Manipur News

IMPHAL, August 7: In support of the demand put up by JCILPS to the government which is introduction of a new bill to safeguard the indigenous people and nation-wide cease work strike launched by All India Federation of University &College Teachers` Organisations (AIFUCTO), All Manipur College Teachers`™ Association (AMCTA) staged a one-day cease work strike today.

Informing this in a press release, the association said AMCTA being a unit of AIFUCTO maintains the solidarity of teachers of universities and colleges of the country.

It further informed that AIFUCTO launched the nation `“wide cease work strike and hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi today urging the Central Government to fulfil certain demands including immediate constitution of VII Pay Review Committee; MHRD approval of UGC Decisions on 3rd Amendments of UGC Regulations -2010 and Ph D Regulations 2009.

Scrapping of API; rolling back of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) & CU bill 2013; extension date for RC and OC up to December 2015; UGC pay scales for all categories of teachers; stopping commercialisation of Higher education; rejection to New Pension Scheme 2004 and consultation on Education Policies with teachers`™ organizations are some of the demands put up by AIFUCTO to the government.

All government college teachers of Manipur under the banner of AMCTA have taken part in the nation-wide strike, the release said.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/08/amcta-launches-cease-work-strike-supporting-ilps-introduction/

IMPHAL August 7: Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee president and State deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam today led party members and volunteers to stage a sit in protest against the BJP led NDA government for suspending 25 Congress MPs from the Parliament for five day and demanding a white paper on the GOI-NSCN (IM) pact at Congress Bhavan.

The sit in protest was also participated by several Congress MLAs who were seen holding placards demanding resignation of Union Minister External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivaraj Singh Chauhan.

The Congress protestors also condemned suspension of the 25 party MPs and demanded a white paper on the peace accord signed between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM).

Speaking to media persons, deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam said the historic signing of the peace accord between the GoI and the NSCN (IM) which has been achieved after 18 years of ceasefire is welcomed.

However, the Centre should not invite more problems in trying to solve one, he observed.

He said although the Chief Minister has already submitted a written request for the full text of the accord, the State has been denied its contents till date and so we are not in any position to make comments.

`Our Chief Minister has flown to Delhi today to seek appointment with the Prime Minister and informed him of our concerns and positions especially on territorial integrity` he said.

The document has been shrouded in mystery and is yet to be made public, which is only intriguing and confusing the public, the State deputy Chief Minister continued.

The MPCC, State government and the public are collectively demanding a white paper on the agreement, he said.

Gaikhangam also said that anything which would be against the interest of Manipur and that infringes on the territorial integrity of the State will not be acceptable.

He further called upon the people to unite against their differences and meet any eventualities that may arise.

He said not just the State government, but even the ongoing Parliament session has not been involved of such a historic event.

Meanwhile, replying to a query regarding the demand for suspension of the police personnel involved in the death of Sapam Robinhood and those who had inhumanely treated the school girls, the deputy Chief Minister simply replied things will be resolved very soon.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/08/gaikhangam-leads-party-sit-in-protest-demanding-white-paper-on-peace-pact/

IMPHAL, August, 7: A thanksgiving celebration function of the recent signing of the peace accord between the NSCN (IM) and the Government of India in New Delhi was held today at the Jadonang Park, Tamenglong headquarter attended by a huge crowd.

The celebration was organised by the frontal organisations of the Tamenglong District Celebration Committee.

It is also learnt that as part of the celebration, a torch rally will be taken out from the Lower Ground to Jadonang Park in the evening.

Meanwhile, the All Naga Churches in Chandel district of Manipur is conducting a welcome and thanksgiving prayer service to be organised across the district at the respective churches on August 9.

Informing the collective decision taken in this regard, presidents of Anal Christian Forum Rev Kl Tangthu Anal, who is also the executive secretary of Anal Naga Baptist Association (ANBA) said the programme would be conducted in collaboration with the Chandel Naga People`™s Organisation (CNPO).

The welcome and thanksgiving prayer according to Rev Kl Tangthu is organised to show that the churches in Chandel is grateful for the signing of the Peace agreement between the GoI and the NSCN (IM) recently.

The Churches will say special prayer of thanksgiving and further pray for PM of Narendra Modi and his government and collected leadership of the Nagas led by Isak Chisi Swu and Th Muivah, Tangthu added.

Meanwhile, Kanankhu Baptist Churches Thursday organised a get together to welcome the peace agreement at the church compound.

Led by Church Pastor Ts Hmungam, village authority chief and members, church members including men, women and youths present in the gathering, thanked PM of India, Narendra Modi and NDA government.

They also said `thank you` to Isak Chisi Swu and Th. Muivah.

The Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) and Tangkhul Longnao are jointly organising a Thanksgiving Day on August 10 to celebrate the signing of Peace Accord between the NSCN-IM and the Government of India (GoI) in New Delhi recently.

