North East India Conflict

Women leaders of NE-India leads National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security

New Delhi, 29 Sep 2015: Women leaders of Northeast India met last week in Delhi at an international conference titled “South Asian Women’s Peace and Security Conference: Formulating National Action Plans

Shri Kiren Rijiju, Honourable Union Minister speaking at the event

New Delhi, 29 Sep 2015: Women leaders of Northeast India met last week in Delhi at an international conference titled “South Asian Women’s Peace and Security Conference: Formulating National Action Plans & the Way Forward”, that was held on 21 and 22 September 2015 at India International Centre, New Delhi.

The Conference was inaugurated by Shri Kiren Rijiju, Honourable Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and attended by Ms Teresita C Daza, Ambassador of the Philippines; Mr. Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, Deputy High Commissioner, Bangladesh; Mr Cesare Onestini, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to India and representatives from UN Women, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Women leaders across the eight states of Northeast India namely Ms Binalakshmi Nepram, Founder, Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network and Secretary General, Control Arms Foundation of India; Dr. Rosemary Dzuvichu, Associate Professor, Nagaland University, Nagaland; Prof. Lalneihzovi, Mizoram University, Mizoram; Ms Pratibha Brahma, Member of North East Research & Social Work Networking, Bodoland, Assam; Ms. Agnes Kharshiing, President, Civil Society Women’s Organization, Meghalaya; Ms Rose Mangshi,President of Kuki Women Union, Manipur and Ms S Momon, Meira Paibi Leader, Manipur.

The meeting called upon the following appeal and resolved with a draft National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security of India:

Call upon the Government of India for the formulation of National Action Plans on Women, Peace, Security.
Honor India’s international commitment to Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR)1325, 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2106 and 2122 and to enact legislation for the same.
Inclusion of more women in electoral processes, judiciary, police forces, economic decision making and other decision making processes for a more gender balanced equitable society
Develop gender sensitization training of security personnel deployed in disturbed areas
Inclusion of more women in peace talks and peace processes for a better gender perspective in peace negotiations
Appeal to all ethnic groups, communities in to rise above the greater common goal of peace and prosperity for all . Women across ethnic, community, religion, state lines to unite to work together to make this possible.
Adequate protection for women human right defenders
Reformation of Customary Law for inclusion of more women in decision making
Recognition and honoring of contribution of women in cultural and social processes,
Inclusion of Peace Education in Educational Curriculum
Recognition of women role in peace processes and ensuring the participation of women as decision makers in peace negotiations and present and post conflict reconstructions by both the Central and State Governments.
The reformation of the security sector, involving a boosted morality especially when it comes to the protection of women by increasing the amount of female police officers in the stations and guaranteeing their presence at all arrests of women.
For all women to work on a shared vision, through re-establishing relationships, networking and interacting with other workers in the regional, national or international level
To build a positive peace starting from developmental aspects.
To work towards empowering women survivors of any form of violence with emphasis on economic justice and rights.
Till the state builds a dedicated capacity for restoring governance, stability, development and rule of law in disturbed areas, the armed forces leadership will have to constructively engage with the state and civil society in the disturbed areas.

The views forwarded by the speakers, along with insights from other experts and social activists, were also embedded in the draft national action plan on Women Peace and Security for India. Speakers also called for acceleration of the empowerment of women at all levels of peace processes; adequate services for displaced women and rehabilitation of victims of gender-based violence; and zero tolerance of sexual abuse by peacekeepers. During discussions all stressed to the importance of highlighting women’s role as actors and change agents, not just as victim, and stated “Without the inclusion of women in all aspects of life, whether political or in the economy, there can be no sustainable peace and no sustainable development”.

A memorandum on the issue of women, peace and security in India and urging for a National Action Plan was submitted to Union Minister of state for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju.

The conference was organised on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which recognizes that including women and gender perspectives in decision-making can strengthen prospects of sustainable peace. The event was organised by Control Arms Foundation of India in collaboration with Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network (MWGSN).

For more information, please contact:

Office of the Control Arms Foundation of India
B 5 / 146, First Floor, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi – 110 029, India,

Website: www.cafi-online.org, Phone: +91-11-46018541, Fax: +91-11-26166234

On students and activism in Manipur

Following is a reproduction of an interview of Dr. Malem Ningthouja(MN) by The Northeast Today(TNT). TNT: You were associated with a number of student organizations of Manipur, which is an

Following is a reproduction of an interview of Dr. Malem Ningthouja(MN) by The Northeast Today(TNT).

