NEW DELHI: A group of human rights activists on Monday contested the police theory of suicide behind the death of a 22-year-old Manipur girl whose body was found at her residence in Chirag Delhi in May.
A S Reingamphi was found in a pool of blood at her rented accommodation on May 29. There were severe injuries on her eyes, nose and legs. The police has maintained that these were caused by rodents. Four months on, no arrests have been made. Reingamphi's friends and family have alleged murder and sexual assault and expressed dissatisfaction with the way the crime branch of Delhi Police has proceeded with the investigations. The viscera report issued by the Forensic Science Laboratory found no traces of poison or drugs in the body, they say.
On August 8, the victim's cousin AS Chirmayo moved the Delhi high court with a writ petition asking for the case to be transferred to the CBI.
Amiy Shukla, who works with the Human Rights Law Network that is looking into Chirmayo's petition, said that the investigation has been problematic since the beginning. "The scene of crime was not sealed. No fingerprints or pictures were taken from there," she says.
Activists also alleged discrepancy in the post mortem report by Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC), the second in this case. Page 11 of the report says that it can't be ascertained if the injuries occurred before or after death. Page 14 of the same report says the bleeding pattern was from the face was post death. They also raised strong objections to MAMC having conducted a "two-finger test" on the victim's body, to ascertain if she was "habituated" to sexual intercourse -- something that the Justice Verma Committee held has no bearing when ascertaining sexual assault.
Chirmayo alleges that she was being stalked and harassed by her landlord and his brother in law. "We mentioned that in the FIR as well. The viscera and histopathological report found human semen on her torn clothes. Now, the police status report says there were rodent footprints around her body. There have been two postmortems already. But we still don't know the cause of her death," he says.
The case was transferred to the crime branch in June after an intervention from Delhi's minister of women and child development Kiran Walia back. "This is after the 16 December case, after the police reforms, and after the ordinance. Stalking is now a punishable offence. The police were pulled up for refusing to file FIRs. Yet, it took 300 people picketing outside Malviya Nagar police station for 27 hours simply to get an FIR registered," says Nandini Rao of Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS).
This incident joins the growing list of cases of sexual violence against those from India's north-eastern states. May 2005 saw the gangrape of a BPO employee from Mizoram. The main accused in the case is absconding. A 19-year-old Manipuri woman was raped and murdered in October 2009 allegedly by a PhD scholar from IIT.
Monday, 30 September 2013
Phizo's plebiscite speech
A.Z. Phizo, President,
NAGA NATIONAL COUNCIL,
Kohima, Nagaland.
16 May 1951.
[caption id="attachment_9100" align="alignleft" width="300"]
The famous Naga plebiscite, May 16, 1951 where 99.9% of the Nagas voted for Free Nagalim.[/caption]
Uncles, aunties, friends, brothers and sisters,
Today is a great day for our people. Throughout Nagaland our people are ceremoniously observing this day May 16 as the day of our Plebiscite Day, which we are going to record by taking the thumb impression of our people. This we are doing to show India and the world of our aspiration and that there is an effective unity of the people in Nagaland.
We have been living as a subject nation for the last 70 years. Our country was an Independent country before the British conquered us with superior force of arms. The British left our country and India in the year 1947. Without making any special arrangement for our country the British abandoned us and we found ourselves under the mercy of the Indian people.
Our Naga people (the British subject Nagas) have demanded independence from the British on many previous occasions. Unfortunately, we never put it on record as our people are not accustomed to writing. The only written record submitted by our people to the British Government was submitted in the year 1929 January 10 when “SIMON COMMMISSION”, under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon, came here in Kohima seeking our people’s opinion about the “New Reform” – as it was called. Our Naga people demand Independence and said, “LEAVE US ALONE, AND WHEN YOU – the BRITISH - LEAVE US WE SHALL BE FREE AND INDEPENDENT AGAIN.”
A long struggle has followed with the march of history and we have fully kept pace with it. When the Japanese Imperial forces smashed the British defences and reached Burma, some of us took full advantage of it. The Japanese forces along with the Indian National Army, better known as the INA, fully co-operated with us and as a result of our concerted action most of Nagaland as far as Kohima was freed from the dominating control and influence of the British. In this connection, I may say a word concerning strategy. Our country was and still is supposed to be a strategic area. The experience of the last war (World War II) has belied this popular belief. Strategy depends more upon the people, it is not merely a question of geography or location.
I am not going into details of our past experiences with India especially since 1947. Prior to the transference by the British of their administrative authority and controlling over - that is, military and police - into the hands of Indians, we had talked to the British for our Independence. But there again we made a mistake. We had not put it in writing for record. Anyway, we the Naga people declared ourselves Independent on the 14th of August, 1947, and on the same day we informed India by telegram, and cabled to UNO for information and record.
Since then, we have tried to settle our political issue with India on various occasions. But we have not been successful. As a result we have gathered here together in order to try to convince India of our inherent right to be free and equal to any other nation as a distinct people. This time, and from now on, we shall put everything into writing. We shall see to it that our talk do not end in mere words.
In the name of the NAGA NATIONAL COUNCIL and on behalf of the people and citizens of NAGALAND I wish to make our stand and our national position perfectly clear. We are a democratic people, and as such, we have been struggling for of a Separate Sovereign State of Nagaland in a democratic way through constitutional means as it is so called. We shall continue to do so.
On many occasions we have been accused by the press in India that we were a troublesome people and that our “movement” for Independence must be stopped. Many Indian leaders told us that we the Nagas are “Indians” and that Nagas can never be allowed to become independent. Some Indian leaders say that even Hyderabad had to submit to the Indian union just as the rest of the Indian princely States, which number over 500, had to submit.
