June 14, 2015 – Page 3

The events unfold Delhi

By Oken Jeet Sandham I have never come across such massive news coverage in print and electronic media nationally and internationally of the ambuscade on the Indian Army convoy by

By Oken Jeet Sandham

I have never come across such massive news coverage in print and electronic media nationally and internationally of the ambuscade on the Indian Army convoy by the combined team of NSCN (K), KYKL and KCP in Manipur’s Chandel district bordering Myanmar. 18 soldiers were killed while 11 left injured in the ambush.

The post-ambush news coming in is more interesting. It is even more interesting after Indian Army started operation and surgical precisions from Mi-35 attack helicopters of the Indian Air Force against the militants by even entering into Myanmar’s air space. Soon after this mission, several conflicting news came in TV Channels….Indian Army after crossing international border could launch surgical strikes and destroy militant camps and killed 100 militants inside Myanmar…sometimes, news came in as 40 militants killed… sometimes 20 militants killed who were believed to be responsible for the deadly ambush on Indian army in Chandel. The highly controversial Indian army commando team’s victorious picture with their chopper after their mission in Myanmar went viral in Social Media and it has extensively damaged the image and integrity of the Indian Army.

In spite of all these doubtful supply of news materials to the media, the media, particularly based in Manipur, have been maintaining their professionalism. In fact, release issued by Defense Wing did not mention figures of any casualty. The media in Manipur acted professionally in covering the Army operations.

Now Myanmar authority denied Indian army entering into their territory and killed the militants involved in Chandel ambush. Their denial is as important as Indian army’s claim of entering into their territory to the media people. However, Indian army’s image and integrity is badly dented more by the controversial victorious picture. Anyhow, finally they said they recovered seven dead bodies of the militants.

Why had all these unwanted things suddenly happened? It is because of the Center’s failure to keep the NSCN (K) in the loop. The outfit has been in truce with them since 2001. In fact, they would not have abrogated the truce if the news of Center’s reluctance of extending the ongoing ceasefire with them did not come in mass media. Having ceasefire with them for 14 years is a very costly affairs and every effort should be made to keep them in the loop. Had the Government of India asked them to prepare “Charter of Demands” for starting at least some preliminary talks? The outfit entering ceasefire with Myanmar Government is in fact a blessing in disguise for India for the fact that the burden would be lesser on them. After all these 14 long years of truce, a news item doing the round of not extending the ongoing truce with them was actually an humiliation, besides making them mockery in the eyes of the world.

Expectedly, soon after the abrogation of the ceasefire, they started attacking on the Assam Rifles in Nagaland’s state capital, Kohima and even in Arunachal Pradesh. Their desperation was high after Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju’s remark that NSCN (K) had got nothing to do with the Naga issue.

All these careless remark gave them to commit to any audacious attack on Indian army. This was expected and one wonders why Indian intelligence did not have such thinking. What is our Intelligence quality? NIA’s role in this became more questionable after wrongly naming high profile functionaries of another outfit as NSCN (K)’s masterminding the deadly ambush. They later clarified. How poor Intelligence input and system they have and this can put many innocent persons’ lives into danger during such volatile situation. With this level of intelligence of our Agencies, the doubts on varied news items after Indian army attacks on militant camps by entering into Myanmar territory will be proven otherwise.

If one studies the whole events very carefully, the Center seems not knowing the historical backgrounds of the Northeast people. And unless they try to know this, to start for finding solution to any issue is not even thinkable.