`A new history has been created and it is only fitting that we acknowledge the milestone peace pact with thanksgiving,` said TNL general secretary Nobert Khayi in a press briefing at his office this evening.

As a part of the Thanksgiving Day, the public of the township would be undertaking a Peace March holding Naga National Flag through the town`™s thoroughfare at 11 am, he informed adding that during which there would be a shutdown on commercial establishments and traffic movement in the town.

Urging all the residents of the town irrespective of tribe or race to participate in the celebration, Khayi asked all to dress themselves in their respective traditional attire on the day.

Later in the evening at 7 pm, all households would light up candles in their respective yards, while all Churches in the township would be conducting a candle-lit worship service, he informed.

We have duly informed all Tangkhul Longnao from across the district and we are expecting them all to take part in the event, he anticipated.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/08/nagas-welcome-signing-of-accord/

NEW DELHI, August 7 (MIC): ` I was quite surprised when I came to know the historic peace accord between the Government of India and NSCN (IM) was signed on August 3, 2015 without informing us`.

Talking to the media here today, the Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh said that he then asked the Union Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh to send a copy of the agreement.

Rajnath told the Manipur Chief Minister that he would present the statement in the parliament. Till date, the matter is not presented in the Parliament, he added.

Day before yesterday, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Union Minister of State for DoNER Jitendra Singh, during their inspection of flood in Manipur, told the media in Imphal that the peace accord was a simple framework, he narrated.

The Chief Minister also stated that the Government of Manipur is very much concern about the sensitive issue.

`My people will ask me why the State government did know nothing about the Naga accord. So, I come here to collect the full text of the Accord from the Centre`, he said.

He said that the statement of Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Niramala Sitaraman made yesterday that the Chief Ministers refused to come for a meeting called the Prime Minister on Naga Issue, was completely false and misleading to the people.

The Chief Minister further produced the two letters dated July 7, 2015 and July 10, 2015 sent from NITI Aayog and placed them before the media.

He said that the first one was for the meeting held on July 15 at 11 am about the discussion of Land Acquisition Act which the Congress ruled States had boycotted and the next one was for the meeting at 7pm on the same day relating to the development of the North Eastern Region.

If the agenda was on Naga Accord, he would definitely attend the meeting, he remarked.

He expressed, ` Nagas are my brothers and sisters living together with harmony for many years on Manipur soil. We want lasting solution for the NSCN (IM). If they demand the Naga areas from Manipur, 90 percent of the land will go, which we cannot compromise`.

He further stated, `While R. S. Pandey was the interlocutor of NSCN (IM) Peace talk, he always consulted the Government of Manipur on every step. When Ravi had been appointed as interlocutor, he never approached the State government on the issue`.

The Chief Minister also took a firm stand that not a single inch of land will be given from the territory of Manipur.

Indian National Congress organized a press briefing today at AICC conference room, Akbar Road here.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewalla was the main speaker.

Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi who also attended the briefing said that he was surprised that the Naga Accord was signed by the Interlocutor as representative of the Government of India.

He asked for the validity of the agreement. He further raised the question why it had been kept secret till today.

Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Nabam Tuki said that if the peace accord damaged the co-existence of the people of the North eastern region, it would be meaningless.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/08/i-have-come-seeking-full-text-of-goinscn-im-peace-accord-cm-ibobi-in-new-delhi/

IMPHAL, August 7: BJP MP Prahlad Patel who is also the Manipur in charge of the party had urged the Central government to intervene on the issue regarding the death of Sapam Robinhood and see to it that the young student`™s last rites are performed, according to a statement of the BJP Manipur.

It said Prahlad Patel had raised the issue of the death of student Sapam Robinhood during the ILP movement in the State during the Zero Hour in the Parliament on August 5.

The MP said in the House that he would like to introduced a sensitive issue of Manipur, it said.

He also informed the House that a student Sapam Robinhood died on July 8 after being hit by a tear gas shell fired by the police and his last rites are yet to be performed, the statement said.

It added that the MP also informed the House that due to the incident, curfews and general strikes have been imposed in the State since July 8 and that the public has been agitating since then demanding suspension of the police personnel involved in the incident.

However, due to the failure of the State government to take any action, the agitations are continuing in the State, Patel had informed the House according to the BJP Manipur statement.

At the same time, the State is also facing hardships due to landslides and floods, he said, according to the statement.

Patel had also informed the House that although a team of the NDRF has already started rescue work, there is not enough sign of the State government taking much interest on the issue, it said.

The MP had also expressed that it is his firm belief that the failure of the government to act is due to the prevalent corruption in the State, it said.

He continued that the political parties, legal experts and the people are unable to speak freely, it said.

According to the statement, the MP had urged the Central government to take up steps so that it could intervene and ensure that the young student`™s last rites are performed and peace returns in the State.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/08/bjp-mp-raises-robinhoods-issue-in-parliament/