NEW DELHI, Jan 13 — The Bangkok Consultative meeting of the Nagas has called for repealing of all special Acts under implementation in Nagaland and withdrawal of the ban on Naga movement outfits and arrest warrants against the leaders, besides upgradation of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism to an autonomous body. The crucial four-day Naga Consultative meeting attended by 44 delegation from several north-eastern States including Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland concluded with the delegates adopting several vital resolutions that may have deep impact on the ongoing negotiations between the Government of India and NSCN(I-M).
“We recognize that to create a conducive atmosphere for political negotiations and effective participation between the two entities that have entered into the cease-fire agreement, all draconian laws’ like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, National Security Act, Nagaland Security Regulation must be repealed,” a joint statement issued said. The banning of Naga national movement outfit and the subsequent warrants of arrest against the leaders must also be withdrawn. We appeal to both the Government of India and the NSCN to honour the spirit of the ceasefire and that as a confidence-building measure all military personnel armed cadres be restricted within the parameters of their respective designated areas,” the meeting pleaded. The chairman and general secretary of the NSCN (I-M) for instance, have accepted an invitation of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee to visit New Delhi.
The meeting has further identified the need for greater transparency and accountability in the ceasefire monitoring mechanism. They have suggested inclusion of independent observers to monitor the implementation of ceasefire agreement as specified in the ground rules. “We strongly recommend that the existing ceasefire monitoring mechanism be upgraded to an autonomous body with sufficient resources to impartiality and effective functioning, they resolved.
Another significant aspect of the meeting attended by almost all the top guns of the Naga movement was an appeal of the leaders to Britain to clarify the status of the Nagas at the time of the independence. The Naga people maintain that Great Britain has the moral and legal obligation to clarify her position on the Naga people and their land which India claims to have inherited from the British-India, the statement said. The unresolved Naga political issue on which the Naga people and their land were arbitrarily divided without their knowledge and consent was passed on by the British Empire to both independent India and Burma. “We Nagas from the outset resolutely fought the British invasion of our land undeterred by the vastly superior might of our adversaries. What perhaps may be music to New Delhi’s ears was that the consultion reaffirmed fullest support of the present ceasefire and the talks between the Government of India and the NSCN under the leadership of Isak Chishi Swu, Khoadao Yanthan and Th. Muivah, recognising them as significant achievements for all Nagas.