Malem Ningthouja

TNT: You were associated with a number of student organizations of Manipur, which is an insurgency-ravaged state. What challenges did you face as a student leader then?

Dr. Malem: Theoretically, neither militarisation nor insurgency is meant to target the students as a category of soft targets. However, there are challenges that a student leader normally faces in a war-field like situation prevalent in Manipur. Those challenges depend on the ideological position that he/ she upholds and the public issue that he / she raises. A student leader that consistently raises democratic voices against State terrorism and destructive projects is a potential target of the State actors. When I was an active student activists, there were consistent threats from the police and the intelligence. There were also threats from some non- state armed groups, whom I suspected to be working in collusion with the State forces.

TNT: What role students can play to bring in integration in a conflict region like Northeast?

Dr. Malem: When commodity relation for profit is the predominant value system above all other forms of human relationship; there are tensions for selfish ends and ‘disintegration’ at various levels in the family, relatives, villages or neighbourhood, community, and so on. In this situations, although the students are being metaphorically depicted as a homogenous section, they too suffer from the same tendency of tensions and disintegrations amongst themselves. This does not meant that there cannot be any kind of tactical ‘integrity’ amongst those who share common ideology and interest. In this regards, I believe, there can be utopian idealism to homogenise the heterogeneous fragments into a permanent unity. This is a fantasy and cannot happen in the real world at the wink of an eye. Where to begin with the unity initiative and how to begin it will involve organisational efforts, which will be resented by others who do not uphold the same agenda. However, those who think that they are in the right path in their own design, they may attempt to integrate more numbers on their side. This is the only role that different sections of students may attempt to do, in their own ways for different agenda.

TNT: Northeast region has been facing an identity crisis for a long time now. What’s your take on that?

Dr. Malem: Identity crisis or any kind of crisis is not an exception to what is being labelled as the Northeast. Since we are ‘peripheral’ part of India, we are like the limbs or the foot that belong to the lower strata of the Varna social order; that is, the Indian rulers do not intend to place us above them, but they need to ‘tame’ us to be obedient to fulfil their geo-strategic and commercial interests in our land. Our land and resources have been expropriated from us to enrich their profit. We are forced to remain silent under militarisation and draconian laws such as the Armed Forces Powers Act. Since we are being treated in this manner for more than six decades; we have realised that our problem is not created by us. On the contrary, it is they who are placing the onus of their problem on us. In this contradiction between ‘us’ and ‘them’; it is for Delhi, that is, the hub of power and brains, to wisely think and extend the warm hands of friendship to solve the problem without causing unwanted bloodshed and humiliation on us. This will be the first step towards resolving what many have blindly interpreted as identity crises in the Northeast.

TNT: What are the issues that students leader can take up in contemporary time?

Dr. Malem: There are couple of issues that require urgent attention. Some of those are: (a) Campaign against violation of human rights by the State actors and non-state criminals; (b) Campaign against drug addiction and for adequate rehabilitation of the addicts; (c) Resistance against population invasion by the outsiders and destructive projects; (d) Resistance against militarisation in the residential areas and places of daily economic activities. (e) Campaign for community economic programmes towards achieving sustainable development and for employment generation; (e) Campaign for expansion of State investment in the medical sector and adequate medical allowances and facilities to the needy persons.

TNT: Do you think that student politics is fading away in the Northeast now?

Dr. Malem: Students are born and brought up in the families, which in turn are the units of a larger society. Anything that affected the society affected the individual and vice versa. In other words, there is an interplay of personal, social and political. Since the rulers behave politically, their actions will be politically either receptive or dissented by different sections; which in totality constitute an overarching political situation, from where an individual can never escape without playing some roles in it.. There are some sayings in Manipuri, “when the house is burning will the student inside it remain reading? When the stomach is hungry and life is threatened will the student affected by it remain reading? Students are the pillar of the society; they must act politically for their future.” To which direction the majority bulk of the students will go is a different issue. Different sections will adopt their own agenda and style of politics. In whatever style or agenda, student politics always persist.

Questionnaire by Dhiraj Sarma, Senior Editor, Northeast Today.