When we examine those rapacious assertions, accusations and misapprehensions we find that the Indians do not know the Nagas. India tried to stop our Independence, they are still trying; and, they will probably continue to do so. The British tried to keep Indian independence in their own hand. They thought they could remain in India forever to come, that was why they, the British, built such cities as Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Delhi and the rest of all the modern Indian towns and cities. Roads were constructed, Railways were laid out, and Companies with capitals running into millions of pounds in gold came into existence. All those are now in the hands and under the authority of the Indians. Such is history. Simply because a strong people got the control of political administration of a country over a weaker people it does not mean the end of history. The history of progress and freedom have been written and will continue to be written. Most of the histories of human freedom were recorded in human blood. Most of the foundations of free nations were built on human bones and crushed skulls. But we want our national independence to remain holy and pure. We do not want to mix freedom, and our independence, with human blood. We do hope we shall not be compelled to live on a structure founded on human skulls and bones. We are determined to extricate ourself clear with understanding, by goodwill and through reason, so that we may continue to live in freedom and enjoy national independence.
We want our Indian brothers and sisters to know that we are not their enemy. We want the world to know that there is civilization in Nagaland. Academically backward though we may be, it is up to us to show to the world that we are not a people which has lost its raison d’etre. We are alive.
We never feared India; and, of course there is no reason for the Nagas to fear India in this human struggle for maintaining our political independence. Just as much as you cannot see a black spot in clear water, likewise, we cannot have a black spot of fear in our mind of clear conscience. I always have a feeling that God, our Heavenly Father - our creator - is with us and guiding us. What is there for us to fear? Only a murderer and people of evil intent can have fear and suspicion in his mind. We do not belong to a criminal race. And there is no ground for the Nagas to be worried or to fear the millions of Indians in this struggle to retain our Independence. We also appeal to India to be sane and wise. We appeal to them that they should be human and not brutes. We appeal to India to be a free people with a real feeling of independence in which there is no place for suspicion or fear. The Nagas do not ask Independence from India; indeed, we do not want anything from India. India has nothing to give away to Nagaland. We are Independent and sovereign in our own national right. What we ask is not to interfere our administration but leave us alone and allow Nagaland, the national state of the Nagas, to continue to exist in peace and make progress without hindrance.
The present discord between Nagaland and India is not a natural consequence of inevitable history conflict. It is the result of the break-up of the British Empire in the East and the issue is entirely of British creation but more of the callousness of the British government toward the Asiatic people of their contemptible subjects that we have been. Now that India is free, we appeal to them to exercise their sovereign right to let the Nagas continue to remain free and independent which, in verity, is in keeping with the precept of Mahatma Gandhi’s creed of “Non-violence”. Should we seek a better example than of the British who granted political independence to India? The British possessed India and ruled over it for a long period stretching over 200 years; whereas Nagaland, it is not an Indian colony.
As for the question of race, the less we talk the better. It is an undeniable fact that the Nagas are not Indian. We distinctly and unmistakably belong to the great Mongolian family. Strictly speaking, the world has come to know that the question of nationality is not a question of racial purity of a people. Also, the most important thing to consider is not merely one of politics but it is rather a problem of biology and psychology. To live together in peace different people must have the same attitude and the same feeling: there must be tolerance. Between the Indians and the Nagas, I am sad to say, these are lacking. Nagas found it impossible to tolerate the Indians. This is our experience in the last 70 years ever since our people came to know them. The Indians have no human feeling in them and their attitude is anti-social. There are, undoubtedly, many good Indians who understand us; but we do not live together with those good men.
The question whether the Nagas will or will not be allowed to maintain our independence remains to be seen. If free India wishes to be a leader in this word’s affairs, particularly in Asian affairs, India cannot sidestep the voice of Nagaland upholding the national right of the Nagas. It is not merely a claim. If India honestly believes that “TRUTH TRIUMPHS” (which is inscribed in the official Emblem of the Republic of India) the truth of Naga existence and the need of freedom cannot be buried in secret. India cannot ignore the national state of Nagaland and continue talking Mahatma Gandhi, Non-violence and Democracy.
The position of Nagaland and the Naga case have no comparison anywhere in the word where a human race newly emancipated like India try usurp its neighbour country of a sovereign state like Nagaland all because of the vast wealth of mineral of resources in our country which the manumitted Indians have come to know and they wanted to grab it by any means. Leaving aside the distinctiveness of our nation as a race and Nagaland as a country, our native right over our own national territory that had been clearly demarcated 400 years ago cannot be superseded by India. The Indians have no vested interest in our country and there is not a single Indian nationality who own an acre of land in our Nagaland. Prior to 1947, that is, when the British were yet here, no Indian is allowed to enter Nagaland without a special permit and that good Regulation (which was in force before Naga territory was annexed) still happily prevails up to this day.
If this world is to have peace and goodwill toward one another, the will of the people and nation must prevail.
India puts forward various arguments in their attempt to confound us.
1. The first argument is about the “menace” of China and Burma. They always say this trying to scare us which we do not have the least thing to worry.
2. The second argument is what they called “strategy” for security of India. Just as much as India needs precaution for her security other countries also require the same precaution. At Least, Nagaland cannot permit India to build up military strategy in our country against Burma or China whose people are our own blood relatives. We have another neighbour in the south west which is Pakistan. We have no quarrel with them. Whether China, Burma or Pakistan, these neighbours have not given us any trouble and we are certain that they have no evil design to annex Nagaland. Whatever it is, we cannot allow India to build up military defence in Nagaland not only against our good neighbours but for our own safety as well. Our country can easily become a graveyard and we, on our part, are determined to prevent it.
3. The third Indian argument is about economy. The Indians say that Nagaland cannot maintain itself economically as if we are a sort of just crawling out from a hole. Their talk is nothing but insult. The truth is, Nagaland had never been dependent on India at any time in history. These are problems decent people do not argue and try to grab other people’s territory. In matters of maintenance, or to be more precise, the question of finance for a state, I cannot do any better than quote His Excellency Shri C. Rajagopalachari (the former Indian Governor-General known to all of us) who said in his famous book the “Reconciliation” -
“The notion that any State can be self-sufficient in resources is illusory. It is born of the habit of thinking in terms of property. Sovereignty does not exclude trade and communications and commerce. The right to rule one-self should not be mixed up with economic Independence.”
