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Dimapur VOL. IX ISSUE 326
The Morung Express
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Eco-tourism as alternate livelihood option in Dzuleke
US defense chief Hagel steps down
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Can Spirituality Subsist in Unemployment?
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One assaulted in Dimapur DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 25 (MExN): One person was assaulted at around 11:00pm on November 24 at River Belt Colony, Dimapur. A press note from the media cell of Survival Nagaland informed that the victim, identified as one Kughalu Chophy (in his forties) was allegedly “hacked on the head” leaving a deep cut mark starting from his left forehead to his right cheek, just missing the right eye. The incident occurred at the rented house, where both the victim and the accused stay as tenants, it was informed. The note stated that on the night of the incident, a scuffle broke out between the victim and the accused regarding the keys to the gate of their rented place. Survival Nagaland alleged that the accused “brought sharp edged weapons and hit the man on the head.” Meanwhile, the Dimapur police informed that one man was detained in connection with the assault. Three others, including the main accused, are absconding, the police said, while adding that the individual in custody was held for questioning.
Unidentified body recovered DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 25 (MExN): The body of one unidentified male, in his mid 30s, was found hanging by a tree in a jungle above the highway near the Patkai Bridge. A press note from the Dimapur SP office stated that the body was in a highly decomposed state and unrecognizable/unidentifiable. The deceased was wearing a green t-shirt and cargo pants. A greenish bag with ‘PUMA’ printed on it and containing a half eaten packet of biscuits was also found under the tree. The body is being kept in the Dimapur Civil Hospital Morgue for identification and further necessary formalities.
Aggrieved Hindi teachers call off agitation
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KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 25 (MExN): Nineteen signatories of the aggrieved Hindi teachers from 11 districts of the state have signed an agreement with the Commissioner and Secretary for School Education, M Patton and Secretary, Finance Department, Y Kikheto Sema to “call off their agitation with immediate effect.” A copy of the agreement, made available to the media today, declares that the salary of the aggrieved Hindi teachers shall be paid as soon as the fund is received from the MHRD, GoI within January 31, 2015. It adds that the “pay arrears due to them as a consequence of implementation of Nagaland services, ROP 2010 shall be released as and when fund is received from the MHRD, GoI as per the entitlement of each Hindi teacher on the basis of joining service within January 31, 2015.” As per the agreement, the state government further assures to release 3 months’ salary i.e. for the months of May and July 2014 in anticipation of the release to be made by the MHRD, GoI.
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Nagas are one ethnically The impunity of AFSPA & culturally: Nagaland CM Morung Express News Dimapur | November 25
Rengma - Pochury Day celebrated in Kohima Our Correspondent Kohima | November 25
Nagaland state Chief Minister, TR Zeliang today said that Nagas are known and respected by others for our culture and traditions, which “we are keeping alive till today.” Stating that Naga culture, traditions and customary practices are also protected under Article 371 (A) of the Constitution, Zeliang made an appeal to the younger generation to realize the values of our culture and to respect the traditional village and tribe authorities. “Without our culture, traditions, and Naga unity, we will be counted as nobody outside our state. Celebration of our festivals are also one way of re-affirming our loyalty to our respective tribes, our culture and traditions,” he said while addressing the Rengma- Pochury Day celebration here this morning under the theme ‘Yoke together in oneness.’ The CM asserted that Nagas are one ethnically and culturally, “even though we speak different languages.” He pointed to the Rengma and Pochury communities, who he stated share a lot of common history and migration in the past. Incidentally, he said, both the tribes, small in numbers as they are, have been divided by state or international boundar-
Rengma and Pochury women seen during the Rengma- Pochury day celebration in Kohima on November 25. (Morung Photo)
RENGMA- POCHURY DAY RESOLUTIONS • Rengma-Pochury community to supshall be observed in 2020. After 2020, port the peace process wholeheartedcelebration shall be observed every ly to usher peaceful and harmonious fifth year. co-existence of all Nagas. • Rengma-Pochury community to take • Rengma Hoho to host the Rengmaup common venture project as comPochury Day celebration in 2016, mon property for which a 5 member and thereafter the next celebration Planning Committee is constituted. ies. “The Rengmas, within our own homeland, are divided between Nagaland and Assam, whereas the Pochurys, in their own homeland, are divided between India and Myanmar,” he added. “These are the cruel outcome of certain historical forces we have to live with. Instead of feeling dejected and disappointed, we should actively try to build cultural and social bridges amongst members of the tribes, even across
the state and international borders,” he said. The CM called for strengthening and expanding the bond between the two communities. Nagas, he asserted need to unite, especially to resolve the protracted Naga political issue. However, he lamented that, “Naga unity is still only a dream we are pursuing.” “Let us try to look in this way; to achieve Naga unity, each constituent Naga tribe should also be more united amongst themselves,” he
encouraged. He called upon the Nagas to wake up with the example set by the Rengma and Pochury tribes and to work towards unity so that the Nagas can prosper. NLA Deputy Speaker, Er Levi Rengma and Parliamentary Secretary for School Education, Yitachu also spoke on the occasion. Solidarity notes were also read out by representatives of Western Rengma, Assam and Eastern Pochury, Myanmar.
