifying act. For more then a century, they fought against it in their villages and also in their jungles and were hunted like animals all their lives. They even marched across international boundaries into Pakistan and China to carry on the fight. Yes, their men folk did what a man and a father was supposed to do to defend their national honor as well as their family’s honor.
2. As for their womenfolk, they even stripped naked before the Indian soldiers to protest against this heinous law because under its protective umbrella thousands of women had been raped. One of their women even resorted to hunger strike and went for a fast on to death for ten years. But even these desperate actions were all ignored by the government of India.
In the end, the people who have suffered under this cruel law are only left wondering as to whether the Indian government is trying to force them to become human suicide bombers. On their part, they do not want to resort to this kind of protest because if a people are reduced to a state of hatred, then hatred destroys both “The hater” as well as “The hated.”
A short discourse on Corruption T. Shanbenthung Kithan Morungexpress
The Chief Minister of Nagaland has rightly pointed out, during the Vigilance Awareness Week, held from October 25th to November 1st that “Corruption perpetuates inequality”. It is commendable on the part of the government for enlightening the people with such meaningful initiatives and hope that the conviction to check corruption at all levels remains on their priority list of every department. The question I ask is do we always need such kind of programmes to remind us that corruption is bad? When will we stop complaining or procrastinating and take a proactive stance against it? Let me first make it clear that the short discourse which I am about to embark does not in any way aim towards any particular individual or group; it is approached in a realist manner.
According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘corruption is a dishonest or illegal behavior and it is the action of corrupting someone or the state of being morally corrupt’. Transparency International, a global civil society against corruption, also defines it as ‘the abuse of entrusted power for private gain’ It further goes on to differentiate between "according to rule" corruption and "against the rule" corruption. Facilitation payments, where a bribe is paid to receive preferential treatment for something that the bribe receiver is required to do by law, constitute the former. The latter, on the other hand, is a bribe paid to obtain services the bribe receiver is prohibited from providing.’ In its 2010’s Report on Corruption Perceptions Index, nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the index score below five, on a scale from 10 (very clean) to 0 (highly corrupt).In this context Denmark, New Zealand and Singapore are tied at the top of the list with a score of 9.3, followed closely by Finland and Sweden at 9.2. At the bottom is Somalia with a score of 1.1, slightly trailing Myanmar and Afghanistan at 1.4 and Iraq at 1.5. India comes at 87th rank with a score of 3.3 which is a clear indicative of being a substantially corrupt country. Corruption and cronyism is so conspicuous in India, that it has become a part of our everyday lives. Bribery, nepotism, favoritism seems have to have crept comfortably into our lives. Today India claims itself to be fast tracking towards a high GDP growth rate, riding amongst top economies of the world and to outrace China’s economy in the near future. But in reality the liberalization of the Indian economy, after the end of the cold war, has benefited only a small stratum of the Indian population. Of course, the government on its part has introduced many assorted schemes and programmes to ameliorate the rising rate of poverty, among other social and economic factors, in order to alleviate the downtrodden. It becomes a matter of concern when the funds for the various schemes, which are meant to benefit the right people usually ends up in the wrong hands. The list begins from top politicians, bureaucrats, government officials, to the bottom of the hierarchical structure which leaves out hardly anyone. Red tapism and stringent rules plays a stumbling block in providing transparency and accountability of the government to the people. Even the Right to Information act (RTI) implemented in 2005, which was supposed to bring about greater accountability and transparency, also fails, most of the time, to deliver justice especially to the common man. It becomes an onus task in the process of filing an RTI application, even if the application is accepted; the time taken to get the required information is overwhelmed due to the procrastination of working officials. These kinds of corrupt practices which are prevalent today are just a tip off the much larger iceberg. At this juncture, the role of the media is very important in checking the menace of corruption, in the recent years, the media: print as well as the electronic media has gearing up, building the momentum for truly carrying out its task as the forefront of Vox Populi. The media is an indispensable tool for creating awareness, disseminating information, and most importantly as the watchdog of democracy. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the media always remain independent and objective in its views, free of amalgamation of any kind.
Our own Nagaland is not far behind when it comes to corruption. Even though officially much of the corruption issues are watered down and becomes ambivalent. The apocryphal floating around tell us that the levels of corruption in our society is disheartening. So what can we do about it? Well, the blame game seems to be the order of the day; it is so easy to sit comfily, spirits flowing freely, and engaging in rhetoric of critical polemics of whom; The government bodies? The administrative officials? In a way it is perfectly ok for them to get the blame as they have taken the oath to serve the people, the very people on which the basis of the very foundations of democracy stands upon. But if we contemplate the situation carefully we find ourselves rocking in the same boat. For instance, When was the last time you didn’t pay off a bribe to make your work easier, when was the last time you voted for the right potential candidate without taking a reward? I am not saying that we are short on people with higher convictions, but there are many of us who indulge in such practices .Also do you realize that the amount of money pumped during elections by the candidates is, well, excessive. And where do all these cash go? Well, I guess we all know the answer to that too. It seems to be a clear case of I quid pro quo. I, as a youth find it appalling that the young people are used as a means to an end by some candidates, for carrying out their ‘liabilities’. The time has come for the younger generation to take a reality check and realize that immediate bonanzas are insignificant in the long run and should focus on investing in knowledge which pays the best interest as rightly said by Benjamin Franklin.
It is time that all of us realize that corruption is nothing but a hindrance to progress in our society. The need to compel the forces of corruption down to its knees should be the sine qua non for every right thinking individuals of the Naga society. Let us start by taking a proactive approach instead of just being critical. Let us give the Nagas a chance to shine in today’s ever changing world. Let us strive together, notwithstanding our petty feuds and differences, to achieve the objective for a common good. I have been told a number of times that, if I join the civil services then I am predisposed to become corrupt but I say ,Quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson, the renowned American lecturer, essayist and poet ‘To be yourself, in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else ,is the greatest achievement’.
T. Shanbenthung Kithan.
Post graduate (Political Science)
St. Joseph’s college, Bangalore
Frans on 11.10.10 @ 08:36 AM CST [link]