Responses by Malem Ningthouja, Campaign for Peace & Democracy (Manipur).

Dated July 20, 2015.

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Manipur Ambush: Exclusive Photos from 4th June Ambush site in Chandel Manipur

Kanglaonline exclusive photo coverage from ground zero at ambush site, Parolon in Manipur’s Chandel district. By Deepak Shijagurumayum. A misleading calm hung over leafy Parolon in Manipur’s Chandel district on Friday 5th

Kanglaonline exclusive photo coverage from ground zero at ambush site, Parolon in Manipur’s Chandel district.

By Deepak Shijagurumayum.

Villagers roaming around with air gun at the ambush site at Paorolon, Chandel District, Manipur. Photo by Deepak Shijagurumayum.

A misleading calm hung over leafy Parolon in Manipur’s Chandel district on Friday 5th June, 2015, 24 hours after 18 soldiers of the 6 Dogra Regiment were gunned down here in an ambush by militants from three different groups – NSCN(K), KYKL and KCP.

6th Dogra Regiment’s truck ambushed by militants at Paorolon, Chandel District, Manipur. Photo by Deepak Shijagurumayum.

A live Improvised Explosive Device (IED), placed inside a pressure cooker, lay on the side of the road, about 20 km away from the Myanmar border, with parrot green sandbags placed in front to mark the area. The handful of soldiers guarding the spot halted the little traffic filtering in, sending them back. They were waiting for the bomb disposal squad.

IED bomb was implanted in a pressure cooker to ambush the Indian Army by militants at Paorolon, Chandel District, Manipur. Photo by Deepak Shijagurumayum.

“The bomb is still live. We arrived after the incident was over and have been here ever since. We are conducting searches. But the insurgents could very well have left for Myanmar. It’s difficult,’’ said a soldier from 6 Dogra Regiment.

Chinese made hand granade which was found at the ambush site at Paorolon, Chandel District, Manipur. Photo by Deepak Shijagurumayum.

Next to the IED lay an grenade that’s yet to be defused and the remains of the battle day before — the skeletons of two completely charred trucks, and two empty burnt RPG shells.

6th Dogra Regiment’s truck ambushed by militants at Paorolon, Chandel District, Manipur. Photo by Deepak Shijagurumayum.

On 5th June, New York Times reported: “At least 20 soldiers were killed and 11 are injured,” said Col. Rohan Anand, an army spokesman in New Delhi. “The army convoy was first blasted using improvised explosive devices followed by rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.”

Uniform of one of the deceased Indian Army at Paorolon, Chandel District, Manipur. photo by Deepak Shijagurumayum.

Exclusive photo coverage gallery from ground zero at ambush site, Parolon in Manipur’s Chandel district:

‘United National Liberation Front of West South East Asia’ Formed

On 24 April 2015, nine militant groups of the northeast, including the NSCN (Khaplang) and the ULFA faction led by Paresh Baruah, have come together to form a new unified

On 24 April 2015, nine militant groups of the northeast, including the NSCN (Khaplang) and the ULFA faction led by Paresh Baruah, have come together to form a new unified front during a meeting held recently in Myanmar, security sources said.

According to Hindustan Times report, the move to form the “United National Liberation Front of West South East Asia” comes close on the heels of S.S. Khaplang, chairman of the NSCN (K), abrogating a 14-year-old ceasefire agreement with the Centre last month. Khaplang, a Hemi Naga from Myanmar, played a key role in organising the meeting of militant groups where the decision to form the new grouping was made, security sources told Hindustan Times. Though Khaplang will be the nominal head of the new grouping, a key role will be played by Paresh Baruah, the chief of the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent who has consistently opposed peace talks with the Central government, the sources said.

Nagaland Post states that both Khaplang and Baruah are currently based in Myanmar. Baruah moved to Myanmar after authorities in Bangladesh launched a crackdown on his group, the sources said.

Besides the NSCN (K) and ULFA-Independent, other groups that participated in the meeting held at Taga in Sagaing division of Myanmar earlier this month were the Kangleipak Communist Party, Kanglei Yawol Kunna Lup, People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, People’s Liberation Army, United National Liberation Front and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit faction).

The new grouping is dominated by militant organisations from Manipur, which refer to the northeastern region as “West South East Asia”.

