Day: December 6, 2012

DIMAPUR, Dec 6 NNN: Two more cadres of the NSCN-Khole/Kitovi have been killed by rival NSCN-K cadres last night at Longkhim area under Tuensang district of Nagaland.
Sources said the deceased have been identified as ‘Lieutenant’ Lumthrongtsaba and ‘Raja Peyu’ Chumkyuse, both hailing from Chungtor village under Tuensang district.
Reports said the NSCN-K cadres killed the two NSCN-Khole/Kitovi cadres at around 7 pm on Wednesday.
With this incident, four cadres from the NSCN-Khole/Kitovi have been killed by the rival NSCN-K cadres in the last one week. On December 3, two cadres of the NSCN-Khole/Kitovi were killed by cadres of rival NSCN-Khaplang group in the heart of Dimapur.
There were varied stories with regard to the cirscumstances that had led to the killing of the NSCN-Khole/Kitovi cadres on that earlier incident. Intelligence sources had said that the two cadres of NSCN-Khole/Kitovi were ‘chatting with shopkeepers’ at Murgi Patti area in the heart of Dimapur market when the cadres of NSCN-K came and shot them. However, NSCN-K sources had said it was purely a factional clash.
The deceased of December 3 were identified as 2nd lieutenant Sheye Konyak and sergeant major Wochamo Lotha.
Meanwhile, the booming factional clashes in Nagaland in the recent time has spoilt the pre-Christmas festivity activities in Nagaland, otherwise has been in the festive mood with series of advent Christmas parties underway since December 1. Stars and Santa Clauses have been put up but the undying factional clashes meant a spoil-sport to the cheering Christmas mood.
Nagaland, with the seven-day long Hornbill Festival, tagged as the festival of festival in the state has been in full swing in the state capital since December 1 but the insurgency related violence has been playing hiccups to the glowing festive ambience.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in all the sensitive areas where factional clashes are prone. Reports have also said that more factional clashes will occur in the days to come.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/two-nscn-khole-cadres-killed/

IMPHAL, Dec 6: Manipur Government has geared up to welcome AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi who will visit Imphal on December 10 and a meeting of the Manipur Congress Legislature Party (CLP) was held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat to discuss on arrangement for the visit on Thursday.
Congress members from every constituency will be participating at a public rally to be addressed by Rahul Gandhi on December 10 at Hapta Kangjeibung in Imphal. Several committees that will make arrangement for the Rahul’s one-day visit to the state have also been formed.
Rahul, who will accompany Luizinho Faleiro, North East in-charge, AICC will arrive in Imphal at 9 am of December 10 and then he will meet with the state Congress leaders at the Manipur Congress Bhawan here at BT Road.
Then Rahul, who is also the general secretary in- charge of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) will address a public meeting at Hapta Kangjeibung, Palace Compound in Imphal later in the morning.
The Congress leader and MP who is representing Amethi constituency will leave Imphal for New Delhi at 12:30 pm on the same day, official sources said.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/rahul-gandhi-to-address-rally-at-hapta-kangjeibung/

IMPHAL, 6 NNN: The finishing touch on two “integrity pillars” being erected by the state Art and Culture Department at Palace Compound in Imphal which based on the veracity of the age-old integrity of different ethnic groups in Manipur is almost ready to unveil.
The two pillars which are to be officially named as ‘integrity pillars’ being erected at the cultural complex will signify that different ethnic communities in the state have co-existed with love for the past thousands of years, said K Sobita, Director, Art and Culture Department, Government of Manipur.
She said the integrity pillars will also beautify the state cultural complex in Palace Compound, Imphal. One of the pillars is putting up at the main gate of Directorate of Art and Culture and the other one is erecting at the main gate of Bheigyachandra Open Air Theatre (BOAT), Imphal.
The pillar at the main gate of Directorate of Art and Culture depicts engraved figurines of man from different ethnic groups and other animals belonging to 17th and 18th centuries, Sobita disclosed. The other pillar at the main gate of BOAT displays several designs imprinted on various clothes used during that time, she said.
Over Rs 5 lakh has been spent on the development of the two stone pillars. These stones, measuring about 19 ft in length and 3.50 ft in diameter, were brought from Bishnupur district’s Ningthoukhong Lokchao, said Mutua Bahadur, Camp Director of the development of the pillars. Twelve Meitei and tribal sculptors are doing the stone carving works, he said.
The Manipur Government has been tirelessly developing the surrounding of the Palace Compound to make it a beautiful cultural complex for the last one decade. In the area, the Government has so far built buildings of City Convention, Manipur Film Development Corporation and complex of the Directorate of Art and Culture.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/integrity-pillars-to-be-unveiled/

IMPHAL, Dec 6 NNN: The Kuki National Organisation (KNO)’s situation can be best described as ‘the time will speak.’
No response has come forth from the Government of India after a day’s wait, the time-bound given by the KNO yesterday to the government, the leaders of the Kuki militants are returning to their ‘base’ on Friday from New Delhi’s camp.
“We are returning to our base tomorrow morning since the government has not responded till this evening,” KNO spokesman Dr Seilen Haokip informed tonight.
When asked whether they are abrogating the (SoO) terms with the government, Dr Seilen Haokip said, “The SoO has not been abrogated. Neither it has been extended.” When asked what he likes to describe to such a situation, Dr Haokip humorously said, “We are on waiting mode. We don’t know. At the moment we will first return to our base and see how things get unfurled. Anyway, we are on waiting mode.”
Yesterday, the KNO had placed its straight decision before the officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) at Asoka Hotel, Delhi in a meeting saying the government should first give a written assurance to the former to begin a political dialogue with the Kuki militant umbrella body. The KNO had also told them that it would wait for a day (which expired on Thursday).
It is worth mentioning that on November 2, the KNO had asserted that it demanded a separate Kuki state in Manipur under the Constitution of India. The KNO had also said it had taken a decision to abrogate the Suspension of Operation (SoO) if the government did not hold dialogues with it by November 22.
Chronicling the event, Dr Seilen Haikip on November 2 had stated that in response to the call of the Prime Minister to abjure the path of violent and come forward for talks, the KNO had signed the Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the Government of India (GoI) in 2005.
“However, this was objected by the Manipur state government. So, in 2008, KNO signed a tripartite SoO with the government of India and the State Government of Manipur. Even after seven years of the signing of the SoO, during which peace prevailed in the Kuki hills of Manipur, the Government is yet to initiate any political dialogue”, the KNO spokesperson had said.
Accusing the government of dictating terms, Dr Haokip had said that in August this year the former had unilaterally decided on a three-month extension of SoO, rather than the usual yearly basis. “It appears the government does not appreciate the peace dividend of the SoO”, the KNO leader had said while talking to a strong posse of journalists in New Delhi last month.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/kno-cadres-returning-to-base-camps/