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wednesdAY • june 29 • 2016
DIMAPUR • Vol. XI • Issue 177 • 12 PAGes • 5
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ESTD. 2005
P o W e R
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T R u T H
A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be — Rosalynn Carter USA to downgrade Myanmar in annual human trafficking report
SBI Dimapur joins country wide ‘Town hall meeting’
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Wimbledon: Scrappy win for Serena as Federer strides on
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PAGe 12
ISAK CHISHI SWU PASSES AWAY Patriotic, Religious, Committed
Morung Express news Dimapur | June 28
Naga national leader Isak Chishi Swu passed away at a hospital in New Delhi on Tuesday, June 28. He was 87. The Yaruiwo (President) of the Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim and Chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), who was born in 1929 in Chishilimi village in Zunheboto district, is survived by his wife, six children and two grandchildren. Swu passed away at 12:40pm at Fortis Hospital in New Delhi after fighting a kidney ailment for months. He took early education at American Mission School in Chishilimi and Government High School in Kohima. He graduated in Political Science from St. Anthony’s College in Shillong. Swu went on to become a widely respected leader who joined the Naga movement in his early 20s moved by a sense of patriotism that stayed with him till the time of his death. Swu was the Foreign Secretary of the Naga National Council before being elevated as its Vice President in the early part of the movement. He later founded the NSCN in 1980 alongside Thuingaleng Muivah and SS Khaplang. In 1988, Swu and Muivah parted ways with Khaplang. Condolences on page 3 & 5
People who met him share how they remember Isak Chishi Swu Morung Express news Dimapur | June 28
A file photo of Isak Chishi Swu.
On those he met, he left an indelible mark. Isak Chishi Swu’s openness to listen to people, his religiosity and patriotism emanated so much light, it captured the souls of those fortunate enough to have interacted with him before he took grievously ill. A close friend was Gen. Thinoselie M. Keyho, who had spent a good number of years with Swu early on, both working with the Naga National Council. Eventually, each pursued his own way. “We had the same goal but our approach was different,” acknowledged Gen. Thinoselie, speaking to The Morung Express over the phone, expressing sadness beyond immediate loss. “He was a religious man, not a politician. No-
body can compete with him on religiosity. Isak devoted his life to his lord,” he noted with a sense of fondness of a man he last met at several meetings around the world; with whom he had once gone to several other parts of the world in pursuit of freedom. “He has—we have—given our lives to the cause. Now it is up to the present and future generations to uphold this,” said Gen. Thinoselie. “I feel orphaned,” stated a shaken Dr. Gina Sangkham, senior rights’ activist from Chandel, on hearing of Swu’s death on June 28. Having met him several times since the 1997 ceasefire, one of her fondest memories of Swu involved taking part in a confidence-building ‘game’ during a workshop held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. “He participated as an equal with the rest of us,” she reminisced. Despite his hard years of struggle in the Naga movement, his core remained soft—he was always “open to interactions.” For Dr. Sangkham, “we have to live by the dream he gave us.” These dreams were focused. “He was totally committed to the cause of self-determination of the Naga people. He never differentiated between clans and tribes. For him all Naga people were one, together they made the Naga nation,” said Tapan Kumar Bose, an
activist who had worked on several initiatives to bring better understanding of the Naga movement to the Indian establishment. He met the NSCN Chairman in Bangkok in 1992 and several times after that. Bose remembers Swu as a “gentle person” who was “always ready to answer my questions,” and added, “He used to say we are fighting for our freedom and our dignity.” “Every time we met he would stand up, hug me and say a small prayer. I will always remember his smiling face and the gentle voice,” Bose remembered. According to Bose, Swu was a “visionary and a committed supporter of the peace process, though he was often frustrated by the delaying tactics of the Indian negotiators. He engaged in armed struggle. But he was also a man of peace. A devout Christian who abhorred violence. He was one of the main architects of the peace process and remained committed to it till the last day.” For Khesheli Chishi, a nonviolent peace activist who has worked with the Naga Mother’s Association and is now associated with the Indigenous Women’s Forum for North East India, he was a “father figure.” Giving an example, she said, “When eating together, he would always make sure that the rest of us were well fed and he
would serve us the best portions. He always saw to it that we were all well fed, not just food-wise but also spiritually.” Till his death, Chishi noted, he was firm on reconciliation and for the Naga people to “live as a family.” Combined with his “honesty and humility,” he was a “beacon of light” for the Naga people, she maintained. For educationist and human rights activist, PS Lorin, Swu was “a true socialist rooted in Christianity” and deeply understood the needs of the Naga people. Lorin witnessed Swu take the just path he professed. About 10 years back, when the education sector in Nagaland, particularly in Nagaland University, could not take the burden of Naga national tax, Lorin met him to explain that the University teachers be exempt from taxation. “He carefully listened and understood that Naga people needed education the most. He immediately lifted the said taxes,” affirmed Lorin, who also described Swu as a “respectable, patriotic, understanding” man who was foremost a “believer” who always talked of “forgiveness.” In Swu’s passing, to put it in Bose’s words, “the Naga people have lost a great leader, a visionary and crusader for justice.”
