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The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 69
Govt vows Maoist rebels won’t ruin India elections
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[ PAGE 8]
reflections
By Sandemo Ngullie
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The Morung Express POLL QUESTIOn
Vote on www.morungexpress.com SMS your answer to 9862574165 Is it time for present Naga leaders to hand over responsibilities to the younger generation? Yes
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Candidates asked to open separate bank account for poll expenditure Kohima, march 12 (DiPr): All intending candidates for the upcoming LS polls have been informed that a separate bank account is to be opened exclusively for the purpose of election expenditure. This account shall be opened at least one day before the date on which the candidate files his nomination papers. All transactions related to election expenditure have to be done through solely this account. The bank account can be opened either in the name of the candidate or in the joint name with his election agent, for the purpose of election expenditure. The candidates are required to deposit the entire amount meant for election expenses in the separate bank account, opened for the purpose of election, and all their election expenses are to be incurred from the said account. The banks are requested to assist the candidates and facilitate prompt service to the candidates in opening of bank accounts. They should also allow withdrawals and deposits from the said account on priority during the election period.
Disaster mock drill today: Public urged not to panic
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Kohima, march 12 (DiPr): The mega mock drill exercise in Kohima will be held on March 13 as a part of disaster management preparedness. The siren for the mega mock drill will be sounded at 11:30 AM. In this connection, Deputy Commissioner, Kohima, W. Honje Konyak has appealed to the public not to panic. Meanwhile, all educational institutions under Kohima district have been asked to participate in the mock drill exercise. However those institutions having board examinations etc may be exempted.
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Knowledge is only one half. Faith is the other Sonakshi ends show with a bang at Lakme Fashion Week
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Thursday, March 13, 2014 12 pages Rs. 4 –Novalis
Shortage of manpower to teach in colleges [ PAGE 2]
Malaysia defends search for missing jet
[ PAGE 11]
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[ PAGE 9]
Bayern oust Arsenal with a draw [ PAGE 12]
Mystified: MH370 is untraceable ne youth determined to make a difference
A woman stands in front of a placard featuring messages for passengers aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia on March 12. More than four days after the Malaysian jetliner went missing en route to Beijing, authorities acknowledged Wednesday they didn’t know which direction the plane carrying 239 passengers was heading when it disappeared, vastly complicating efforts to find it. (AP Photo)
KUala lUmPUr/PhU QUoc, march 12 (rEUtErS): Malaysia’s military has traced what could have been the jetliner missing for almost five days to an area south of the Thai holiday island of Phuket, hundreds of miles from its last known position, the country’s air force chief said on Wednesday. After a series of at times conflicting statements, the latest revelation underlined that authorities remain uncertain even where to look for the plane, and no closer to explaining what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 or the 239 people on board. The flight disappeared from civilian radar screens shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, as it flew northeast
from Rodzali, if it was the missing plane it would have flown for 45 minutes and lost only about 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) in altitude. There was no word on which direction it was headed and still no clue what happened aboard, prolonging the agonising wait for news for hundreds of relatives of those on board. A position 200 miles northwest of Penang, in the northern part of the Strait of Malacca, would put the plane roughly south of Phuket and east of the tip of Indonesia’s Aceh province and India’s Nicobar island chain. Indonesia and Thailand have said their militaries detected no sign of any unusual aircraft in their airspace. Malaysia has asked India for help in AGONISING WAIT According to the data tracing the aircraft and New across the mouth of the Gulf of Thailand bound for Beijing. What happened next is one of the most baffling mysteries in modern aviation history. Malaysian air force chief Rodzali Daud told a news conference that an aircraft was plotted on military radar at 2:15 a.m., 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Penang Island off Malaysia’s west coast. It was not confirmed that the unidentified plane was Flight MH370, but Malaysia was sharing the data with international civilian and military authorities, Rodzali said. “We are corroborating this,” he added. “We are still working with the experts, it’s an unidentified plot.”
Delhi’s coastguard planes have joined the search. A dozen countries are helping Malaysia in the search, with 42 ships and 39 aircraft involved, Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said. NOTHING RULED OUT In the absence of any concrete evidence to explain the plane’s disappearance, authorities have not ruled out anything. Police have said they were investigating whether any passengers or crew on the plane had personal or psychological problems that might shed light on the mystery, along with the possibility of a hijacking, sabotage or mechanical failure. The Boeing 777 has one of the best safety records of any commercial aircraft in service.
