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WednesdAY • december 30 • 2015
DIMAPUR • Vol. X • Issue 353 • 12 PAGes • 4
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communities Explore, Engage, Evolve RNSU holds 54th General Conference cum Golden Jubilee Commemoration Morung Express news
said Phenpiga Himbü, Pres-
A-Jongpha (KA) | December 29 ident of the RNSU, while
In a unique show of solidarity, Naga, Karbi, Ahom, Gorkha, Bengali and Bhojsame husband, same job, puri students came togethsame government same ‘no er at the small unconnectsalary’! Happy new Year!!! ed Rengma Naga village of Akhoiphuta-Jongpha in The Morung Express Karbi Anglong, Assam, on 28. Poll QuEsTion December On the occasion of the Vote on www.morungexpress.com 54th General Conference SMS your anSwer to 9862574165 cum Golden Jubilee Commemoration of the RengCan Nagas overcome our current victimma Naga Students’ Union, mentality and bring Karbi Anlgong (RNSU), about positive change young leaders showed in 2016? Why? that peace and solidarity in the region is possible Yes no others through humble gestures and interventions. With The Morung Express to the theme ‘Explore. Engage. Evolve.’, the RNSU cost `5 from Jan 2016 ended its tenure 2012-15 managing to bring togethDear Readers, This is to inform you er diverse communities that the cover price of through its core message The Morung Express will ‘marching towards unity, be `5 beginning, Janu- peace and prosperity’. “The RNSU has been ary 1, 2016. The primary consumed by the explorafactors affecting the paper’s production costs tion of reality of the Rengma Naga people living in Assam are that all items related today—but it is the explorato printing the news- tion of possibilities that has paper have steadily in- kept us moving forward,” creased, in combination with the poor economy. Also, print materials are imported from outside Nagaland as they are not readily available here. Please know that this SYDNEY, DECEMBER was a difficult decision 29 (IANS): In an indication to make and ask for your that transmissible cancer support offsetting these may not be as rare as gencosts and greatly appre- erally believed, researchers ciate your committed have identified a second, readership throughout genetically distinct variety in Tasmania devils, iconic the years. small dog-sized carnivores We thank you for that are only found in the your support and un- wild on the Australian isderstanding. land state of Tasmania. Scientists had earlier The Morung Express discovered one form of transmissible cancer in the devils that causes them facial tumours. "The second cancer causes tumours on the face Morung Express news that are outwardly indistinguishable from the previDimapur | December 29 ously-discovered cancer," Three men were arrested said study first author Ruth for abducting the son of a Pye from University of Tasbusinessman for ransom in Dimapur. The abduction occurred on December 23, while three people, who executed the abduction, were arrested the next day. According to a delayed report from the police, the victim, AgARtAlA, DECEMa school boy in his teens, BER 29 (ANI): A senior was picked up from Murgi CPI-M leader and former Patti on December 23 at Member of Parliament of India has said the church around 1:30 pm. The ab- has been used by various ductors then ransomed the external agencies for the boy’s father. Initially, the pumping in of funds for ransom was Rs. 2.5 lakhs organising militancy and but the amount was nego- separatist movements in tiated down to Rs. 88,000. Tripura. The boy was released by Khagen Das was speakthe abductors reportedly at ing with reference to the around 8:00 pm after the fa- militant activities and the ther handed over the nego- ongoing demand for a septiated amount. The trans- arate tribal land within Triaction occurred near the pura by a newly float tribal Dhansiri Bridge at Nagar- party Indigenous People's jan, stated the police. The Front of Tripura (IPFT). police was informed of the "During the communal riincident by the father after ots of 1980 and during the the transaction. Follow- extremist activities for 30 ing the verbal complaint years, it is on record that from the father, the police apart of church, they were tracked down the abduc- involved. Money was being in flown to India by church tors to a location at Paipi- to extremist," said Das. jang village the next mornDas said that a section ing from where they were of the church has been acarrested. The accused were tively supporting and fuidentified as Atoshe Kinimi elling tribal insurgency in (34 years), Manik Roy (24 not only the state but also years) and Srijoy Acharjee the region. However, he (19 years). According to the denied mentioning any police, Atoshe is a ‘captain’ specifically name or details in the GPRN/NSCN. about what step his gov-
speaking at the Commemoration. He termed Terming the event an “opportunity to explore possibilities of peace, justice, reform and progress,” Himbü called for the Western Rengma people, and their neighbours, to begin imagining where they will be in, say, 2030. Once this is done, “let us engage with each possibility,” he noted. In Rengma Naga villages, not only do roads remain reflections, but schools operate without teachers or teachers without schools. The closest government healthcare from some villages is three rivers away. There are no government initiatives to preserve and promote the Western Rengma language. While the people have been taking their own initiatives to tackle with these subjects, without critical engagement from the both the government and neighbours, the Rengma Nagas living in Karbi Anglong could face a serious threat to survival. “The RNSU was cre-
leaders of students’ welfare organisations from Assam, Manipur and nagaland came together in a unique show of solidarity for the 54th General Conference cum Golden Jubilee Commemoration of the Rengma naga students’ union, Karbi Anglong (Rnsu) at A-Jongpha on Monday, December 28. (Morung Photo)
Phenpiga Himbü re-elected as RNSU President
T
he Western Rengma people have re-elected Phenpiga Himbü as the President of the Rengma Naga Students’ Union, Karbi Anglong (RNSU) for the tenure 2015-18. With a rapport of making the RNSU a mediating body between the government and the people, as well as people to people particularly during times of conflict, Himbü was brought back to the leadership uncontested and in one voice by the voters. The election was held following the 54th General Conference cum Golden Jubilee Commemoration of the RNSU at Akhoiphuta-Jongpha on December 28. General Secretary, Thangshi Jishing, Assistant General Secretary, Mercy Seb and Treasurer, Jowel Seb, were also re-elected to the said positions. Jimmy Seb was elected Finance Secretary, Levi Nandu the Games & Sports Secretary and Songrhe Jishing the Cultural Secretary.
