Dimapur, Sep. 30 (EMN): Alleging the security force of being ignorant of ‘ground realities’, the NSCN (K) has advised the Indian army officers – in particular, the one in charge of Eastern Command HQ – to “stay connected with their soldiers deployed in the field and to not tweet wishfully and blindly sitting in their comfortable office hundreds of miles away from the actual battle scene.”
This was contained in a press statement issued by the NSCN (K) on September 29 last. “The complete ignorance of the Indian army HQ about the ground realities and the apparent disconnect between the command HQ and their soldiers getting killed and injured while operating in the field is the fact that Eastern Command have no idea at all that Langkhu village is deep inside Myanmar Naga area situated around 15 km away from the international boundary where the encounter took place before dawn on 27 September between Indian Para Commandos and Elite Unit of NSCN/GPRN.
“The IA HQ is also unaware of the fact that their soldiers had illegally trekked more than two hours deep into Myanmar and in the process had sidetrekked the first two frontier villages from India side, Khammoi and Loji and had already reached the outskirt of the third frontier village Langkho from where they were halted, killed, injured and repulsed by the Naga army,” it stated.
It asked the army authorities to ascertain ‘the fact that Langkho village is nowhere near the so-claimed Indo-Myanmar artificial international boundary but beyond several frontier villages.’
“It is also interesting to note that while the Indian Army tries to derogate and undermine the Nagas as terrorists, they admitted to CNN, News 18, that after Pakistan, India is targeting the Nagas. This clearly proves India's hypocrisy and their natural notion of the suppressed Nagas as separate people and nation and this very truth the Indian players admits time to time subconsciously as is evident in this case,” the statement read.
Konyak Union (Myanmar) clarifies
The Konyak Union (Myanmar) has informed that the firing between Indian army forces and NSCN (K) members on September 27 last occurred between Khonsa and Langkho village, from 3 am to 6 am.
A statement from the union on Saturday cited reliable sources as saying that the firing ‘was nearest to the villagers’ paddy field area deeply inside the eastern Konyak Myanmar away from main boundary approximately 15 km before reaching Langkho village’.
It stated that ‘investigators’ had found ‘many bombs unexposed inside the Langkho paddy field’ the next day. It accused the Indian army of making false claims of not having crossed the Indo-Myanmar border.
It also stated that no MP or MLA of the ruling National League of Democracy party In Myanmar has visited the area till date. The union has appealed the Indian army as well as the NSCN (K) not to create ‘fear psychoses among those living in the border area.
Therie preaches non-violence
President of the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), K Therie stated that violence – in the light of ‘striking the NSCN (K) in the border when talks just began with 6 NNPGs after almost a two decade wait’ – cannot be used as a means to solve the problem.
The government of India must also learn from the 16 Point Agreement, he stated in a press release issued on Saturday. “Only few NNC and FGN (members) did not agree to statehood demanding total sovereignty and that gained the support of the people more than statehood did. Recognising the feelings of the people, Pundit (sic) Jawaharlal Nehru former PM decided to talk with NNC/FGN and signed ceasefire agreement on 6th Sept. 1964.
“Although people are participating in the state elections, the people still feel there is a need to solve the political problem amicably. Non-violence is the policy of Congress to solve the problems. 60 years of violence have inflicted more injury in the blood of Nagas. With Hindutva policy, Nagas are more cautious today.”
According to him, ‘factional wars have cooled down’ in recent years because the government of India and the state government have ‘compromised at the cost of public economy.’ “GOI deliberately did not plan to fund peace. They may have thought burdening the people with multiple taxes would twist the minds of the people from the political movement. This will not work because the movement is based on inherent culture, customs and religion.
“They are greater than just temporary suffering. Therefore, the policy of confrontation has not been successful till today. The movement began during the British Empire when they conceived the idea of granting Independence to India. We are participating in the Federal Government of India because of special provisions and protection we have under the Constitution.”
He appealed both the government of India and the NSCN (K) to adopt non-violent means to solve the problem.