Has the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) triggered secessionist movements in North East Region? What is the stand of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on AFSPA? Can we really remove AFSPA? These were some questions raised by young Nagas during the Dialogue on AFSPA organized by Young’s Club Dimapur here at Hotel Acacia on Tuesday. Secretary General of the Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Neingulo Krome, in a paper presentation on AFSPA, said that the act has its ancestry in the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Ordinance 1942 invoked by the then British Government in 1942 during the height of the ‘Quit India Movement.’ Reflecting the policies of colonial rulers towards the North East, the Government of Independent India swiftly promulgated a series of legislations including the Armed Forces (Assam & Manipur) Special Powers Act 1958, under which a non-commissioned army officer could shoot to kill a person for violating an order prohibiting an assembly of persons, Krome said. The subsequent division of states in the NE led to amendments of AFSPA in 1972 and 1986, extending the Act to all the newly created states. Replying to the above queries in the interactive session, the NPMHR Secretary General asserted that the Naga political movement was never a “secessionist movement.” “How can we secede
from something which we were never part of? To secede means to break away … even though Nagaland was created as the 16th state of India, the Naga National Political Movement never joined the Union of India”, Krome said and reminded that even the Government of India (GoI) had officially recognized the “unique history and situation of the Nagas” in July 2002. Krome further lamented that “people of the National movement have also terribly failed on its part in moulding and shaping the minds of today’s generation, who have come to think we are also secessionists.” The tragedy, he stated is that “we have become almost addicted to that new found space or freedom to have respite.” The human rights leader however admitted that the case might be applicable in other movements in the NE region formed after AFSPA 1958. Krome also said there are plenty of instances in NE insurgent movements including the Naga movement where people have joined the movement to avenge the deaths and torture of their loved ones at the hands of the armed forces operating with impunity under the shelter of AFSPA. On the questions can AFSPA be removed and the stand of the NHRC, Krome said everybody wants lifting of the Act except maybe, the Government of India and the Armed Forces. Krome said that for the GoI, the NE is strategically located in terms of national security and defence and therefore to quell secessionist or insurgent movements, which pose a threat to national security, GoI
would not care if the “rivers in NE turn red with blood.” Krome also informed that when NPMHR challenged AFSPA by filing writ petitions in the Supreme Court in 1982, the apex court had remained silent for 15 years and in the end pronounced that AFSPA was necessary for the wellbeing of India. Ironically, even the National Human Rights Commission upheld the decision of the Supreme Court, he added. The human rights leader concluded by saying that while challenging the constitutional validity of the Act and many other heinous deeds of the Indian security forces that have destroyed and trampled the Naga people, the question that comes to mind is, “how does one reason with an illiterate soldier or a career oriented officer who has been educated of his or her rights to do anything against the civil population and with full impunity?” Former ADC Dimapur and president, Tenyimia Union Dimapur, K Kapfo, who was then ADC of Dimapur when AFSPA was enforced in Dimapur in 1995 also shared his experience about the draconian act and how the common people had suffered during that time. Earlier, Young’s Club president, Jenpu Rongmei, delivered the keynote address. Other attendees of the dialogue included representatives from the Dimapur District GBs Association, Dimapur District Citizens Forum, Tenyimia Union Dimapur, Nagaland Alliance for Children and Women Rights, District Law College Students Union, Survival Nagaland and student bodies from various tribes.
Fight towards eliminating ENSF to boycott Statehood Day celebration violence against women Morung Express News Dimapur | November 25
Pointing out that Nagaland state is witnessing an alarming increase in the incidents of violence against women, the Nagaland State Commission for Women (NSCW) has reiterated its demand for the re-establishment of Fast Tracks Courts (FTCs) to deal speedily with cases of violence against women. Speaking at the fortnight observation of ‘Elimination of Violence against Women’ at Town Hall Dimapur on Tuesday, NSCW Chairperson, Dr. Temsula Ao reminded that the State Cabinet in September 2012, had decided to discontinue all FTCs after which all cases pertaining to crime against women were transferred to the Family Court. She also appealed the government to set up and ensure smooth functioning of Family Courts in all the districts. “We hope that the government will heed our prayers and do the needful without much delay,” she added. Dr. Temsula said it was not enough to enact law on violence against women if the implementation was not carried out in a proper manner. “Examples of such ‘miscarriage’ of justice are not far to seek where the perpetrators of heinous crimes had to be set free because of the failure of the prosecutors in presenting compelling forensic evidence against the accused as there is no fully equipped forensic laboratory in the state,” she added. Dr. Temsula said such lack of required infrastructure only makes a mockery of even the most stringent laws.