Fortunately, Nagaland is a surplus country in matters of food and in other daily necessities that makes life happier. We have a vast area of Oil deposit and we have been burning oil long before the British appeared in our country. The Indian government have already brought in other foreigners of Oil drillers and Geologists and they have shamelessly started exploiting our oil resources. Many of you have seen, and all of you know that drilling has been going on in Chumukedima, 37 miles from here. Drilling is being carried out against our strong protest. We hope it shall not turn out to be another Anglo-Iranian sort of affairs. The position is very serious. We have foreseen the danger long before. There are coal deposits throughout Nagaland. The present coal mine is only a small fraction what we have. For oil we just dig with hand and draw out, that is why we call it “digged-water” (to tzü). Our people still continue manufacture salt for culinary purpose for its effect on health though not on the same scale as in the ancient days due to cheap salt in the market which are imported. Yet we need not import even salt in this landlocked State of ours. We have mica, gas, lime, iron ores, nickel and many other essential materials for which India has an eye on our land.
What worries us is not poverty as everyone of our citizens knows this fact. Overabundance in natural resources of modern military which exist in our country so plentifully causes us much concern. The simple fact is that Nagaland is not yet internationally recognized and free India is trying to take advantage of us.
The Indians insolently told us that China and Communism may take possession of Nagaland sooner or later, therefore, India must occupy it first ! This line of argument is grossly vulgar on their part. Simply because India is afraid that China may take possession of Nagaland or “may come to wield influence over the Nagas,” as they say, will it be the right thing for India to deny us our birthright and deprived us our independence. ?
Being a nation the Nagas have their own distinct way of manners and living; and it is quite possible that we think differently in many respects.
In our country, land belongs to the people as private property, and every family possesses land. We uphold every person as sovereign: man and women alike. Every family is a landlord; but, there is no landlordism in Nagaland.
Democracy is the very spirit in our country. Land being so owned by the people who are in their person sovereign, there is a sound economic basis and there is no room for anyone to grudge or complain against social injustice. If our Naga civilization is not destroyed there is no possibility for any section of our people to become servile or entirely dependent on someone.
Over and above these, the system of our Naga community organisation, which is rooted in the humane principle of individual responsibility, sharing collectively the common weal and woe together, had stood the test of time without waver throughout those centuries of great changes.
The system I refer to is our village and community - group (Thino) organisation. Who is there among us who does not feel proud of this national institution of ours? The organization is not only a social system of a kind. Our community-group system is a living and dynamic institution which makes you love your country and your nation so intensely. Out of this we grow and our society generates a spontaneous feeling that gives you real sense of happiness. There is a compelling sense of responsibility in us toward our fellow citizens which our people happily share in common. It arouses a joyous urge to be of service to others and give our help the best possible. Do our people feel satiated with life ? This had not been our experience. We are very happy as we are. We feel joyous with our social institutions and we want to safeguard it and preserve it. It is precious to us.
We never hear suicide in Nagaland. There must be a reason. Not only in youth alone but you are never a finished product even in your old age because there is an undiminished consciousness of the social link of youthful bloom in the perpetual companionate association with your fellow man day after day, month after month and with the change of seasons without end, singing even in your work regardless of how heavy the work may be. In fact, the heavier the work the more joyous we sing together. In all things, your community-groups stand by you, laugh and cry with you, so you are with them, throughout life. You enjoy your life’s span till the last day comes to leave this earth. Was there any Naga who was ever abandoned on the day he died? Not that we know of even a single instance, it is unthinkable to our society: because we are a proud people, proud in the sense that we respect human personality, the personality that makes the fragile man altogether a different creature from the rest of powerful animals.
To abandon the dead is irreligious, a dishonour to the Creator. To ignore the living is still worse, it is a disgrace to the community and nation. It mocks human personality. Indifference toward human personality, the abode of man’s soul, is not only ignominy to our society’s viewpoint (themia pese kechü-a kenyü) but it inflicts injury to one’s sense of love and justice which are the hallmark of a mature people.
We do not like to mention about the Indians at all at any time. We have nothing to do with them. But it is only for them alone that we are taking all these unnecessary troubles. The Indians repeatedly tell us that we cannot manage our national state, and all that. But what we see in India? Their dead bodies are abandoned to the jackals in the fields. Those who die in the hospitals, even their own relatives very often refuse to claim them! Millions of their sons and daughters are pitifully roaming about in the streets in their awful cities begging and stealing. Why? No work, no land, no self-respect. The more sturdy woman becomes prostitute and even then it is considered as an honourable profession to give happiness to their male population. The Indian mind greatly differ from the way we judge things. We refer to their society, their national characteristics, and not to the weakness of individual person. And this is not to traduce them but they must know that Nagas are not ‘fools’ to be bluffed or frightened to give away their fatherland. Their society is absolutely their own concern. We thought helpless humanity is to be pitied whatever race they may belong to; but when these hopeless race wanted to grab our national state and usurp our birthright by sheer force of preponderant might, why! it is entirely a different matter. It is a challenge to human integrity. No amount of sacrifice is too high to save one’s national honour and preserve one’s hearth and home so that the posterity may continue to live in honour and in peace and enjoy their birthright.
NAGAS DO NOT WANT to be associated with, much less to become citizens, of a people who have no sense of human honour in their make-up, and no human compassion even toward their own sons and daughters. We must yet believe that the Indian leaders will adhere to Mahatma Gandhi’s doctrine of “Non-violence” and fulfill Gandhiji’s promise to the Nagas that India will not attack the Nagas; yet, Mahatma Gandhi is no more. And, we must look into the background of the Indian civilization and see the heart of their people: the core of nationhood in being.
