|
Naga infighting : Hoho calls for peace |
 |
Naga Hoho, the apex organisation of the Nagas, has ap¬pealed to every individual and group of the community to abstain from violence.
A statement issued in Kohima on August 23 said : “It is sad and unfortunate for the Nagas to behave in an uncivilised manner which disturbs the congenial atmosphere of co-existence among the Naga family.”
The statement comes in the wake of recent incidents of violence in Kohima and Tuensang like lynching of three NSCN (Isak-Muivah) activists by a mob on August 18 and attempt on the life of former ASU president, allegedly by NSCN (K) activists, on August 16.
The Naga Hoho appealed for creating “space to accommodate each other so that all our differences can be sorted out with the feeling of brotherhood. We have learnt from past experiences that misadventure does great damage to our image as well as to our principles and goal,” Keny Tep, the federal assembly secretary of the Naga Hoho, said in a statement.
The organisation demanded that all Naga factions should stop all unwanted activities at once and give reason a chance. “It is high time for the Nagas to understand things together and correct ourselves,” the release stated.
It appealed to the people of the two districts and both factions of the NSCN to be accommodative so that a “mutual under¬standing is arrived at in this critical situation.”
At a joint meeting held in Kohima on August 23, Tuensang-based tribes stated that the injury caused to police personnel while snatching NSCN (I-M) activists was a result of extenuating factors and the subsequent killing of the three activists was an unfortunate outcome.
The meeting, organised by Eastern Nagaland People’s Organi¬sation, an umbrella organisation, said the August 18 incident had “absolutely no tribal undertone or colour”. It requested its member organisations to refrain from issuing statements that may lead to communal tension and urged the Tuensang administration to look into the matter judiciously.
Phom tribal Hoho did not attend the meeting. Among the three NSCN (I-M) activists killed, two were from the Phom tribe. One of them was the outfit’s “central administrative officer” (head) of Phom region.
|