ated in 1961 as a response to the social, political and economic challenges faced by our people. This is evolution. Let us create an environment where our
people can further evolve and emerge fit enough to survive in the long run,” asserted Himbü, while calling for necessary political representation for
the Rengma Nagas in the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) to begin with. It may be noted that the Western Rengma people are not politically
represented in any unit of governance under the Government of India. Chief Guest on the occasion, AJ Barooah IPS, DIGP, Central Range, Diphu, said that the evolution of the Rengma Nagas in Assam is entirely possible by “remaining true to our roots” without which “we will drift apart and become neglected.” In that, he called for the retelling of history through story telling as done by the ancestors of the Rengmas and Ahoms that had built a strong friendship between the two communities. Spirit of the collective On behalf of the 16 Naga tribes of Manipur, Seth Shatsang, President of the All Naga Students’ Association, Manipur (ANSAM), called for this opportunity to “reclaim the spirit of the collective which has been invested upon by elders.” While saluting the pioneers of RNSU, Shatsang welcomed the solidarity shown by the student organisations of the region that helped each understand the other’s challenges. He urged the bodies to keep the solidarity alive for future work in claiming rights. “Let us seize this commemoration to reaffirm our commitment to the issues that the Nagas are
presently engaged with at this defining moment. We have a strong belief that this gathering will provide the vital sense of responsibility in the building of the Naga nation,” he maintained. Leeon Engleng, President of the Karbi Students’ Association (Inglongpho), stated that it is time for the RNSU and KSA to come together and engage. He acknowledged how thousands of crores are being misused by the KAAC; money meant for roads and hospitals in Karbi Anglong are going into building several storey private houses. Noting that Karbi Anglong was created to have all the indigenous people here live together in peace, Engleng promised the KSA’s support to have one Rengma person nominated as Member of Autonomous Council in the next KAAC elections. Hoping for peace among communities, solidarity messages were shared by Subenthung Kithan, President of the Naga Students’ Federation, Bikash Gogoi, President of Ahom Royal Youth Federation and Ankit Paul, President of the All Assam Bengali Students and Youth Federation. Present on the occasion were also the All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union and Bhojpuri Students’ Organisation.
Contagious form of cancer discovered NTC urges inclusiveness for lasting peace
C M Y K
3 arrested for abducting boy
mania, Australia. "So far it has been detected in eight devils in the south-east of Tasmania," Pye noted. Transmissible cancers -- cancers which can spread between individuals by the transfer of living cancer cells -- are believed to arise extremely rarely in nature. "Until now, we have always thought that transmissible cancers arise extremely rarely in nature, but this new discovery makes us question this belief,” senior author on the study Elizabeth Murchison from University of Cambridge, noted. In 1996, researchers observed Tasmanian
Church funded, fuelled militancy in India: says former CPI-M MP ernment had taken against that section of the church but in support of his statement he said that from the declaration made in the court by Kim Davy, who is wanted in the famous arms dropping case in Puralia of West Bengal it is clear that church has been used for funding and arms support to militants especially in Northeast India. Das added, "The man (Kim Davy, Peter Bleach and his team) who dropped arms in West Bengal's Puralia, was in the dock in his country and making a statement that I was not only dropping arms in Puralia, in 1995 and 1996 I had supplied arms to the northeast extremist particularly to Tripura extremist." He thanked people of Tripura for not supporting such militant activities and bring the Left Front in power in various elections. According to him the landslide victory of the Left Front is a message to the BJP government in Delhi that Tripura is showing a new path for the nation.
devils in the north-east of the island with tumours affecting the face and mouth; soon it was discovered that these tumours were contagious between devils, spread by biting. The cancer spreads rapidly throughout the animal's body and the disease usually causes the death of affected animals within months of the appearance of symptoms. The cancer has since spread through most of Tasmania and has triggered widespread devil population declines. To date, only two other forms of transmissible cancer have been observed in nature: in dogs and in soft-shell clams.