NEw DElhi, march 12 (iaNS): With the focus being on northeastern India for more than a year now, it is but natural that the youth of the region, particularly those who have come of age and will be voting for the first time in the April-May general elections, are determined to make a difference. Their biggest lament is of being “ignored”, but they are firm to get their cause a louder voice. And this is no idle boast. A cross-section of those IANS spoke to were determined to go back home and cast their votes. “The northeast hardly ever forms a part of the election agenda of the two major parties in the country. For them, our issues are not important. So it’s essential to vote for someone who can create an impact,” Kritika Chettri, a student at Hindu College, told IANS. Chettri, who belongs to Darjeeling, feels that they need a party and candidate who are at least aware of their issues. “It has now become important to support only that party or candidate who is aware of the issues that concern us, which unfortunately the two major parties of the country are not,” Chettri added. Echoing the feeling, Kelhoisilie Pienyu who comes from Nagaland, told IANS: “It is important to vote majorly to bring strong politicians who can represent us in the house.” Pienyu, who has earlier voted, however,
felt that this time their issues require a voice following a spate of violent incidents in the past few months. “It is the greatest lament of the people of the northeast that they are subjected to racial discrimination. This is due to ignorance and I strongly feel that this can be reduced effectively by introduction of northeast history and cultures in school textbooks,” Pienyu suggested. With every young voice demanding strong laws against racism, a majority of the first time voters seem enthusiastic to exercise their right and make a difference. “We staged a lot of protests demanding strong anti-racism laws. However, it just remained a protest and no political party did anything about it. I will vote to select the candidate who will support our cause,” Caroline Maninee who is from Manipur and studying at Jawaharlal Nehru University, told IANS. Ujjwal Pandey, a first time voter from Sikkim, told IANS that it was his duty to vote and if he doesn’t make the right choice now, it will impact him and his region for next five years. “That is our right and we should exercise it because it will impact our future. It is, therefore, important to choose a government which is sensitive in enforcing strong anti-racism laws,” Pandey said. He also felt that it was not enough to provide hos-
tels for students. “What happens to the women who come here to work? Since back home there are not enough opportunities in our region they are forced to come here,” Pandey added. While most of them want a redressal of issues they face, some felt that voting becomes important to bring a change back home. “Healthcare is what the people in the region are deprived of. So we need a government that can concentrate on equitable distribution of healthcare facilities,” Kuldeep Swargiary from Assam told IANS. Swargiary, who is a doctor working here, added: “While healthcare is one, unemployment becomes another issue. We need a government who can utilise the resources for the benefit of people and not to fill their pockets.” Similarly, Tsultrim Norbu Wangdi from Sikkim told IANS: “This is the time because after this we cannot complain. So for me the need is of a transparent government where people know about the money being spent.” According to the Election Commission of India, 814 million people would be casting their votes to elect the 16th Lok Sabha. Of these, over 23 million are aged between 18 and 19 years, constituting 2.8 percent of the national electorate. The Election Commission of India reduced the voting age to 18 from 21 in March 1989.
NFHRCC urged not to mislead public DEC calls for free, fair polls
Kohima, march 12 (mExN): The Kohima Lotha Hoho (KLH) has strongly reiterated that the Nagaland Foot Hill Road Coordination Committee (NFHRCC) should concern itself with having the work completed on time, i.e., by the end of April 2014, and check any other vested interests that may come in the way of disrupting the progress of the work. “We earnestly appeal the committee to refrain from making wild allegations and not mislead the general public. The Commitment to complete the foothill road should not be used as an excuse to protect the interest of one contractor,” stated the KLH in an ‘Appeal’ from its chairman, Nchumbemo Tungoe, which was given following an emergency meeting today to discuss the issue arising out of the Foothill Road construction.
While acknowledging the “yeoman service” being rendered by the NFHRCC, the KLH stated that “after thorough investigation into the issue of NFHRC pressurizing the Government to stop “unauthorized works” and alleging politicization of the work by Mmhonlumo Kikon, MLA that appeared on the local dailies we find them a bit out of logic.” The KLH’s statement narrated, “As far as we know, the WDCU had submitted a representation to the government on 03/02/2014 to allot the work through open tender as per the government norms and practice, failing which they will be compelled to take further actions. Since nothing substantial was forthcoming, WDCU pressured for suspension of the work as well as decided to go for litigation if need be. Thereupon, Mmhonlumo Kikon, in his genuine effort not to hamper
the ongoing work and to enable the foothill road to progress, facilitated a peaceful resolution to the issue by issuing an open appeal to one and all to give full support to the foothill road construction. It was only through his intervention that the legal recourse was not taken but the WDCU decided to pursue with the Government for an acceptable and workable solution to the issue. After about a week, the meeting between P Imty Ao and the WDCU representatives was held in the presence of the Chief Engineer. It was amicably decided to carry the burden of completing the Foothill road together by having an acceptable arrangement in the presence of the Chief Engineer.” The KLH also acknowledged that all this could happen because of the “goodwill and good intention” of the Minister for Roads and Bridges, Kuzholuzo Neinu.