Final journey of Swu’s mortal remains PM condoles, lauds Swu’s role in peace process Muivah pays tribute to Swu
June 29— 5:00pm condolence service by Nagas and other well wishers in Delhi. June 30— Arrival from Delhi around 12:30-1 pm (charter flight). A civic reception will be held at airport before moving to Hebron Camp. July 1— State Funeral Service at Hebron Camp before proceeding to Chishilimi. July 2— Burial and final funeral service at Chishilimi.
MIP Kilonser of the NSCN (IM)
New Delhi, JuNe 28 (iANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condoled the death of veteran Naga rebel leader Isak Chishi Swu and lauded the role of the Chairman of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM) for “bringing out” the Framework Agreement for Naga peace signed between the central government and the rebel outfit. “My heartfelt condolences to the family and supporters of Mr. Isak Chishi
Swu on his demise. May his soul rest in peace,” the Prime Minister tweeted. “Mr. Swu will be remembered for his historical role in bringing out the Framework Agreement for Naga peace,” he said in another tweet. Modi also wrote on micro blogging site: “Mr. Isak Chisi Swu wished the best for the Naga people and aspired for peace.” On August 3, 2015, the central government signed the Framework Agreement with NSCN(IM).
New Delhi, JuNe 28 (PTi): NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah today paid glowing tributes to his longtime colleague and outfit’s chairman Isak Chishi Swu saying his demise was a shock but could not be avoided. “The departure of the chairman is a shock but this is what we can’t avoid. We wanted him to be with us till the end of the solution. My tribute,” he told reporters here. The 87-year-old chairman of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) was undergoing treatment for almost a year at a private hospital in South Delhi where he breathed his last today following multi organ failure.
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Dec 14, 2010 rape accused sentenced to 10 years jail DiMAPuR, JuNe 28 (MexN): The District and Sessions Judge, Dimapur today convicted the accused in the December 14, 2010 rape case of a minor girl and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. This was informed in a press release from the Public Prosecution. The accused, indentified as one Vitoka, had “dragged” the victim to “an isolated jungle and committed rape by life threats where in the deposition statement of the victim prosecutrix herself remains unshaken and the same unlawful act was corroborated by medical evidence.” The accused was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs 2000, and in default of which to suffer further imprisonment for another two months. The Judge also recommended proper relief under section 357-A of Cr.PC to victim minor to rehabilitates as per Victim Compensation, 2012.
DiMAPuR, JuNe 28 (MexN): The Nagaland Law Students’ Federation (NLSF) has resolved to go for a sit-inprotest as its first phase of agitation in all the respective college premises on July 7, 2016 from 10am to 12 noon. The objective of the protest is to pressure the State Government to set up government law colleges and to give equal importance to the subject of law in Par with other professional studies in the state, a press release from NLSF president Lanusowa and vice president Wekhrope Marhu informed. Stating that it had repeatedly requested the government to take note of the inequity and to come up with a pol-
icy, the Federation however lamented that despite frequent appeal since the past decades and the passage of more than fifty years since attaining Statehood, Nagaland is yet to have a government law college. It asserted that the absence of such a college has caused inconvenience to law students and at the same time making it hard for the poorer section of the state to take up law studies as a subject matter. In this connection, the NLSF has requested all concerned to take cognizance of the issue and extend support towards the federation in achieving its objectives in the larger interest of the law students and the state as a whole.