The country needs professionals.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/06/the-events-unfold-delhi/

No sign of life in this Manipur village – Deccan Herald

Deccan HeraldNo sign of life in this Manipur villageDeccan HeraldLife after ambush: Ever since attack, people have fled in hundreds. Assam Rifles personnel to carryout counter insurgency operation in a remote location of Chandel district . Tucked in be…

Deccan Herald

No sign of life in this Manipur village
Deccan Herald
Life after ambush: Ever since attack, people have fled in hundreds. Assam Rifles personnel to carryout counter insurgency operation in a remote location of Chandel district . Tucked in between dense gurgles and undulating hillocks, Paraolon is now …

Zoramthanga help brokered peace talks between Centre and NE insurgent groups

AIZAWL 14 June,2015: With the signing of ceasefire between the centre and the eight Mizo insurgent groups under the banner of United People’s Front (UPF) on Tuesday last, the talks

Photo source: IFP

AIZAWL 14 June,2015: With the signing of ceasefire between the centre and the eight Mizo insurgent groups under the banner of United People’s Front (UPF) on Tuesday last, the talks with the groups was ungraded to political level from official level, according to former Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga.
Zoramthanga, who was present in Delhi during the signing of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) told PTI here today that delays in peace talks between the centre and the ethnic Mizo militant groups was harming mutual trusts between the two sides.

“Years have passed after signing SoO earlier, but without any formal parleys,” he said, adding that the groups did not sign SoO during the last nine months making the situation explosive in the north east”, he said.

The former revolutionary leader said that he helped in brokering peace between the groups and the government of India without actually participating in the talks.He said that his main role was to create mutual trust between the groups and the centre, lacking due to prolonged hostilities between the two sides.

“I did not want to be called as interlocutor or as any official mediator as my main role was to build mutual trust between the two sides,” he said.

The UPF constituents were the Kuki National Front (KNF), Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRO), Kuki Revolutionary Army (United), Zomi Defence Force (ZDF), United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF), Kuki Revolutionary Front (KRF), Zomi Defence Volunteers (ZDV) and Hmar People’s Convention (Democrats), he said.

The militant groups headed by UPF chairman S T Thangboi were represented by leaders of the groups while the centre was represented by Ministry of Home Affairs officials headed by Sambhu Singh, joint secretary (north east) of the MHA.

Earlier, Zoramthanga, went to Myanmar and Bangkok two times to broker peace between the Myanmar government and 17 ethnic-based insurgent groups in that country.

Source: PTI

No respite from flood situation in Assam as rain continues over the region

Guwahati, 14 June,2015: Moderate rainfall has continued over Assam in the last 24 hours washing away chances of any respite. Brahmaputra River is already flowing above the danger level submerging

Guwahati, 14 June,2015:

Moderate rainfall has continued over Assam in the last 24 hours washing away chances of any respite. Brahmaputra River is already flowing above the danger level submerging various parts in the state.

The worst hit areas include Barpeta, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, and Sonit. The floods have rendered lakhs of people homeless and destroyed crops as well. No immediate relief is in sight as moderate to heavy rainfall is expected to continue over the region throughout Monday.

Moreover, in coming days, widespread moderate rainfall will keep Brahmaputra River flowing above the level of danger. Only when the rain stops can the locals expect some respite. Relief and rescue operations will be hampered by incessant rainfall.

Flood situation in Assam has worsened with over 3 lakh people being affected. After Brahmaputra and several of its tributaries covered fresh areas in Assam, more than 700 villages in 15 districts have been affected.

According to media reports, the most affected areas were Lakhimpur, Barpeta, Sonitpur and Dhemaji districts. More than one lakh people have been affected In Barpeta district alone. The death toll remained at two, one each in Lakhimpur and Bongaigaon districts.

Source: skymet

At border village, recalling Army’s Myanmar operation: ‘We heard shooting, explosions… boom, boom, boom’

“Suddenly, we heard a lot of shooting and bombs going off in the near distance. Boom, boom, boom. We were wondering what was happening,” 55-year-old Hemlet Guite, a village elder,

“Suddenly, we heard a lot of shooting and bombs going off in the near distance. Boom, boom, boom. We were wondering what was happening,” 55-year-old Hemlet Guite, a village elder, said.