Tripura troopers for Nagaland LS polls agartala, march 12 (iaNS): Elite Tripura State Rifles (TSR) troopers will provide security during the April 9 Lok Sabha polls in Nagaland, an official said here Wednesday. “Around 1,000 TSR troopers, led by two commandants, would go to pollbound Nagaland next week. The union home ministry has asked the Tripura government to send the TSR troopers to Nagaland,” a senior home department official told IANS. He said the deployment of the TSR troopers in Nagaland would be at the discretion of the union home ministry and the Election Commission of India. In the second phase April 9, the Lok Sabha elections would be held in five northeastern states: Arunachal Pradesh (two seats), Manipur (one out of
two seats), Meghalaya (two seats), Mizoram (one seat), and Nagaland (one seat). “Besides providing security during Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010, the India Reserve (IR) battalions of TSR were earlier sent to Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Mizoram to provide security during various elections in these states,” the official said. The TSR, trained for counter-insurgency operations, was constituted in March 1984 to deal with terrorism. Seventy-five percent of its troopers are from Tripura while the remaining are from across the country. At present, there are 12 TSR battalions in the northeastern state, of which nine are India Reserve battalions, which means they can be deployed anywhere in India
by the union home ministry. The central government has approved the raising of three more TSR battalions. “The TSR has been modelled on the pattern of Border Security Force and Assam Rifles. It has played an important role in curbing four-and-a-half decades old terrorism in Tripura,” the official added. Election Commission of India director general Ashish Srivastava Wednesday held a series of meetings with the leaders of various political parties and top officials and reviewed the poll preparedness in Tripura. The state election machinery in Tripura has requested the election commission to send at least 108 companies of central paramilitary forces to conduct the elections in two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura April 7 and April 12.
Chizokho Vero
Kohima | March 12
Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) of India, Sudhir Tripathi today expressed satisfaction with the overall election preparations pertaining to the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in Nagaland, scheduled for April 9. He said that it will require efforts to see that the elections are held in a free, fair and peaceful manner. Addressing a press conference here today at Hotel Japfu in the presence of CEO Sentiyanger Aier and Commissioner Nagaland Temjen Toy, he informed that he had held video conferences with the Deputy Commissioners and SPs and reviewed the election preparations with them. The reviews touched upon the electoral roll, EVMs, various arrangements with regard to monitoring of model code of conduct and expenditure monitoring. He held a meeting with the Chief Secretary, DGP and the Home Secretary to review the security arrangement for the elections.
Tripathi also met representatives of the various recognized political parties and addressed apprehensions relating to distribution of EPIC cards reaching the right people within the time frame as prescribed. The meeting also discussed proxy voting. Regarding the deputation of para military forces for the polls, he assured that proper security arrangements will be done. On being asked whether the Election Commission is aware of the use of money power in the state, he said that the Commission will take measures, in terms of checking muscle and money power, by using flying squad, video surveillance teams etc. He further informed that Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have been put under the category of expenditure sensitive states. Tripathi urged upon all voters to come out on the day of the poll and exercise their franchises in a free and fair and ethical manner, without being influenced by muscle or money power.
AR apprehends 4 cadres
In this image released to the media, three apprehended cadres are seen here with the recovered arms and ammunition.
This image released to the media shows the arms and ammunition recovered from a house in Dimapur.
Kohima, march 12 (mExN): Personnel of the Assam Rifles, on two separate incidents, apprehended four cadres and recovered arms and ammunitions from their possession. A press note from the PRO informed that troops of the 33 Assam Rifles apprehended three NSCN (IM) cadres on March 10 from
mon Konyak from the civilian wing of the NSCN (IM). It was further informed that arms, ammunition and “other war like stores” were recovered from the possession of the cadres. In another incident, personnel of the 29 Assam Rifles recovered illegal arms and ammunition from a house, which the AR said belonged, “to an
the coal mines near Naginimora. According to the note, the cadres were “hiding in the huts of workers in the coal mine and had come with the intention of carrying out illegal extortion from contractors at the coal mine.” The apprehended cadres have been identified as Panreishang Tangkhul and Yalem Konyak, from the military wing, and Si-
UG cadre named Qhevihie Chishi Swu from general area Model Colony, Purana Bazar.” While not specifying the name of the group, the note informed that one 9mm pistol, one point 38 revolver, five magazines of different arms and 146 rounds of ammunition were recovered. An FIR was lodged in this regard at East Police Station, Dimapur.
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