DIMAPUR, DECEMBER 29 (MExN): The NTC Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) today stated that there is no better alternative to bring lasting peace among the Nagas than inclusiveness. “Solution can become honourable and acceptable when all stakeholders are taken into confidence in its pre and post settlement,” said a press note from the NTC. The NTC made reference to a statement from the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) published on December 21, 2015, wherein the FNR expressed concern that “a settlement that may turn out to be the best for the Nagas under
today’s circumstances is in real danger of being characterized only as an IndoNSCN(IM), not an IndoNaga settlement. Such an interpretation could give rise to violence”. Acknowledging the immense contribution of FNR towards bridging the gaps between NPGs and the achievement of the subsequent calm that had intervened on the otherwise years of internal conflict in Naga society, the NTC agreed with the FNR that ‘A renewal of conflict will become too heavy a burden for the Naga people to bear….’ in the post settlement. “There is no argument
on the dialogue that has been going on during the last 18 years between GOI and NSCN (IM) exclusively and not with any other NPGs. Consequently, the 3rd August 2015 ‘Framework Accord’ was between these two entities,” the NTC said. It further stated that the Naga public is not aware of the conditions so far agreed upon in the ‘Framework’. “Whereas, FNR’s statement is an indicative of its confidence that the ‘settlement’ out of the ‘framework’ will be ‘the best for the Nagas’. This implies that FNR is well aware of the contents of the ‘framework’ and therefore volunteered to
vouch and sternly warn the Nagas,” the NTC said. “Whereas, the said dialogue and its ultimate ‘framework’ had excluded the rest of other NPGs, it has to be said likewise and understood so. Whereas, FNR has warned that the said process should not be ‘characterized only as an Indo-NSCN (IM)’ but accept it as ‘Indo-Naga settlement’. The parlance contains sufficient calories of imposition including threat that such branding of the ‘framework’ as exclusive ‘could give rise to violence’. It is for sure that there are better vocabularies befitting the role of mediation,” the NTC added
‘Education – thE way forward’ our Correspondent Phusachodu | December 29
Parliamentary Secretary for Housing, Er Levi Rengma today stressed on the need for people to exercise collective responsibility and act responsibly. “Every situation, where youleavetruth,youaregiving birthtocorruption,nomatter how simple or how complicated is the matter,” he said, while addressing the 63rd general session of Phusachodumi Students’ Union (PSU) as the chief guest. He said that corruption takes birth in a society when citizens fail to believe that the nation is common property of all citizens and the generations to come. He further termed the session theme “Educationthe way forward,” as a well thought topic and most appropriate, relevant to today’s world. “The theme is a vast topic touching all our daily lives both individually and socially,” he said. Rengma added that it is natural that whenever there is talk about “change” there is anxiety and confu-
Er levi Rengma and others at the 63rd general session of Psu at Phusachodu village in Phek district on December 29. (Morung Photo)
sion, until people fully understand what is meant by change. “We all know that the world is changing, that too at faster rate and were also trying to grasp the challenges that are confronting us,” he said, calling for evolution of the education system in order to adapt to the requirements of the present age. “The challenge is to redefine what has been successful in the past and apply those concepts to the
new demands and expectations,” he said adding that the challenges are real. “Let’s be honest, school is no more a place just to send our children and hope that they absorb education.” He said education is the process of instruction aimed at the all overall development of individuals, providing the necessary tools and knowledge to understand and participate in day to day activities of today’s world.
“Education once acquired is the only wealth which cannot be robbed; it builds character, provides strength of mind and increases knowledge. Education can sustain human values of individuals and collective well-being,” he added. Rengma said the education enables people to become more responsible and informed citizens, with political voice to participate in a democracy. Rengma further
stated that corruption, along with global warming, and environmental change are the major issues plaguing the world. He said natural calamities like volcanoes, earthquakes, floods caused untold miseries to the people and damage to properties to tune of millions, while noting that the natural environment has changed in the last few decades. Rev Dr Chekrovei Choo, Associate Professor of Applied Theology, Oriental Theological Seminary Bade, Dimapur and Er Akule Pusa Chuzho, SDO, PWD (Housing), New Capital Complex Division, Kohima also spoke during the occasion. Earlier, PSU President, Zhoto Khamo delivered the presidential address, while Phusachodu Village Council Chairman, Duporuh Theluo delivered the welcome address. Meanwhile, Veduvolu Kotso and Vekhoselu Chuzho were declared winners of a prepared speech and essay writing competition that was held during the event.