It is a practice in India to kill their daughters because they cannot marry them; that means, they have no tolerance, no consideration even toward womanhood who the very fountain of their posterity. Their men are so selfish that they will not marry unless the wife to be brings wealth which they call “dowry” for the price of marrying her, and, it is almost always the case the girl does not know the man who it to be her husband. A man old enough to be her grandfather is often represented to her as a handsome young boy. That is the way the Indian do business and they consider such tactics as skillfulness ! The selfishness reveals more tragically on the last day the man leaves this world. His wife is burned alive on his funeral pyre. All these go to prove that the core of their heart or the basis of their civilization is intolerant.
What we see in other established institutions in Indian? In their Courts of law the learned Lawyers are there whose profession is to defend their clients. To defend another person is a most noble mission, but instead of looking to the human side of helping and defending their clients it become rather a general practice to mulct their clients through various dubious means who place themselves at their mercy ready to bead and pay any fee within their means. This is especially done by dragging the cases calling it ‘postponement’ and the law become expensive for the poor; thus, the lawyers failed in their responsibility never trying to obtain a quick decision. Or all the professions, the Lawyers and the Pleaders hold the highest respect in the Indian society, but these learned man instruct their clients to tell lies to outwit their opponents. This learned and noble profession was so prostituted that the former British regime in our country never allowed the Indian lawyers to come to Court of law in “Naga Hills Excluded Area” and our Naga people have been saved from the immoral practice of telling lies to deceive one’s opponents like in India. And we are to take note that almost every Indian leader is a lawyer, and these learned people, who search for a flaw in legal system or try to produce one when there is none, are the leaders of their great country today. This is the danger. We already see their tactics.
In the “Charitable Hospitals” also the Indian doctors are there who see the patients as a diseased body and not as fellow human beings who need one’s tender care. Every one of us knew all these. What is the lot of the Indian cultivators? They are mere tenants in their own soil and not the sovereign owners of their own land as in our country. Most of the Indians live in rented houses in all the towns and cities though they may appear to the onlookers as ‘big gentlemen’ behaving and speaking very good English like the British. Leaving aside other considerations, the whole trouble with the Indians is they are not trustworthy. They never keep their word. In the last World War II also our people have been cheated crores (millions) of money in labour and contract works. Many of you have suffered tens of thousands of rupees and you have failed to recover it.
What substance is there in the India civilization? Any thing to yearn for? The Indians are not a happy people. It may have nothing to do with race as much, but they have miserably failed to develop a civilization that makes their people happy. We have nothing to do with them but we the Nagas do not want them to disturb us. We dearly love our pristine nationhood which should not be tarnished with a world splitting culture, which divides man, and not unite them.
We would not have gone to the extent of mentioning all these about the India society and about their country what is patently knows to everyone of us so long ago had they not shamelessly told us again and again that the Nagas cannot exist without India! We do not like to talk about India: let them be anything, we simple do not need them and we do not want them. A self-respecting people understand these human feelings but we have to watch India. We hear the Indians say in Shillong : “Naga log machines gun-se khatam kardena hoga.” (The Nagas shall have to be finished by machine guns).
Whereas Nagaland ought to have enjoyed unruffled peace for generations to come without end, being surrounded by world’s biggest nations around us (in matters of human population), it is unfortunate that the Indians, who alone are one-fifth of world population, seem to be determined to quarrel with so small a nation even like us.
In 1879 the Indians came and killed our people as the British mercenary soldiers. There are our fathers here standing among us today who personally saw the battle. In the last World War II again how they behaved is fresh in your memory in spite of stern discipline under the British officers. These are bygone experience. But, now that they are free and independent, and they threaten us that they have three million men under arm, which is quite possibly as high as Five million – if police force is included, these are terrible things even to hear them talk. We wanted to avoid any sort of a clash if humanly possible. And, it remains to be seen what Indian Government will do as the government of the one of the eldest family of civilized people on earth.
It is needless to say, we love to retain our Naga age-old culture of classless society as we are, in the spirit of true sisterhood and as brothers to one another.
We like to follow our own form of civilization wherein one need not worry for his and her needs or fear another person. Neither do our Naga society dehumanize another person and forced him or her to resort to begging. We have no lawless problem to deal with and we are happy to see our citizens for all these.
There is no death sentence in Nagaland and we must hope and work for it that this will continue. Life to us represents prestige and honour: it is not merely an animal body of flesh and blood for self-enjoyment. Life is such a serious matter that wanton killing can easily precipitate a local clash. Even a small boy among us understands the implications that involve human integrity.
Being a democratic people, our Naga people are highly disciplined. This did not come easily, that we all know. We are strong enough to be very individualistic but we also know that man cannot live by himself alone. We had to abide by community and public opinion and our fathers struggled hard for all these good things our nation enjoy today. We have learned that every individual citizen has a responsibility toward others, not alone to be kindly but give our best possible help to each other. Nagas uphold that every human being is sovereign and equally precious regardless of his and her social position. We never needed police force to maintain peace, law and order because we are ready to defend ourself and always ready to defend others. As it is, our country is so calm and peaceful that we cannot imagine if we will ever have to worry for personal danger even in future. It is not so secure in many countries. We uphold that it is an honour to recognize the dignity of personal responsibility, and we consider as a privilege to be of service to others which our culture has given the expression we call “mhosho” - to excel (mho, overhead; so, touch). Was there any Naga citizen who over fallen into trouble and left to his and her own fate? This did not happen in our memory. Wherever a need or trouble arise, is it not the responsibility of that community to attend to it wherever it may be? Every citizen realizes his and her responsibility toward fellow countrymen and countrywomen without fear. To do good to others, to stand by them and be ready to live or die together if need be, is the highest culture any nation could wish to have. You and I find it difficult to love our enemy; but to get an opportunity to help that enemy is a rare privilege in trying “to excel” to do good to a fellow man. I call this a great civilization. These are expressed, to be sure, not in the spirit of boasting our national culture but for certain necessity because there are people who have a wry notion about us and we want them to come and see our country with their own eyes.
