Northeast Platform

Dimapur, February 21 (MExN): Nagaland Home Minister, Imkong L Imchen today said that the issue of women’s reservation is a frontline agenda of the DAN government. However, women have to struggle for their rights.Speaking as the chief guest at the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Watsu Telongjem Dimapur (Ao Union Dimapur), the state Home Minister exhorted the womenfolk that in order to obtain their rights they should struggle for it courageously and preserver for it. Identifying women emancipation, liberty and women’s rights as a very lively and burning issue, Imchen lamented that the Watsu Mungdang (apex Ao women organisation) could not raise its voice when the issue of women reservation cropped up in the Mokokchung Municipal Council last year, and said that the Watsu Mungdang could not say anything out of fear. He also said that when the men folk in Mokokchung town resisted the 33 percent reservation of seats in the Mokokchung Municipal Council, the presence of Watsu Mungdang, and ...

DIMAPUR: Home Minister Imkong L Imchen today articulated his solidarity with Naga women on 33 % reservation as the tug of war over the issue remains irresolute till date. Speaking as chief guest at the Silver Jubilee celebration of the Dimapur Watsu Telongjem at IMC, he, however, questioned why there had been no protest from any of the different women organisations when the civic polls at Mokokchung was boycotted last year by their male counterparts as a sign of protest against the amendment. He observed that there had been no women organisation voicing against the boycott at that time. “So it was thought women didn’t want reservation,” he maintained. The HM also felt that the biggest questions that need to be deliberated among the women are whether they are actually prepared to accept the reservation, whether they can take it forward in case of its amendment and whether they are prepared to shoulder the consequences. Exhorting that women would have to fight to own their rights, he sa...

DIMAPUR FEB 21: The Watsu Telongjem Dimapur today celebrated its 25 years of existence since its establishment under the theme ‘Forward Together’ at IMC hall with Home Minister Imkong L Imchen as the chief guest. Addressing the women folks on the occasion, Imkong exhorted on the importance of family values, its immersion into the foundation of all human society and women as its structural influence. The structure of the family is the structure of all society, he stated while pointing out that every thing starts and ends in a family even the government. Stressing on the basic link of family, women and the issues confronting them, he said women need to fight for their own rights so that their cause can be achieved. The chief guest while congratulating the Watsu Telongejm on the attainment of 25 years since its inception said this celebration is another success story for the organization. Earlier, the chief guest released the Silver Jubilee souvenir book. Speaking on the theme ‘Forward ...

KOHIMA, FEB 21: The Naga convention for reconciliation and peace, which got underway today under the theme ‘Let my People Go’, underscored the need for inclusive unity amongst all Naga underground groups as well as he public without which there can be no common hope and future. Nagas should reorganise and forge ahead as one, as division and factionalism has broken the spirit of Naga unity, said Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) general secretary Rev Zhabu Terhüja, delivering the keynote address on the inaugural day at Kohima local ground (Khouchiezie), and rued that so many Nagas have died in the last ten years while querying who had been killed by whom and to what destination this was leading. This should serve as a lesson for all, he said. Furthermore, he said the various underground groups ‘claim to have got many revelations from God, but they seem to have separate revelations and therefore fight one another.’ Even our legislators also know how to pull down each other instead ...

Kohima February 21 : The two-day Naga Convention for Reconciliation and Peace commenced today at Kohima local ground with General Secretary of Nagaland Baptist Church Council Rev. Zhabu Terhuja saying that the time has come for the suffering Naga people to enter a new dawn through the gate of reconciliation.The convention is on way under the aegis of the Forum for Naga Reconciliation and with the theme ‘Let My People Go’. Dwelling on the theme ‘Let my people go’ in the context of the Naga people and their struggle, Terhuja in his keynote address said “everything is not well, but everything is not lost”. The Nagas can rebuild their future if they hold on to this aspiration, the church leader said.“Time has come for Nagas to enter a new dawn and reconciliation is the gate to that future,” he told the gathering. The gathering comprised of hundreds of Naga people from all walks of life and almost all Naga-inhabited regions.He said the only way out for Nagas is to reason and dialogue toge...

IMPHAL, Feb 21: The chief minister Okram Ibobi has appealed to the JAC against the SDO killings and family members of the deceased to take the dead bodies of Dr. Th Kishan Singh, Y Token and A Rajen Sharma and perform their last rites as there was surety that the government was already in a position to fulfill 90 percent of the demands put up by the JAC.The appeal was made by the chief minister at a press conference held today at his conference hall. He further stated that regarding the criminal proceedings against the DC Ukhrul, it could only be done after the fact finding was completed by an enquiry committee. On the incident of firing of tear gas shells at the house of Dr. Th Kishan, in which his brother was hurt, he said that the house was full with people during the curfew hours and the security forces took the action to prevent a mob from forming at the place. He also said it could have happened at any other house under the circumstances. The chief minister also said that the g...

