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The Morung Express
Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 28
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Did Mahatma Gandhi see his death coming?
By Sandemo Ngullie
You love F1 champ Jensen Button? You are out of your mind, he is a driver!
Banuo Z Jamir to take over as CS
kohIma, January 30 (DIPr): Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner for Nagaland, Banuo Z. Jamir will take over as the Chief Secretary for Nagaland from February 1, 2014. The current Chief Secretary, Alemtemshi Jamir is scheduled to take voluntary retirement on January 31. Banuo Z. Jamir will also hold the charge of Border Affairs, stated a notification from the Department of P&AR (Personnel ‘A’ Branch), Government of Nagaland.
Cap on subsidised LPG cylinders raised to 12
nEw DElhI, January 30 (IanS): The government Thursday decided to raise the annual cap on subsidised LPG cylinders to 12 from the existing nine. Announcing the decision in this regard taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) at a meeting here, Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily told media persons that “in addition to the nine subsidised cylinders given to consumers in a year, there will be one cylinder given in February and one more in March”. “From the first of April 2014, 12 cylinders will be given per year, that is, one cylinder per month.”
“Green signal” for Neiphiu Rio
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DImaPur, January 30 (mExn): The regional Naga People’s Front (NPF) is reported to have given the “green signal” to Nagaland chief minister, Neiphiu Rio, to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. Highly placed sources from Kohima disclosed that the NPF, after much deliberation on Thursday afternoon, endorsed Rio’s candidature, and later conveyed the decision to him. This development comes against the backdrop of the recent formation of North East Regional Political Front, a conglomeration of ten regional political parties, which seeks to jointly contest the Lok Sabha polls under a common minimum programme. Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio is the convener and AGP president, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, the chief adviser of the Front. It may be mentioned that both the NPF party and its legislators had earlier opposed Rio contesting the Lok Sabha, stating that his leadership was required in the State.
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Where there is love there is life
Scarlett stepping down as Oxfam ambassador
[ PAGE 8]
reflections
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Friday, January 31, 2014 12 pages Rs. 4 –Mahatma Gandhi
Talk on ministerial approach towards Children’s issues [ PAGE 2]
250 million school age kids can’t read
[ PAGE 11]
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Doctors to start waking up Michael Schumacher [ PAGE 12]
[ PAGE 9]
rengma nagas march Bangladesh court orders death for justice and peace for Paresh Barua and 13 others
The Rengma Naga community held a peace march in Guwahati on January 30, 2014, seeking justice and empowerment
Morung Express News Dimapur | January 30
With justice in mind, nearly 200 people from the Rengma Naga community of Assam and Nagaland today held a peace march in Guwahati and submitted a memorandum each to the Governor and Chief Minister of Assam. The peace march was carried out from 11am to 2pm from Paan Bazaar to Didholi Pukhuri. In a first of its kind, the 17page memorandum postulates three core points: subjugation of the indigenous rights of the Rengma Naga people of Karbi Anglong, compensation for at-
tacks on the Rengma Naga people from December 27, 2013 and exgratia to the bereaved at the earliest, and political empowerment. “Since the attack on 27th Dec 2013, altogether 6 villages have been burnt down and approximately 250-300 houses destroyed. Therefore, unless, the compensation demand is settled, the question of the refugees going back to their villages does not arise,” noted the memorandum, also seeking ex-gratia payment for the “serious human rights violation committed” on December 27, 2013. With the Governor and Chief Minister of Assam both out of station, the memorandum was
collected on their behalf by the district administration and representatives from the Chief Minister’s secretariat. The memorandum requested the Governor to “order an investigation into the whole matter since the role of the law enforcing agencies, both before and after the 27th Dec episode is suspect or atleast cause for apprehension.” It was signed by representatives of the Rengma Naga Peoples’ Council, Assam (RNPC), Rengma Naga Students’ Union, Assam, Rengma Gaon Bura Committee, Assam and the Rengma Hills Autonomous District Demand Committee, Karbi Anglong, Assam. The peace march was organized by the RNPC with support from the Rengma Hoho, the Rengma Students’ Union, Nagaland and Naga Students’ Union, Guwahati. The memorandum questioned the “dehumanization of Rengmas through systematic non-interventionist government policies through diversion of development funds, centrally sponsored schemes and human resources development away from Rengma inhabited areas.” It therefore called for “rectification of the dehumanizing episode through creation of Rengma Hills Autonomous Council to check the plight of Rengma Nagas of Assam.”
Stand for reconciliation and unity: Gen. Khole
DImaPur, January 30 (mExn): GPRN/NSCN President, Gen (Retd) Khole Konyak today called upon all national workers to “turn away from the path of greediness, jealousy, self-enrichment and rebellious existence.” He was speaking at the GPRN/ NSCN National Assembly held at Khehoi Designated Camp on January 30. He urged “every bonafide NSCN member,” to “exhibit wisdom, utmost patience and tolerance.” Khole asserted that in the quest for reconciliation, “ideas must be exchanged, knowledge must be shared, freedom must be demanded, history must be protected and politics must be practical.” He added that “there is no shame in standing for reconciliation and unity of the Nagas.”