In a truly democratic society police seams to be somewhat out of place as in a small country like ours. Whatever may develop in future, our community must be sensibly alive all the time as in the past. We must see to it that no section of people be dehumanized to the level of begging or condemned below the social statues of other fellow citizens to be content with his or her helpless lot. This is a responsibility our “community-groups” understand and we must be all the time on the alert to stand by others.
There is no pauper in Nagaland. There is no social ‘out-cast’ in our country. There are no professional beggars up to this very day. There is no families who are houseless anywhere throughout Nagaland. There are no landless persons among us. We do not pay even land tax, which is always a crushing burden to the mass citizens in many other countries. We have no unemployment problem. Economically, Nagaland is on a strong foundation. And, no Naga wanted the Indian immigrants to migrate in Nagaland. It will not help India in any way; not only that, it will disturb the whole Nagaland.
In 1948 also we have informed the Indian Government that Nagaland cannot accept the Indian excess population. Our country is too small. This is not an issue on a question of humanity. What all of us know need not to be repeated. Even if we do give away our country to India, it will not do any good. It will not solve Indian problem; it will not serve the world or create an atmosphere for world peace in which every nation is deeply interested including our country.
Indian immigration to Nagaland by force will only create tension, a problem which did not exist in the last thousand years of human history. We do not want any tension to arise between India and Nagaland; and, we do not want India to create situation in Nagaland.
India is already too congested. While we look to the birth of a child to a family as a great blessing, the birth of a child to the Indian family is a curse to their parents because they cannot feed them; particularly, a girl is considered the greater curse, and very often these daughters are killed by their own parents. It is a paradox that the only thing the Indians produce in excess is more Indians whom they themselves do not want it, but they cannot stop producing them more and more. We all know that India, as a country is a vast country, a very big country, in itself. It is almost three times as big as the whole Great Britain, France and Germany combined together. But their race have been multiplying so fast that their country cannot feed its population instead of producing more than enough foods by such a vast family of man. When a river rises up the danger is not in the riverbed but damage is done to the surrounding bank of the river; that is where we found ourself today.
India wanted to dump her excess population in Nagaland as well as exploit the rich natural resources in our territory. This is so dangerous that it threatens our very existence. Being a small nation (almost a 1000th part of India), we can easily be submerged and get lost: our culture, our civilization, our institutions, our nation and all that we had struggled and build up as we are today will be perished without the least benefit to mankind. And, these we shall lost it not happily but in anger and in perpetual sorrow. If such a day were to be forced on us, God forbid it would have been better none of us were ever born into this world.
We have been threatened with violence.
And, we have weighed and considered everything carefully and all of you know our position. To GIVE AWAY NAGALAND to please India IS NOT THE SOLUTION. You all know that our Naga Delegation met His Excellency, the Governor-General of India, Shri C. Rajagopalachari at Government House in Shillong, only 18 months ago, on November 28, 1949, and we stated to His Excellency,
“Nagas shall not buy friendship with their territory.”
This is not an individual family matter: it concerns one whole nation - and a very small nation at that - it needs great precaution. The crisis facing our nation concerns not only of this generation but it concerns our posterity. As our fathers braved in their generations and handed us down a heritage we are all proud of, we are here to reaffirm that we are the worthy children of our fathers who sacrificed their lives for us of whom we are their posterity. We want our nation and our posterity to continue to live in honour and in peace. Is it anti-Indian to state the living fact that we want our nation to live?
We intensely value our way of living even in so far as land ownership is concerned; and, we yearn nothing better leave alone our social institutions of pure democracy in a classless society where each regard the other as brother and sister, parent and child. We are not just a bunch of human beings called citizens.
The Indians openly say that Communism may take possession of Nagaland but there are communists in India while there is no communist in Nagaland. China is the only Communist country near us but we do not think China will ever bow so low to annex our territory. As for India, we cannot yet say. We have no quarrel with Communism as an economic or political expression; whatever it may be, we never worried about it. Nagas do not favour Communism as a way of life.
There is no political party in Nagaland. We do not need it. And we hope we shall not be pushed to a position in which we have the least desire to shift our stand even so much for an expedient measure. All things considered, Nagaland need not imitate or adopt foreign institution like India in matters of political organizations.
The basic structure of political organization in Nagaland had withstood the change of time all these centuries because it is based on the democratic principle of sovereignty of the people over land ownership as private property. It needs no substitute.
Socially, our community is built up on a system of social alliance and this national institution, which is really three in one whole (Thehu, Thehsü, Thino) has the greatest influence on each and everyone of us.
Economically we have nothing to worry. There is no room for anyone of us to complain against any sort of injustice since he has the same equal freedom with everybody else to own land and to better his position. Nothing prevents him and her. What helps he needs the community is there to stand by him for advice, protection or actual supply of material needs. Naturally enough the whole conception is based on sympathy, love, pride (in the spirit of “mhosho”) and human conscience.
If Nagaland is not disturbed, our country will remain an oasis of peace in the present form of purest democracy in this corner of the world. This is what we like to see it continued.
Someone may tell us that Nagas are Christians following a foreign religion. The Indians publicly say this. We do not take Christianity as foreign religion any more than we consider the light of the sun as foreign origin from outer world. There is a father-creator (Ukepenopfü) as we call it. He is God. The message of the Gospel fulfills our Naga conception of religion – Nanyü – which literally means “anguish of mind” for which we do worship. Once we came to know that there is a personal Saviour to whom one can talk or pray directly, the real light dawned on us, and the weight of man’s “anguish of mind” greatly vanish away. It is the end of the beginning of our personal realization in relieving the anguish of mind in this world and for the next world after death. Whatever the Indians may say of us, there is no foreignness in relationship between father and child; that is, between God the Father and His children.