PREPAK plot to abduct BPL drivers busted: AR JMFC reserve judgment on TR edu qualification case
Residents attempt to stop the flow of flood waters, as various families in Dimapur were affected by floods due to heavy mosoon showers on Tuesday, June 28. Photo by Caisii Mao
DiMAPuR, JuNe 28 (MexN): The Assam Rifles on Tuesday said it has busted an abduction plot, which was to be carried out by Manipur based PREPAK. The abduction plan was reportedly hatched in Dimapur and the abduction was to be executed in Lahorijan area of Karbi Anglong district, Assam. According to PRO Assam Rifles, IGAR (N), units of IGAR (N) 37 Assam Rifles and 28 Assam Rifles in a series of operations carried out between June 22-24 busted a plan for abduction of Bulk Petroleum Lorry (BPL) drivers of Assam Oil Company (AOC) from Lahorijan area on June 27, 2016. During the operation, one ‘self styled’ sergeant major of PREPAK and four Over Ground Workers (OGW) working for the insurgent group were apprehended along with two weapons and ammunition. The plan for abducting BPL drivers was conceived by PREPAK to extort money from AOC. Three OGWs of Dimapur area were tasked on May 2016 but they failed to execute the plan. Subsequently, two Manipuris (one self styled sergeant major and one OGW) were inducted into Dimapur in the first week of June 2016, the AR press release stated.
The five apprehended persons confirmed that they met several times to coordinate their abduction plan and had arranged chloroform from Manipur/ Myanmar and a local car (silver coloured Maruti Esteem – under repair at Chumukedima) to facilitate the abduction. A hideout located in Tinephye-1 village was also earmarked to keep the abducted victim, the AR claimed. The apprehended cadres/OGWs have been identified as ‘self styled’ sergeant major Romeo Khumanthem, service no- 3127, resident of Khumbi, Manipur; Lourenbam Nabakishore Singh, resident of Intham, Manipur, Mona Singh, resident of Chumukedima, Prodip Das, resident of Bokajan and Kivi Yeptho, resident of Chumukedima. ‘Self styled’ sergeant major Romeo is also suspected to be involved with one of the ghastly attacks in Chandel district of Manipur on May 21, 2016 in which six personnel of Assam Rifles were killed, the AR also informed. The IGAR (N) reported that this is the first time that criminal presence of the Manipur based insurgent group in Dimapur & Lahorijan has been unearthed.
Morung Express news Dimapur | June 28
Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Peren has reserved judgment on the case of the educational qualification of Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang. The JMFC reserved judgment on Tuesday after the hearing from the counsels on the issue of limitation period at the Peren District Court. No spe-
cific date was mentioned as to when the judgment on the case would be delivered. The case in question relates to filing of false declaration made by Zeliang in his affidavit while submitting nomination form to the Returning Officer during 2013 Nagaland Legislative Assembly elections. The complainant is alleging that Zeliang, who holds the highest office of the State, has made a false claim and declaration on his edu-
cational qualification and therefore has misled the people. It should be mentioned that the Kohima Bench of the Gauhati High Court on April 25, 2016 had ruled for a hearing on limitation to be heard by the JMFC Peren. The first of the hearing by JMFC Peren was listed on June 14. However, the hearing could not be held as Zeliang’s counsel asked the court for more time. The hearing was then scheduled for June 28, 2016.
Fuel adulteration: 2 FIRs lodged, investigation underway Morung Express news Dimapur | June 28
Two FIRs have been filed at separate police stations in connection to the fuel adulteration revelations by the ACAUT on June 28. The number of arrests stood at 5 on June 28 with 2 under the custody of the Diphupar Police Station and 3 under the custody of the West Police Station. While all the four adulteration units have been sealed, the police informed no fresh arrests have been made as on Tuesday and added that applications have been filed for police remand of
the people arrested. Dimapur Deputy Commissioner, Kesonye Yhome on Tuesday said that steps to be taken would depend on how the investigation unfolds in the next few days. However, no ‘special investigation’ has been announced as yet to probe the case and the state government has still to comment on the PDS kerosene siphoning as alleged by the ACAUT. While the investigation at present is confined to Dimapur, the possibility of it turning into an inter-district operation cannot be ruled out with the ACAUT on June 27 alleging one of the suspects
named in the exposure as having fuel retail outlets in 4 other districts aside from Dimapur. The alleged NPG nexus further makes the investigation more complex with one of the names revealed by the ACAUT on June 27 reported to be a member of a Naga Political Group. The DC added that the case demands result-oriented “triangular coordination” between the police, the administration and the judiciary. Isolated instances of the authorities clamping down on suspected adulteration units in the past have had little or no effect with the units resuming operations after remaining low for a brief while.