GPRN/NSCN National Assembly to conclude today
Khole encouraged young and educated national workers to start communicating with the younger generation of Nagas, the intellectuals, civil societies, tribal bodies, Naga friends and well wishers around the world through which the aspiration of the Naga people could be conceptualized in a practical manner. Stating that Nagas have been divided into different geographical areas without their consent, Khole asserted that “Nagas everywhere must maintain social and emotional bond.” “Yet,
Dhaka, January 30 (IanS): Paresh Barua, leader of the anti-talk faction of the ULFA, is among the 14 people awarded the death sentence by a Bangladesh court Thursday in connection with a 2004 arms smuggling case. A special court in Chittagong handed the death sentence to Barua and 13 others, including Jamaat chief and then industries minister Motiur Rahman Nizami and then state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar, for smuggling in 10 truckloads of firearms in 2004, the Daily Star reported. “The verdict has been delivered on receiving permission from High Court division,” the report quoted judge S.M Mojibur Rahman of the Chittagong Metropolitan Special Tribunal-1, as saying while delivering the verdict. The tribunal had started reading out the summary at 12.28 p.m. A huge cache of arms was recovered April 2, 2004, at the jetty of the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) near the Karnaphuli River while being loaded on 10 trucks for delivery to the Indian separatist outfit ULFA. These included 4,930 sophisticated firearms of different types, 840 rocket launchers,
Paresh Barua (File Photo)
300 rockets, 27,020 grenades, 2,000 grenade-launching tubes, 6,392 magazines and 11.41 million bullets. It was the largest ever seizure of an arms consignment in the country. Two chargesheets in connection with the case were submitted - one in the arms case after two months and another in the smuggling case after four months. According to the Daily Star, the trial of both the cases started in 2005 “with several loopholes as the probes overlooked some important factors such as who had brought the arms, from which country, what was the destination and how was a jetty of a state-owned body used for unloading the weapons”. Only some small fry, mostly labourers, truckers and trawler
drivers, were implicated, leaving out the big shots as the then Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government allegedly tried to cover up the involvement of the state machinery, including its ministers and high officials of intelligence agencies. However, after a caretaker government took over in Bangladesh Jan 11, 2007, ahead of the country’s general elections, there were new developments. The Court of Chittagong Metropolitan Judge Feb 14, 2008, ordered further investigation following a prosecution petition and the cases took a new turn. In June 2011, Muniruzzaman Chowdhury, senior assistant superintendent of Criminal Investigation Department, submitted two supplementary charge-sheets in June 2011, accusing 11 new suspects. Paresh Barua was among those charged in both the cases. While Barua and former secretary of the industries ministry Nurul Amin have been absconding ever since the recovery of the arms, the other nine are behind bars. With the inclusion of the 11 new suspects, the number of the total accused rose to 50 and 52 in the arms and smuggling cases respectively.
practical issues cannot be ignored,” he added. A press note from the MIP informed that the inaugural function began at 10am, with the Pastor of Council Headquarters, Rev. Zutovi, leading the invocation prayer. Obituary references were read out by Inaka Tsuqu, Secretary for Ministry of Keeya (Defence) Affairs. This was followed by the presidential address. Ato Kilonser, N Kitovi, inaugurated the national website www.thenagahills.com and the house was adjourned. In the second session, the house held a reaffirmation of the collective leadership, amendment of the constitution and discussed government agendas, informed the press note. The assembly will conclude on January 31. Full text on page 4
CLP leader against downgrading of schools 129 Government High Schools downgraded
DImaPur, January 30 (mExn): CLP leader Tokheho Yepthomi has revealed that the Government of Nagaland has downgraded 129 Government High Schools. Yepthomi, in a press release today, stated that the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE) has “jeopardized the career of thousands of students” by “refusing to accept enrolment of students to Class 9 & 10 from 129 Govt High Schools w.e.f academic session 2014.” The CLP leader reminded that 147 GMS had been upgraded to GHS between 2010 - 2011 under RMSA Program following approval by the Project Approval Board (PAB), Ministry of HRD, Government of India. “The decision of the NBSE in pursuance of the state govt order dated 5th June 2013 reflects the total apathy of the NPF govt towards the students and their equally worried parents who are being victimized no fault of theirs,” noted Yepthomi, further adding that the “The NPF govt had all along taken credit for mass upgradation of these GMS to GHS and had extracted enough political mileage while going into assembly elections in 2013.” He said that the present plight of students under these 129 GHS should be addressed by the Nagaland State Government as the academic
year 2014 has already begun. “Over the years when hundreds of crores have been received by the state govt under RMSA Program from the centre for its implementation, the decision of the state govt asking the NBSE to stop accepting the enrolment of students for the above mentioned classes portrays the callousness of the state govt which has miserably failed on all fronts,” observed the CLP leader.
On Appointment of Advisors to Municipal and Town Council Elections The CLP leader, Tokheho Yepthomi, has stated in a press release today that the suspension of the Municipal and Town Council elections since early 2010 by the NPF government has “destroyed the very foundation of these local bodies.” In that, he condemned the State Government contemplating the appointment of Advisors to these bodies again, terming the process “outrightly illegal and undemocratic with scant regards to the wishes of the people.” The NPF government, he stated, has flouted all “established norms to illegally appoint NPF party workers as Chief Advisors and Advisors.” The appointed Advisors function “without any accountability” and have reduced the relevance of these local bodies to “a mere tax collecting agency without any visible development on ground.” List of 129 Downgraded GHS by NBSE on page 4
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