Our nation is emotionally fascinated with our way of Life. It makes life cheerful. We are not unaware of other people’s opinion of us: they call us “primitive”. Yet, with all our primitiveness, you see smiling face spontaneously beaming on you wherever you go. I say spontaneously because it is not cultivated as an education. There is an instinctual feeling of self-confidence in you and you know it. A sense of security is reflected in you behaviour. What is the source of this happy outcome? It is in the foundation of our “community” system (Thino); and, secondly which is equally important, it is in the land and your ability to cope with life.
We do not say that we have everything or do not need any other thing. That is sheer folly. But the important thing is we have all the basic needs in political matters, for country’s administration, community organization, economic set-up (uki-ulie); and these institutions we have in the way we need it. These are not problems in Nagaland. It is not a grafted growth. Our fathers had laid down all these in their time and we are just restating the fruit of their labour we enjoy today which are natural enough to their ingenuity in the process of developments to our nationhood. And, the best thing is, it fulfills the requirements of the present-day changes; no alteration or adjustment needed. All sound principles stand throughout the ages. Time and situation cannot defy it. Need we stress it again how truly we love our native institutions of people’s democracy where none is the master or servant but all are as parents and children, brothers and sisters.
There is still another argument the Indian Authority put it forward which is of recent origin and it is very dangerous FOR WHICH WE ARE HERS TODAY. They now say that the Nagas are not united and that there is no substance or basis to defend the independence of Nagaland. This is a strange argument. The Indians are trying to outwit us because they already got their Armed Forces entrenched in our territory. This unhappy situation arose through the 10-Year Agreement the Government of India entered into with the Naga National Council in 1947, which took place here in Kohima on June 26, that is, 3 years, 10 months and 20 days today. But the Indian Government officially repudiated the Agreement 1 year 6 months and 8 days ago (today) which they made it known to our Naga Delegation on November 8, 1949 at the Government House in Shillong. These facts are known to you. Seeing that they cannot deceive the Nagas, as they thought they could browbeat us, have resorted to dirty, shameless and unmanly tactics. We are to note carefully that present tactics of argument placed Nagaland not as a national state of a people. India is trying now to argue the existence of Nagaland a political matter (of Indian concern)! But how can this be? Whether we call a national state or a country, both concerns the same thing: it concerns the territory of a people. Nagaland is the land of the Nagas; it is Naga country and nobody else. We are not refugees or immigrants in this beautiful land. Our own language tells exactly what a country is. We call country “Ura” which literally means ‘we are first’ (u, we; ra, ria, first). The root meaning of territory also developed from the same word; namely, “theria” meaning ‘self first’. And our Naga language is certainly as old as human tradition and history cannot contradict us. No man can argue with fact and existence of Nagaland (Nagara) is a natural fact.
What confronts us just now is not a political matter as between a Colonial government and the subject people. We are not Indian subjects. Only when there is controversy problem will arise. But, in our case, NAGALAND is not a controversy.
The Indians went so far to tell us that “the talk of Naga Independence is the voice of only a few educated educate Nagas”! The Indian Government have come to know that they cannot move the mass Naga citizens in any other way except to say that it is the voice of the educated Nagas. What of it? Where India will be without their educated class? Their talk is not only to confound us but they are trying and preparing the way to confuse the world opinion in their favour. Here our mass citizens who are directly concerned with land, as all our people are directly concerned with land but particularly those of you who are cultivating your fields, you are far more acutely conscious and much more feelingly touched of our national problems because it hurts you in a very personal way. All of us realize that it is not merely a crisis; it is a question of life and death, and for a small nation it means annihilation and extinction from the face of this earth. This is a terrible aspect. With a united voice we shall explore every possible means to avoid getting entangled.
One thing we shall not make a mistake is that
NAGALAND IS NOT A PROBLEM. It is not a controversy between the Indians and the Nagas. It is not a case. Strictly speaking, it is not an issue; at least, not yet.
The Nagas have nothing to do with India. And the Indians have nothing to do with Nagaland. This is the exact position. Historically, Nagas and the Indians did not have a common tradition. Racially, Nagas belong to the Mongolian family while the Indians belong to entirely a different race of their own. Politically, neither the Nagas nor the Indians know each other, that is why trouble is just about to start. Legally, it is nonexistent. There is absolutely no like. Culturally, the Nagas and the Indians never had occasion to meet each other; and, there is nothing in common. Socially, the Indians abhor the Nagas and the Nagas despise the Indians. It is better to face fact now. Religiously, the Indians are Hindus; and the ancient Naga religion is “Animism” having nothing to do with Hindus. As it is, there is nothing in common between the Nagas and the Indians. The difference is too varied, the feeling is too deep, and the attitude is too wide and too malignant for the two nations ever to think to live together in peace much less to become “Indian citizens”. The only way to live in peace is to live apart. Economically, Nagaland had never been dependent on India. All these have been so ever since and long before human history began. Nagas and Indians do not speak the language. Why, we do not eat even the same food. It was very good that the Indians never allow the Nagas to go near them because they hate our people.
So, what connection is there between the two people? Whoever tries to implicate us and confuse the existing or rather non-existing state of affair, he tells deliberate lies. It is folly for India to attempt to subjugate the Nagas. On our part, our fathers even in their illiterate stage never implicated our nation with India; that is why we are so distinctly alive as individually a distinct family of nation. This generation will not blunder. We shall not tarnish our honour.
Since our Naga people take word seriously as an oath, I stress these things once again so that you all will bear in mind that our nation and those of us who are in the NAGA NATIONAL COUNCIL for our national affairs have not made a mistake in dealing with India. Naga National Council tried and continue trying to find a peaceful solution with India for Nagaland to continue to live in peace without harassment. We have no secret. Nothing is hidden from you. And, whatever may happen, you will that our nation had tried her best to avoid it, the rest, it is beyond our power.
NOW, WE ARE HERE TODAY to reaffirm the stand of our Naga nation that we do not need India and we do not want her. We are here today to prove to INDIA and to the world that NAGALAND is united and that our nation aspire the same conviction to continue to be independent as a distinct nation as we are and have always been in the sovereign national state of the Nagas of Nagaland.