Nagaland Post states that security sources said Chinese intelligence played an active role in encouraging the northeastern groups to come together on a common platform. Chinese intelligence operatives are active in the Sagaing region and weapons are often shipped to the northeastern groups through the China-Myanmar border.

“The Chinese have promised to provide weapons and logistics to the new grouping as they want to keep things boiling in the northeast in view of their claim on the state of Arunachal Pradesh,” a source said.

Earlier, the Chinese intelligence had played a role in bringing together several militant groups from the Manipur Valley in an umbrella organisation called CorCom. Most of these groups have now joined the new grouping.

Several groups from the North Eastern states have training camps in Sagaing division. After the NSCN-Khaplang signed a truce with Myanmarese authorities in 2012, it has consolidated its position in the neighbouring country.

The NSCN (K) split in late March after Khaplang abrogated the ceasefire signed with the Central government in 2001 and wound up the cease-fire supervisory board. The group had at the time accused the Central government of not being serious about discussing the issue of “sovereignty” for Nagas. Khaplang also expelled two of its kilonsers- Wangtin Naga and P. Tikhak from the group, who were in favour of extending the ceasefire pact with the Government of India. Following the expulsion, Wangtin and Tikhak formed a new group under the name NSCN (Reformation) Nagaland Post states.

Source: security-risks.com

Peace Volunteers trained to mitigate conflict in India’s Northeast

Peace Volunteers trained to mitigate conflict in India’s Northeast Delhi/Imphal, 5 April 2014: Northeast India comprises the contiguous Seven Sister States—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and a brother Sikkim. The region has been facing the onslaught of multiple armed conflicts for

Peace Volunteers trained to mitigate conflict in India’s Northeast

Peace Volunteers trained to mitigate conflict in India’s Northeast

Delhi/Imphal, 5 April 2014: Northeast India comprises the contiguous Seven Sister States—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and a brother Sikkim. The region has been facing the onslaught of multiple armed conflicts for many decades. The issues aggravated after the introduction of the Armed Forces Special Power Act. More than 50,000 lives have been lost in the violence. The total population of North Eastern Region of India is 38,857,769, of which 19.1% are living below the poverty line. North East India deals with complex social political issues such as struggle over natural resources, ethnic conflicts, illegal migration, displacement and social exclusion. In Assam, there have been 14 bomb blasts since January to March, this year and 30 cases of bomb blasts between January and March 23 in Manipur. The conflict in Manipur turns 300 women into widows annually.

On 25-26 March 2014, Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network and North East India Women Initiative for Peace in partnership with Control Arms Foundation of India (CAFI) successfully organized an event ‘Peace Volunteers Training on Women, Peace & Security, Human Rights, Leadership, Conflict Resolution and Peace Building in Northeast India’, in Manipur.

The training workshop commenced with an introductory speech by Ms Binalakshmi Nepram Founder, Manipur Women Gun Survivor Network, welcoming all the resource persons and ‘Peace Volunteers’ at the event. She opened the session by giving an overview of the disturbing situation and status of women in Northeast India, against the background of the region’s prolonged inter and intra-state conflicts and patriarchal nature. She described how women are the victims of rape, abduction, child marriages, female infanticide, acid attacks, dowry-related murders, honor killing and enslavement. The focus of her speech was on ‘Women, Peace and Security in Northeast India’ and the inclusion of women in peace negotiation processes. She mentioned that Nepal is the first and only South Asian country to adopt the National Action Plan on Resolution 1325 and 1820, as a result of which the application of Security Council Resolution 1325 – which addresses the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women. She furthermore criticized that many Northeast India’s conflicts which are left unreported by mass media.

Ms Hazarimayum Jubita, Executive Director of Gender and Development Initiative and Convener of Peace Core Team, Manipur expressed that ‘Peace is a Process’. She quoted, “In Northeast India Peace Builders fight each other and form another Peace Builder.” She also mentioned that conflict can be solved from the top, down and bottom process and expressed the need of women in decision making processes and give peaceful solutions to the conflicts. She also expressed the need of women in decision making processes and give peaceful solutions to the conflicts. She said that Conflict happens at different levels, so, we need women to engage in decision making processes at different levels.

