3 ex-PMs urge Centre to renew Naga truce

KOHIMA, July 28: Three former Prime Ministers have jointly appealed to the Centre to renew the ceasefire agreement with the NSCN(IM) and urged the Thai government to release T Muivah so as to revive the peace process, reports UNI. In a joint release issued recently, Chandra Shekhar, VP Singh and HD Deve Gowda expressed concern at the development "at home and in Bangkok" and said these were not helping to create a conducive environment to maintain the ceasefire meaningfully or continue dialogue to find a lasting solution to the 50-year-old Naga problem. "We are committed to promoting a dialogue between the Government of India and the NSCN so that the peace talks could seriously begin," they said. The ceasefire was under considerable strain and the breakdown of agreement would cause serious problems to both the Nagas and the Centre. Return of violence and repression would be a devastating setback to the emerging civil society movement for peace and justice in Nagaland and also in the rest of the country, they observed. The former PMs also appealed to the Union government to renew the ceasefire agreement with the NSCN as was done in 1997 so that talks could be resumed in a constructive and meaningful manner. Stating that the participation of NSCN(IM) leader T Muivah was essential for continuation of the peace talks, they urged the Centre to intervene to secure his release. Meanwhile, the Thai friends of the Nagas, in a release here said that a meeting of the Naga people along with the participants from Thailand, India and various international groups had appealed to both Indian and Thai governments to endorse Muvah's immediate release from custody in the interest of peace and security of the region. "Muivah best reflects the aspiration of the Naga people and should represent them in the negotiations between the Government of India and the NSCN(IM). He has the authority to negotiate a substantive and lasting settlement," the meeting observed.