Angko Chingbo hill, 15 km inside Myanmar, where villagers say 3 insurgent groups have their camps; (inset) Hemkhoshei, 65, a minister of the Phaikoh village council. (Source: express photo by Deepak Shijagurumayum)

Esha Roy, Phaikoh(Indo-Myanmar border), 14 June 2015:

In this last Indian village in Manipur’s Ukhrul district, there is no telling where India ends and Myanmar begins. The boundary is not demarcated visibly, and the small teak huts standing on wooden stilts could be in either country. On the morning of June 9, sleepy, isolated Phaikoh was jolted by the sounds of Indian soldiers attacking Naga militant camps in the area in retaliation against the June 4 ambush of the 6 Dogra Regiment.

“Suddenly, we heard a lot of shooting and bombs going off in the near distance. Boom, boom, boom. We were wondering what was happening. We didn’t see any soldiers go through our village or in the surrounding jungles. We assume they must have gone very quietly at night, on foot,” 55-year-old Hemlet Guite, a village elder, said.

It was approximately 8 in the morning when Phaikoh first heard the “sounds of the battle” — around the time its 16 schoolchildren had just begun classes at the village school.

“We did see them coming back, though,” Guite said. “In the afternoon, it must have been two or three o’clock, a stream of Indian Army soldiers started walking into the village. Then the helicopters started coming. They landed on our football field, and the soldiers started to get on. It looked as though there were at least a hundred soldiers. There were two helicopters, and each made three trips. Some of the soldiers left on foot,’’ Guite added.

Sixty-five-year-old Hemkhoshei, a minister of the village council, said it was the first time he saw an Army chopper. “I was very excited. One Armyman told me to shut my eyes because there would be a lot of dust as the machine landed,” he laughed.

Sauntering easily into Myanmarese territory, stepping over the shallow, muddy trench that marks the border, Hemkhoshei pointed to the grey-blue hill rising above the treetops, its peak surrounded by wispy white clouds.
“That is Angko Chingbo hill,” he said. It is about 15 km inside Myanmar. The UNLF, PLA and KYKL have their camps there. That is where the Army went that day.

“We have heard that nothing is left of the PLA camp now. But we do not know if the Army managed to reach the UNLF camp. It is on the other side of the mountain, and very difficult to reach,” Hemkhoshei added. According to him, the PLA camp had more than a hundred residents.

Residents of Phaikoh said insurgents often traveled to border villages on the Indian side “for patrolling”. Cadres of the UNLF were the most frequent visitors, they said. “They come at least once a month, sometimes more often. They talk to us, eat their lunch, and go back. But we never have to feed them. They give us money to buy rice, and cook for themselves. Twenty, or even 40 insurgents come at a time. We haven’t seen any since Tuesday (June 9), though,” said Janghen Jangkhohem, secretary of the village council. Guite said the villagers have a good rapport with the UNLF. “There is no doctor or pharmacy in the village. So the UNLF insurgents sometimes give us medicines. Malaria is endemic here, and they often hold medical camps in the village, to which they bring a doctor. In return, they ask us for information — on who comes here, and what we hear about the Army. Last Christmas, the UNLF gave us money to buy a pig or cow for a feast,” Guite said. Hemkhoshei said UNLF cadres sometimes held meetings with the village council or elders. “They talk to us of development… roads, better schools, medical facilities, electricity. They have told us that they would help us get all these things,” he said. No resident of Phaikoh has ever visited any of the camps, however. What they know about them is based on what they have heard from friends in Myanmar who visit the camps to sell their wares to the insurgents. “Since Tuesday, Myanmar has completely sealed off the border. We can’t even go to Mongjang, the neighbouring village on the other side. But hopefully, the restrictions will be lifted soon,” Guite said. Across a range of three hills closer to the Indian side of the border, at the village of Nampisha, villagers recalled the happenings of June 9. “Helicopters were flying in and out. Huge helicopters. We could here gunfire in the distance. We gathered at the church and I told my congregation to pray. I warned them not to stray far from the village. Not to even go out hunting. To just stay indoors and pray,” said pastor Akhui Kamkara. The 44 Assam Rifles has an outpost at Nampisha, villagers said, and they had tightened their vigil. No one was going towards Phaikoh, villagers said.

Published in The Indian Express.