We have never doubted and we never worried about the question of our unity, which is an internal affairs of Nagaland alone. This was never a problem and India has no business to interfere us. But the menace of India is there because she wanted to grab our country saying one thing or another like the well known story of the “Tiger and the Lamb” in the Aesop Fables who had painted the worst type of cannibalistic humanity.
We are here united as one nation for the common cause of our nation’s freedom, which is in jeopardy. Nagaland is independent state. We are as independent as any country could be; yet, we are not free and we cannot be free because the Indian Government ceaselessly interferes our administration with their Armed forces. They have been harassing our citizens all the time.
The presence of our people here in a big group in several thousands from all over our country certainly relieves the awful sense of oppression and persecutions. We are already here about six thousand people and more are still coming. Your presence here willingly to stand by our nation in peril dispels the Indian argument of disunity among us.
We all know that the Indian government have strongly entrenched their Armed Forces right inside our territory and they threaten our very existence to “use all the forces at my command to crush you” as their Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru put it to our Naga Delegation who went to New Delhi seeking a peaceful solution to live side by side as friendly neighbours.
We shall do all what is humanly possible so that we shall not have to go down in history in shame or live in sorrow and disgrace; what else we cannot do, we leave it to God’s own mercy and to His care and pray that we do not become a victim of the Indian imperialism.
WE ARE HERE TO COMMENCE OUR VOLUNTARY PLEBISCITE to put on record and to express our mind, our national policy, in the form of Thumb Impression. It is five months now that our nation has been given time to discuss about this Plebiscite Voluntarily offered by us to prove our unity and our spontaneous willingness to continue to live on as a distinct nation. In the past five months I have visited every region of our area and met everyone of you. What we do now will go down in our history. We shall enough time especially this is being a busy season for our people and many of you will have to be disturbed for this national work. Not a single village will be left out as each and everyone of us will like to let our posterity know what we do now for their freedom, for their glory, and for their happiness which they must continue to enjoy as free man.
THIS PLEBISCITE is not whether Nagaland should become a part of India or not. This is only to show India and the world of Naga unity as one effective nation in order to let INDIA know the position of NAGALAND. However, those who wish to show their differences in preference to join the Indian union, we welcome their expression of full freedom of choice. Nobody need worry or fear his and her safety in expressing oneself freely. All will be put on the record in the form of fingerprint. We are making three separate copies for historical document and one copy shall be presented to the Republic of India.
Lastly, let me state that the Nagas’ stand for independence, that is, the continued existence of Nagaland as a sovereign state, is not a political challenge to India. We stand on, and try to reaffirm, our own right as a nation. We Nagas are not against Indians. We never wanted enemies. We only hope that India shall not become our enemy.
Let me enumerate my speech again:-
WHY DO THE NAGAS WANT TO BE INDEPENDENT?
1. We want to feel that we are absolutely and unconditionally free as a nation. Nagas belong to a distinct people and live in a country entirely of their own. We want to remain outside the influence of any other nation, be it white or brown.
2. We want to develop our own culture unhampered in the way we like, without having to worry for a possible mixture of alien blood.
3. We want to direct our own education through the establishment of our own Universities.
4. We want to keep our own land in the possession of our own people for our own people.
5. We want to live our own lives. There should be no room for any possible interference, directly or indirectly, whether now or in days to come.
6. We want to keep in our possession as a heritage something which is exclusively of Nagaland; something which is bound to vanish and be lost to the Nagas if they were to live under an alien direction; these are our national institutions of –
(a) Community Organisation.
(b) People’s sovereignty over ownership of property and land.
(c) Our culture: a culture of love with a true respect for individual personality, a society that admits no strata of social class, caste or creed, religion or race.
7. We want peace, real peace put into an abiding practice in the lives of men. We do not want war. And we do not want to see another war in our land. We do not want to make our country a defence line. We do not want to let our children live in battlefields.
8. We want to make our country a place of happiness, of security and rest. We hope and we cherish that we can make our country a meeting place of the East and an understanding center of the world.
9. We believe that we shall become a better friend and that we can remain a better friend to India and the outside world if we are left to ourselves – unmolested and unexploited.
10. We believe that it is not only for Nagaland but for India and other surrounding countries as well that there is a better chance of creating and retaining peace and good will with a SOVEREIGN NAGALAND being in existence.
Above everything else, we want to be free as a distinct nation: and we shall be free.
A.Z. Phizo, President,
NAGA NATIONAL COUNCIL,
Kohima, Nagaland.
16 May 1951.
`source:http://www.neuenhofer.de/guenter/nagaland/phizo.html
NAGA NATIONAL COUNCIL,
Kohima, Nagaland.
16 May 1951.
[caption id="attachment_9100" align="alignleft" width="300"]
The famous Naga plebiscite, May 16, 1951 where 99.9% of the Nagas voted for Free Nagalim.[/caption]Uncles, aunties, friends, brothers and sisters,
Today is a great day for our people. Throughout Nagaland our people are ceremoniously observing this day May 16 as the day of our Plebiscite Day, which we are going to record by taking the thumb impression of our people. This we are doing to show India and the world of our aspiration and that there is an effective unity of the people in Nagaland.
We have been living as a subject nation for the last 70 years. Our country was an Independent country before the British conquered us with superior force of arms. The British left our country and India in the year 1947. Without making any special arrangement for our country the British abandoned us and we found ourselves under the mercy of the Indian people.
Our Naga people (the British subject Nagas) have demanded independence from the British on many previous occasions. Unfortunately, we never put it on record as our people are not accustomed to writing. The only written record submitted by our people to the British Government was submitted in the year 1929 January 10 when “SIMON COMMMISSION”, under the chairmanship of Sir John Simon, came here in Kohima seeking our people’s opinion about the “New Reform” – as it was called. Our Naga people demand Independence and said, “LEAVE US ALONE, AND WHEN YOU – the BRITISH - LEAVE US WE SHALL BE FREE AND INDEPENDENT AGAIN.”
