Politics / Manipur

IMPHAL, March 16: The Army today kept mum on the possibility of extending the duration of the festival ceasefire in Manipur. However, sources said Army officials had already informed Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam about their intention to keep military operations suspended for some more time. General-officer-commanding, 57 Mountain Division, Maj. Gen. Iqbal Singh, had announced suspension of military operations by both the Army and the Assam Rifles for 15 days, beginning March 1. The goodwill gesture was made on account of the Yaoshang (Holi) festival. The 15-day period ended yesterday, but...

IMPHAL, March 14: The Union home ministry has agreed to release Rs 4 crore as security-related expenses to the Manipur government within this week. The ministry's clearance came after Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam requested reimbursement of expenses incurred on account of counter-insurgency operations. With the state facing financial crunch, the government has been diverting funds from other sources for maintenance of law and order and counter-insurgency operations. Koijam, during his recent New Delhi visit, urged the Centre to release funds for reimbursement to ease the problems being...

IMPHAL, March 14: The one month long unilateral ceasefire offered by the state government and the 15 day truce of the Army authority received a serious setback when suspected militants struck in a big way killing one Assam rifle jawan and one 7 month old infant in a bomb attack at Sangakpham, Chingmeirong under Heingang police station last evening. One Assam Rifles personnel and four civilians were also injured in the powerful bomb blast. The bomb was found planted near the gate of the newly constructed residence of 12 MR CO Lokendro. Reports said the bomb exploded with a powerful intensity as...

IMPHAL, March 10: Manipur Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam has urged the Centre to provide a rehabilitation package for surrendered militants. Koijam, on his recent trip to New Delhi, informed Samata Party leader and Union defence minister George Fernandes about the state's unemployment problem and lack of funds for rehabilitating surrendered militants. As there are no private industries and enterprises, the state's over three lakh unemployed youth depend on the government for employment, Koijam said. Requesting the defence minister to set up a "Manipur regiment" in the Army, Koijam asked him...

IMPHAL, March 8: Chief minister Radhabinod Koijam today said all the constituent partners of the People's Front Government would be treated equally and the Government will consult all the partners in any policies to be taken up by the Government. He, however, warned that any move to destabilize the Government from within will only boomerang on the party concerned. Speaking at a reception function organised by the Samata Party for the ministers and Councilors at GM Hall today, the Chief Minister said there may be elements who are keen to destabilize and topple the Samata party led coalition...

IMPHAL, March 7: Even though Yaoshang festival is just two days away payment of salaries of Government employees is still uncertain. The Centre is yet to release the promised Rs 100 crore and the Chief minister Radhabinod Koijam was unable to say whether salaries and pensions would be paid by tomorrow. Speaking to The Sangai Expressthis evening Radhabinod said that the Centre has given strict instruction that the sum of Rs 100 crore promised by the Centre should be utilised only for developmental purposes and not for paying salaries to the Government employees. He informed that it costs the...

NEW DELHI, March 7: The Manipur Chief Minister, Radhabinod Koijam, has favoured setting up of a judicial commission to investigate the politico-government employees nexus with the various insurgent groups in the Northeast. The Centre too is considering the proposal "We just can't deny their links with the militants. Though the Centre is yet to decide on the proposal which was mooted some time back, I am confident that it will yield positive result to minimise insurgency in the state," Koijam said. On the allegation against Gangmunei Kamei, the minister for forest and environment in his Cabinet...

NEW DELHI, March 6: The Manipur Chief Minister, Radhabinod Koijam, today had to leave Delhi empty-handed. He announced yesterday that the finance minister had agreed to clear Rs 100 crore out of the Rs 200-crore special aid to the state and hence state government employees would receive their salary, pending for three months. The finance ministry held back the money at the eleventh hour, following the home ministry's intervention, sources said. The latter insisted that the money should be cleared only after the state honoured the MoU with it on retrenching around 2000 employees for their...

IMPHAL, March 6: Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam, pushing forward the peace initiative he began with the declaration of a month long unilateral ceasefire, has once again appealed to the underground groups to accept the government's offer to talks. Radhabinod Koijam, who returned today from New Delhi, was speaking at a function organised by the Thangmeiband Athletic Union, THAU, to felicitate him on assuming the Chief Ministership. The Chief Minister warned that it the underground groups rejected the talks offer, the ultimate consequences for Manipur would be severe. To save Manipur, he said...

IMPHAL, March 6: The Union Minister of State for Food Processing, Thounaojam Chaoba who is also the working president of the Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP) has categorically stated that the ongoing unilateral ceasefire announced by Radhabinod led People's Front government towards the insurgent outfits of the state cannot be effective. Speaking to group of newsmen at his Babupara Bungalow here this morning, Thounaojam Chaoba said that a ceasefire can be possible only when both the parties involved respect it. He pointed out that for an effective ceasefire, the state government's machinery...