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North East : Ceasefire with NSCN(K) extended for one year

	May 03, 2004

Hopeful of achieving peace in strife-torn Nagaland, the Centre has decided to renew the ceasefire with the NSCN (Khaplang) faction. Renewed annually, the three-year-old ceasefire between NSCN (K) and the Centre was to expire on Wednesday last.

The government has a separate ceasefire agreement with the other NSCN faction led by Isaak Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah.

An NSCN (K) delegation, including their representatives in the Ceasefire Monitoring Board (CMB), was in the Capital for talks with Home Ministry officials. Sources said that the NSCN (K) members expressed their eagerness to extend the ceasefire, in the interest of the Naga people. “They see it as a step forward to retain peace and stability in the region,” disclosed a senior official.

The government planned to reciprocate their gesture by agreeing to the extension. “The bilateral ceasefire is in mutual interest. It will give a boost to government’s efforts to reach a final and permanent settlement to the Naga problem,” he added.

Sources said that with the Centre’s dialogue with NSCN (I-M) currently at an impasse, it was hoping to engage the Khaplang faction in the process. “However, it is still a little early to have a full-fledged dialogue with the Khaplang representatives. Their organisation is in disarray at present, with their chief Khaplang himself in Myanmar. They are facing a leadership crisis. As of now, they have nobody who can enter into a dialogue with the Centre,” an official explained.

In fact, sources added that even the supervisor of the CMB, C. Sinsong Kuki, was not a Naga and originally hailed from Manipur. Kuki was part of the delegation which met the Home Ministry officials. Laying all speculations to rest - that their armed wing did not favour extending the ceasefire - Kuki made it clear that it was in everybody’s interest.

However, a reconciliation between the two NSCN factions - as being attempted by some Naga tribal organisations - did not appear likely. Kuki complained to the Home Ministry that the security forces were ineffective in containing NSCN (I-M) ceasefire violators. The I-M cadre, he alleged, were moving freely with arms and killing innocent civilians.

Sources said that the Khaplang faction was losing quite a few of its cadre to the I-M.

“There are several Khaplang deserters, and most of them are joining the I-M, which is still going strong,” the official added



Election scene

Electioneering in the north-east remained a subdued affair during the week under review following threats by various militant outfits

In Nagaland, where polling takes place on May 5 for the lone Lok Sabha seat, the Election Commission has directed the returning officer to seek help from the neighbouring Assam for peaceful conduct of polls in the disputed areas between the two states.

Deputy election commissioner Noor Mohammad said last week that there were apprehensions that setting up of polling booths in the disputed areas might trigger trouble there. “We will ask Assam to ensure there is no trouble and polling in Nagaland passes off peacefully,” he told the media during a press briefing on April 30.

Since people in Nagaland use highways in Assam to travel to some of the state’s districts, the neighbouring state’s co-operation is needed to ensure a trouble-free polling.

The disputed area controversy between the two states was ignited further when Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio visited the Merapani area recently. Naga villagers in the areas had complained that the neighbouring state has been encouraging encroachment by illegal immigrants, a charge denied by Assam. The disputed belt extending along the boundary has Merapani as the flash point.

In another development, the Election Commission has taken a serious note of complaints by the Congress that at some places deputy commissioners and additional deputy commissioners had attended election meetings.

The Commission prohibits the district administration’s involvement in election campaign. Fresh guidelines will now be issued at the direction of the Commission to all deputy commissioners in the state to stay away from poll campaigns. “Ministers are not supposed to call officials except under emergency situations,” Mohammad said.

In another development, associate members of the Delimitation Commission have urged the Election Commission to classify Nagaland as a “reserved” parliamentary seat.

Sources said the issue would be pursued after the ongoing election process was over. Nagaland, which has a majority Naga tribal population, has been a “general category” parliamentary seat since the last delimitation exercise in 1972-73.

“It was, maybe, an oversight,” chief electoral officer for Nagaland, Lalthara, told the media. He said he was surprised to know the state’s category after taking over as the chief electoral officer of the state. “It should have been a Scheduled Tribe reserved seat,” he said.

“With the delimitation exercise scheduled for completion by the end of the year, the seat will be classified before it,” he said.

However, hurdles are expected on the way, as all political parties in the state are averse to delimitation for fear of losing their vote banks because of restructuring of constituencies.

In Manipur, armed men identifying themselves as NSCN(I-M) members, took away two BJP workers and the drivers of two vehicles at Noney in Tamenglong district where repoll in 64 booths of the Outer Manipur parliamentary constituency were held last week.

The two BJP workers were accompanying a five-member Press team from Imphal, which was on its way to Tamenglong in two vehicles.

BJP national secretary M. Bhorot Singh said cadres of the outfit had gathered at Tamenglong to indulge in booth-capturing in favour of Independent candidate Mani Charenamei. BJP candidate for the Outer constituency, D. Loli Adanee, distributed some documents to the media to prove threats issued by cadres of the outfit to his supporters.

He also distributed photographs of five injured persons allegedly assaulted by the NSCN (I-M) for not supporting the Independent candidate. He reiterated the BJP’s demand for disqualifying the Independent candidate on the ground of using militants to secure election to the Parliament. Singh said he had no objection to the NSCN (I-M) joining the electoral process, but added that use of guns in campaigning is a violation of the election code of conduct.

A group called Elders Forum, Manipur, which has extended support to Independent Mani Charenamei, denied the allegations that the candidate has been using the NSCN (I-M) militants to garner votes.

Thirteen polling stations in Vangai range in Churachandpur district will go to the polls on May 5. Polling at these centres had also been adjourned on April 20 for the same reasons. Repolling will take place in eight booths in Jiribam in Imphal East on the same day.

In Arunachal Pradesh, where polling also takes place on May 5 for the two Lok Sabha seats, campaigning continued to be a low-key affair with the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) boycotting the polls in protest against the inclusion of the Chakma and Hajong refugees in the state voters’ list.

Though the voters are likely to stay away, the political parties are trying their best to reach their doors. Central leaders of both the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress have, however, stayed away from campaigning, despite exit polls predicting a close fight between the two national parties. According to observers, this is because of the vexed refugee issue.

The state has an electorate of 6,83,480 - a 12 per cent increase over the 1999 figure.

The BJP is confident of winning both the seats - Arunachal East and West - for the first time. State unit president Taba Hare said ruling party candidates never get defeated in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Congress had won both the seats in 1999 elections with a thumping majority. This time, they have re-nominated Wangcha Rajkumar from Arunachal East parliamentary constituency and left the West seat to its ally, Arunachal Congress (AC).

Arunachal Congress president Kamen Ringu, who will contest the West seat, is popular for maintaining a clean image during his long public life.

According to party sources, Congress sacrificed the seat to give a tough fight to the BJP. It will be difficult for BJP leaders, especially chief minister Gegong Apang, to criticise Ringu who was once very close to him, they added. Apang, after ruling the state for 14 years as Congress chief minister, had left the party in 1995 to float the regional party Arunachal Congress with Ringu as his right hand man.

The fight for the West seat is mainly between Ringu and BJP nominee Khiren Rijiju, a young leader who has served as the general secretary and spokesman of the state unit.

However, Nationalist Trinamool Congress (NTC) candidate for the West seat and former minister Tadar Taniang is expected to cut into a big chunk of the votes. NTC leader P.A. Sangma, who campaigned for his party candidate for three days, alleged that Ringu was the BJP’s “hidden candidate” and that the Congress leaders were campaigning half-heartedly for him.

Former minister Kardu Taipoda of Samajwadi Party, Kido Ingo of Samata Party and two Independents are also in the fray.