IMPHAL, Feb 21: The underground KYKL, in a press statement today strongly condemned the beastly murder of SDO Kasom Khullen, Th Kishan and his two subordinate staff, official driver Aribam Rajen and revenue mandal Yumnam Token. It said whoever is responsible for the crime, it is simply meaningless. Even if the murder was related to distribution of NREGS awards, the target ought to have been just the SDO and not the driver and mandal, who would have had nothing to do with it. It said the crime can only be the handiwork of the most uncivilised and meat brained. Moreover, the mutilated bodies of the murdered men were dumped near another village and this seem a direct effort to implicate the community that lived in the village, thereby an attempt also to create communal enmity between the particular community and that of the murder victims. This is a bigger crime than even the murder, the release said. The release said Dr. Kishan’s is somebody the party held in great esteem and it conside...

DIMAPUR, Feb 21 (NNN): On the brutal killing of SDO Dr. Th Kishan and his two staffs the 'Naga Army', the armed wing of the NSCN(IM), has affirmed that whoever may have committed such heinous crime, it has nothing to do with any 'official sanction' of the 'Naga Army' authorities whatsoever. "In the event of any Naga Army personnel found to be involved, 'Naga Army' will not fail to give the punishment to those perpetrators befitting the crime as per the army rules," PRO of the Naga Army (NSCN-IM) Col. Levi Zimik said tonight in a statement. The statement then stated that the brutal killing of Kasom Khullen SDO Dr. Th Kishan and his two staffs had come as a great shock to the 'Naga Army.' Meanwhile, the NSCN(IM) kilo-kilonser (home minister) said that taking into consideration the gravity of the brutal killing of Kasom Khullen SDO and his two staffs, the NSCN stands by its statement that it has no hands in the killing. ...

IMPHAL, Feb 21: Widespread condemnations are still coming from all corners of the state in connection with the brutal and inhuman killing of government officials Dr. Th Kishan, Y Token and A Rajen. Various organisations have expressed deep sorrow at the hardships faced by the families of the deceased while asking the state government to book the culprits immediately. The Manipur Chemists and Druggists Association has appealed to the state government to lift the curfew immediately taking into account the problems faced by the emergency patients and people who need medicines daily at the proper time.Asking the authorities not to endanger the lives of such people who need medical attention, the association also strongly condemned the killing of Dr. Th Kishan and his two subordinates and shared the sorrow of the bereaved families. The Tarahei Muslim Women’s Welfare Association has strongly condemned the killings and said that nowadays killing of innocent people had become a trend in the s...

IMPHAL, Feb 21: Widespread condemnations are still coming from all corners of the state in connection with the brutal and inhuman killing of government officials Dr. Th Kishan, Y Token and A Rajen. Various organisations have expressed deep sorrow at the hardships faced by the families of the deceased while asking the state government to book the culprits immediately. The Manipur Chemists and Druggists Association has appealed to the state government to lift the curfew immediately taking into account the problems faced by the emergency patients and people who need medicines daily at the proper time.Asking the authorities not to endanger the lives of such people who need medical attention, the association also strongly condemned the killing of Dr. Th Kishan and his two subordinates and shared the sorrow of the bereaved families. The Tarahei Muslim Women’s Welfare Association has strongly condemned the killings and said that nowadays killing of innocent people had become a trend in the s...

IMPHAL, Feb 21: The JAC against the brutal killing of Dr. Th Kishan Singh, Y Token and A Rajen has stated in a release that the works minister K Ranjit and PDA chairman Dr. Loken had communicated to it and the bereaved families this morning that the three missing staff, namely Ramsing Siro, Ramthing Singlai and Kapangkhun Zimik, had been apprehended from Toloi in Ukhrul district. The JAC questioned why the three staff did not report to their office after being released by the abductors and said it seems they had been threatened by the abductors as a result of which they were hiding. It also asked the state government to clarify on the involvement of the NSCN(IM) in the brutal killings within 48 hours in accordance with the resolutions of the JAC. The JAC also asked the state and Central government to take up the matter at the highest official level since the triple murder was an act of terrorism committed by the Naga rebel group which is holding peace talks with the Central government...

By M Amarjeet Singh Although insurgency in several areas of the North-East region of India has declined, external manipulation and support to insurgency in Assam, the most populous State in the region, continues to be a problem.Three States in the region, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Sikkim, are mostly unaffected by insurgency, while there has been substantial decline in insurgency in Tripura and Meghalaya. Thus, insurgencies in the region are largely confined to Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.In 2008, insurgency-related violence claimed some 1049 lives in the Northeast. 96 per cent of total fatalities were reported from Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. Manipur recorded 47 per cent fatalities, the highest in the region, followed by Assam (36 per cent) and Nagaland (14 per cent). Further, Assam topped civilian (55.44 per cent) and combatant (44.44 per cent) fatalities, while Manipur topped insurgent fatalities (57 per cent).Compared with 2007, fatalities among security forces deployed in the...