The NSCW also took note of instances where the society as a whole acts against victimized women when she is either forced not to lodge FIRs or withdraw the same. She also pointed out the “ever-compelling” force of customary laws invoked by many communities where the guilty man is let off with a token ‘fine’ as punitive punishment. Dr. Temsula was critical of the families that play a negative role by preventing victims of domestic violence from lodging public complaints so as not to bring ‘shame’ on the family. Another reason why women fear to take legal recourse against their husbands, according to the NSCW Chairperson, was because they are economically totally dependent on their husbands and think that their plight would worsen if they lodge complaints. Dr. Temsula minced no words in stating that such conditions for intimidation and subjugation persists in society because of the indifference of the men-folk towards the over-all well being of women. Towards this, Dr. Temsula called for all sections of society and government to unite and launch a vigorous and comprehensive movement to create awareness about the menace of violence against women and take up measures to eliminate this grave social menace. “Let us protect the women in our homes, localities, villages and towns from this evil which is destroying not only precious lives but is also perpetuating the state of fear and conflict in homes and society as a whole through such violence,” she appealed.
TUENSANG, NOVEMBER 25 (MExN): The Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) today informed that it would boycott the Nagaland Statehood Day celebration in the four districts of eastern Nagaland. A press note from the ENSF informed that in response to the federation’s letter dated November 26, 2013; the office of the Nagaland state Chief Secretary had issued a response on November 15, 2014. However, it lamented that the Nagaland state government has “failed” to address the grievances endured by the six “backward” tribes of Eastern
Nagaland (Yimchunger, Chang, Konyak, Phom, Khiamniungan and Sangtam). As such, it termed the “agreement and assurance” of the state government as a “false promise as all the commitment and assurance made therein by the state government with the ENSF on November 26, 2013 had remained only in paper.” The ENSF expressed displeasure on the state government’s response regarding post transfers, recruitment and the Mid Day Meal Scheme implementation. Based on the response of the state government
to these demands, the ENSF termed Nagaland as a “failed state in attending the basic need of its eastern citizens.” As such, it informed that the ENSF in an emergency meeting resolved to boycott the Nagaland Statehood Day celebration on December 1 in the four districts of Tuensang, Mon, Longleng and Kiphire. It further asked the Konyak Students’ Union, Confederation of Chang Students’ Conference, Phom Students’ Conference, Khiamniungan Students’ Union, United Sangtam Students’ Conference and Yimc-
hunger Akheru Ariako to act immediately to the directive from the federation for the boycott until further order. The ENSF informed that the boycott will include complete Shut Down from 6:00am to 6:00pm; no public or vehicular movement; closure of all business establishments and educational institutions; restriction of government vehicles and no public participation in the Statehood Celebration programme. However, the police and medical service shall be exempted from the preview of the bandh, it stated.
cease work’ NPA censures state govt’s ‘Total protest called off ‘disrespect’ towards media
DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 25 (MExN): The Nagaland Press Association (NPA) today expressed dismay at the “indifferent and lukewarm response of the various government departments who have yet to act on the directives issued to them for clearing all pending payments for advertisements that have been duly acknowledged and published by the media houses in good faith.” A press note from the NPA stated that despite “many difficulties faced,” newspapers in Nagaland “have never shied away from fulfilling its duty i.e. serving public interest and giving support to the government machinery in its endeavour to fulfill its own responsibilities.” However, it lamented that “non-payment
of bills for services rendered by the newspapers in particular and the failure to acknowledge its needs in general goes to show the utter disrespect that our government has towards the media in Nagaland.” Expressing solidarity with the stand taken by the Editors of newspapers in Nagaland, the NPA urged the Nagaland state government to look into the “seriousness of the issue” and “avoid the embarrassment of a media blackout of the Prime Minister’s upcoming visit and the Hornbill Festival from December 1-10.” It demanded that the government departments yet to clear their dues should be directed by both the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary, to find ways and means
to meet the deadline issued by the media houses i.e. November 30, 2014. It further condemned “all forms of red tape and dereliction of duty within the government departments.” “The current grievances of the newspapers in Nagaland are not a new phenomenon but have been dragging on for many years now. Here, the general public should be made aware that newspapers are not demanding anything that does not belong to them but only want what is due to them for services rendered by it,” it added. It cautioned that “the defaulting departments will be held solely responsible for any extreme course of action that the newspapers may take in the days to come.”
DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 25 (MExN): The All Nagaland School Teachers Association (ANSTA), the Nagaland School Education Administrative Officers Association (NSEAOA) and the Nagaland Secondary School Field Officers Forum (NSSFOF) have temporarily called off their proposed total cease work. A press note from the ANSTA President, Ponchulo Wanth, NSSFOF Convenor, Mezhuu Hozoyeh and NSEAOA Vice President, R Ekonthung Lotha informed that this decision was taken after a “commitment given by the Chief Minister Nagaland.” It was informed that the Nagaland CM had called representatives of the three associations to his official residence on November 20, 2014 and assured that he would “address the demands of the associations at the earliest possible time in consultation with department authorities.” The associations however cautioned that “if the genuine grievances are not redressed on time as assured, the proposed agitation (total cease work) shall be resumed at any time.”
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