Mr. Wahengbam Joykumar, Executive Director, Human Rights Initiative, Manipur, explained the benefits of volunteerism. He mentioned about the qualities of a good leader as well as non-violent methods to combat violence. He also explained the concept of Human Rights which means freedom, equality, dignity, non-discrimination and is indivisible and universal. Further, he traced the concept of Human Rights to Indian Context, that in India, every citizen is entitled to all the Six Fundamental Rights granted by the Constitution and as citizens of India, have the right to seek constitutional remedy in times of human rights violation.

Mr. Phurpa Tsering, MA, International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, expressed his opinion about who could be Peace Volunteer, training methods, roles and responsibilities of the peace volunteer. He said that there should be linkage of local level network to the national level peace building process to ensure amplification of voices from grass roots to the national platform, to link community groups and leaders, to link networks of women to district, state and national level networks, to link with peace buildingnetworks, mothers’ bazaars, district & state conventions and meetings, awareness events, exposure and exchange visits, youth meetings, and media engagement. He also added that women representatives should be facilitated to participate in different national and regional forums works on women, peace and security agenda as well as supported to attend discussion forums and contribute to the dialogue processes.

Mr Meihoubam Rakesh, Director, Human Rights Law Network, Manipur, explained how to file First Information Report (FIR) to the police and any application to the court. He mainly focused how to apply theoretical knowledge to practical and field knowledge. He encouraged women and youths to learn the basic rights given by the constitution and spread awareness in their society by doing more practical works. According to him, attending workshop and reading books about the rules and regulation is not worth until and unless you apply that practically.

Mr RK Bobichand, Director, Change and Peacebuilding Action (CPA), expressed that “there is no formula for peace building”. He explained each and every point about the types of conflict, types of violence, different approaches to conflict like prevention, settlement, management, resolution as well as conflict transformation. Later on, he added ‘Peace is a process, many-sided, never-ending struggle to transform violence’ and explained about the types of negative and positive peace.

D. Michael Lunminthang Haokip, Doctoral Student, Department of Political Science, Manipur University, Imphal, said that in order to bring peace and to build friendship, home visit and taking documentation is one of the most important parts in bringing peace among the different societies, caste and groups. He explained how to do documentation of any incident happened and encouraged volunteers to start work from grass root level.

There were around 40 volunteers at the event and all were highly motivated by the Peace Volunteer training workshop by gaining much knowledge about the issues of Women, Peace and security, Human rights, Leadership, conflict transformation and Peace building in Northeast India. They were being assigned various tasks such as, to make documentation of conflict affected people, identification of prominent people in their area and to look whether they work for the people, collect the data of any incident happen in a year and identify themselves the areas/issues they can contribute for the society as a peace volunteer.

The workshop lay stressed on gender issues. It was suggested that the role of women in decision making processes is a critical factor in solving problems. Youth and women were encouraged to take leadership role and participate in all social activities.

SOAS, London in Solidarity with Irom Chanu Sharmila

Source: Kanglaonline Reporter LONDON, 07 March: The School of Oriental and African Studies, London (SOAS) is observing the centenary of the International Women Day in a week long celebration at the… Read more »

Source: Kanglaonline Reporter

LONDON, 07 March:

The School of Oriental and African Studies, London (SOAS) is observing the centenary of the International Women Day in a week long celebration at the student’s lounge. As a part of this observation a public meeting was held in honour of Irom Sharmila Chanu on 04-March 2011.

Babloo Loitongbam – noted human right activist and Director of the Human Rights Alert

Jo Baker, a human right academician and activist and a keen follower of Sharmila’s struggle led the meeting and noted human right activist and Director of the Human Rights Alert, Mr Babloo Loitongbam shared the genesis of the woman’s struggle in Manipur and place Irom Sharmila Chanu’s extraordinary struggle against the Armed Forces Special Power Act in perspective. The meeting attended by British and international students, scholars, activist etc was also attended by a strong Manipuri crowd settling in and around London. It was a unique opportunity to talk about the unprecedented struggle of Sharmila and the highly repressive situation in Manipur.

Leaflets highlighting the non-violent protest of Sharmila Chanu were distributed. Jo Baker, also took the initiative of taking many hand written personalize message from the participating individuals and handed over to Iron Chanu Sharmila.

Click here to check the photo gallery of the event
The meeting concluded with a request to sign up the ongoing signature campaign for Sharmila to be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.
http://www.causes.com/causes/559021-nobel-peace-prize-for-irom-sharmila?m=88fc20a0

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