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Centre may extend truce in whole of
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Centre may extend truce in whole of Northeast
The Asian Age (New Delhi)
March 6, 2001
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, March 5: With the Assam Assembly polls approaching, the Union
home ministry is considering the option of extending the ceasefire in
the entire Northeast.
The chief ministers of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, who met
Prime Minister Atal Behari Najpayee last Saturday, also urged the Centre
to extend the ceasefire to the entire Northeast by initiating a dialogue
with all militant outfits in the region. They were against the extension
of a truce only between the NSCN (I-M) and the Centre. The Manipur
government has already declared a truce with 17 militant outfits in the
state.
Sources disclosed that Army officers have already initiated a dialogue
with the Khaplang faction of the NSCN for a truce. In Nagaland the
ceasefire has so far been observed between the NSCN (I-M) and the
Centre.
It was learnt that the Khaplang faction of the NSCN, which has been
operating from Burma, was also keen to join in the truce being offered
by the Centre. The NSCN (K) has been in trouble since the Burmese
authorities launched an operation against the outfit. It was learnt that
several NSCN (K) camps have been raided by Burmese authorities. The
Indian government has denied holding a joint operation with the Burmese
against the NSCN (K).
Sources claimed the three chief ministers made it clear that limiting
the truce to the NSCN factions ?in the long run would be detrimental to
their states since they have large Naga populations.? The NSCN factions,
particularly the NSCN (I-M) have demanded that the truce be extended to
the Naga-dominated areas in the Northeast. Assam, Manipur and Arunachal
Pradesh have argued that if the Centre concedes to the demand, it will
mean accepting the demand for a ?greater Ngaland? by the Naga militants.
The states want the Centre instead to hold a dialogue with all the
outfits, including Ulfa.
However, home ministry sources claimed that his particular demand of
holding a dialogue with all the militant outfits in the Northeast could
become a problem because fixing a common ground rule might not be an
acceptable proposition for all the militant outfits in the region.
?Unlike Kashmir, where mainly foreign militant outfits are active, the
situation in the Northeast is more complex,? a senior home ministry
official said.
According to him, in the Northeast, the militant outfits were local and
each had its own separate demand. However, the Centre has not given up
efforts to bring peace to the region, the official said. Intelligence
officials are reportedly in touch with the Ulfa top brass, sources said.
The government has also made it clear that it would ?not be browbeaten
by the violence unleashed? by the terrorist outfits but, at the same
time, it was willing to extend hands of cooperation.
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<center><b><font color="#0000FF"><font size=+2>Centre may extend truce
in whole of Northeast</font></font></b></center>
<p><font color="#CC0000"><font size=+1>The Asian Age (New Delhi)</font></font>
<br><font color="#CC0000"><font size=+1>March 6, 2001</font></font>
<p><font size=+1>By <font color="#800000">Our Special Correspondent</font></font>
<p><font size=+1><font color="#CC0000">New Delhi, March 5:</font> With
the Assam Assembly polls approaching, the Union home ministry is considering
the option of extending the ceasefire in the entire Northeast.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The chief ministers of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh,
who met Prime Minister Atal Behari Najpayee last Saturday, also urged the
Centre to extend the ceasefire to the entire Northeast by initiating a
dialogue with all militant outfits in the region. They were against the
extension of a truce only between the NSCN (I-M) and the Centre. The Manipur
government has already declared a truce with 17 militant outfits in the
state.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Sources disclosed that Army officers have already initiated
a dialogue with the Khaplang faction of the NSCN for a truce. In Nagaland
the ceasefire has so far been observed between the NSCN (I-M) and the Centre.</font>
<p><font size=+1>It was learnt that the Khaplang faction of the NSCN, which
has been operating from Burma, was also keen to join in the truce being
offered by the Centre. The NSCN (K) has been in trouble since the Burmese
authorities launched an operation against the outfit. It was learnt that
several NSCN (K) camps have been raided by Burmese authorities. The Indian
government has denied holding a joint operation with the Burmese against
the NSCN (K).</font>
<p><font size=+1>Sources claimed the three chief ministers made it clear
that limiting the truce to the NSCN factions ?in the long run would be
detrimental to their states since they have large Naga populations.? The
NSCN factions, particularly the NSCN (I-M) have demanded that the truce
be extended to the Naga-dominated areas in the Northeast. Assam, Manipur
and Arunachal Pradesh have argued that if the Centre concedes to the demand,
it will mean accepting the demand for a ?greater Ngaland? by the Naga militants.
The states want the Centre instead to hold a dialogue with all the outfits,
including Ulfa.</font>
<p><font size=+1>However, home ministry sources claimed that his particular
demand of holding a dialogue with all the militant outfits in the Northeast
could become a problem because fixing a common ground rule might not be
an acceptable proposition for all the militant outfits in the region.</font>
<p><font size=+1>?Unlike Kashmir, where mainly foreign militant outfits
are active, the situation in the Northeast is more complex,? a senior home
ministry official said.</font>
<p><font size=+1>According to him, in the Northeast, the militant outfits
were local and each had its own separate demand. However, the Centre has
not given up efforts to bring peace to the region, the official said. Intelligence
officials are reportedly in touch with the Ulfa top brass, sources said.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The government has also made it clear that it would ?not
be browbeaten by the violence unleashed? by the terrorist outfits but,
at the same time, it was willing to extend hands of cooperation.</font>
<br>
<p> </html>
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