A long struggle has followed with the march of history and we have fully kept pace with it. When the Japanese Imperial forces smashed the British defences and reached Burma, some of us took full advantage of it. The Japanese forces along with the Indian National Army, better known as the INA, fully co-operated with us and as a result of our concerted action most of Nagaland as far as Kohima was freed from the dominating control and influence of the British. In this connection, I may say a word concerning strategy. Our country was and still is supposed to be a strategic area. The experience of the last war (World War II) has belied this popular belief. Strategy depends more upon the people, it is not merely a question of geography or location.
I am not going into details of our past experiences with India especially since 1947. Prior to the transference by the British of their administrative authority and controlling over - that is, military and police - into the hands of Indians, we had talked to the British for our Independence. But there again we made a mistake. We had not put it in writing for record. Anyway, we the Naga people declared ourselves Independent on the 14th of August, 1947, and on the same day we informed India by telegram, and cabled to UNO for information and record.
Since then, we have tried to settle our political issue with India on various occasions. But we have not been successful. As a result we have gathered here together in order to try to convince India of our inherent right to be free and equal to any other nation as a distinct people. This time, and from now on, we shall put everything into writing. We shall see to it that our talk do not end in mere words.
In the name of the NAGA NATIONAL COUNCIL and on behalf of the people and citizens of NAGALAND I wish to make our stand and our national position perfectly clear. We are a democratic people, and as such, we have been struggling for of a Separate Sovereign State of Nagaland in a democratic way through constitutional means as it is so called. We shall continue to do so.
On many occasions we have been accused by the press in India that we were a troublesome people and that our “movement” for Independence must be stopped. Many Indian leaders told us that we the Nagas are “Indians” and that Nagas can never be allowed to become independent. Some Indian leaders say that even Hyderabad had to submit to the Indian union just as the rest of the Indian princely States, which number over 500, had to submit.
When we examine those rapacious assertions, accusations and misapprehensions we find that the Indians do not know the Nagas. India tried to stop our Independence, they are still trying; and, they will probably continue to do so. The British tried to keep Indian independence in their own hand. They thought they could remain in India forever to come, that was why they, the British, built such cities as Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Delhi and the rest of all the modern Indian towns and cities. Roads were constructed, Railways were laid out, and Companies with capitals running into millions of pounds in gold came into existence. All those are now in the hands and under the authority of the Indians. Such is history. Simply because a strong people got the control of political administration of a country over a weaker people it does not mean the end of history. The history of progress and freedom have been written and will continue to be written. Most of the histories of human freedom were recorded in human blood. Most of the foundations of free nations were built on human bones and crushed skulls. But we want our national independence to remain holy and pure. We do not want to mix freedom, and our independence, with human blood. We do hope we shall not be compelled to live on a structure founded on human skulls and bones. We are determined to extricate ourself clear with understanding, by goodwill and through reason, so that we may continue to live in freedom and enjoy national independence.
We want our Indian brothers and sisters to know that we are not their enemy. We want the world to know that there is civilization in Nagaland. Academically backward though we may be, it is up to us to show to the world that we are not a people which has lost its raison d’etre. We are alive.
We never feared India; and, of course there is no reason for the Nagas to fear India in this human struggle for maintaining our political independence. Just as much as you cannot see a black spot in clear water, likewise, we cannot have a black spot of fear in our mind of clear conscience. I always have a feeling that God, our Heavenly Father - our creator - is with us and guiding us. What is there for us to fear? Only a murderer and people of evil intent can have fear and suspicion in his mind. We do not belong to a criminal race. And there is no ground for the Nagas to be worried or to fear the millions of Indians in this struggle to retain our Independence. We also appeal to India to be sane and wise. We appeal to them that they should be human and not brutes. We appeal to India to be a free people with a real feeling of independence in which there is no place for suspicion or fear. The Nagas do not ask Independence from India; indeed, we do not want anything from India. India has nothing to give away to Nagaland. We are Independent and sovereign in our own national right. What we ask is not to interfere our administration but leave us alone and allow Nagaland, the national state of the Nagas, to continue to exist in peace and make progress without hindrance.
The present discord between Nagaland and India is not a natural consequence of inevitable history conflict. It is the result of the break-up of the British Empire in the East and the issue is entirely of British creation but more of the callousness of the British government toward the Asiatic people of their contemptible subjects that we have been. Now that India is free, we appeal to them to exercise their sovereign right to let the Nagas continue to remain free and independent which, in verity, is in keeping with the precept of Mahatma Gandhi’s creed of “Non-violence”. Should we seek a better example than of the British who granted political independence to India? The British possessed India and ruled over it for a long period stretching over 200 years; whereas Nagaland, it is not an Indian colony.
As for the question of race, the less we talk the better. It is an undeniable fact that the Nagas are not Indian. We distinctly and unmistakably belong to the great Mongolian family. Strictly speaking, the world has come to know that the question of nationality is not a question of racial purity of a people. Also, the most important thing to consider is not merely one of politics but it is rather a problem of biology and psychology. To live together in peace different people must have the same attitude and the same feeling: there must be tolerance. Between the Indians and the Nagas, I am sad to say, these are lacking. Nagas found it impossible to tolerate the Indians. This is our experience in the last 70 years ever since our people came to know them. The Indians have no human feeling in them and their attitude is anti-social. There are, undoubtedly, many good Indians who understand us; but we do not live together with those good men.
The question whether the Nagas will or will not be allowed to maintain our independence remains to be seen. If free India wishes to be a leader in this word’s affairs, particularly in Asian affairs, India cannot sidestep the voice of Nagaland upholding the national right of the Nagas. It is not merely a claim. If India honestly believes that “TRUTH TRIUMPHS” (which is inscribed in the official Emblem of the Republic of India) the truth of Naga existence and the need of freedom cannot be buried in secret. India cannot ignore the national state of Nagaland and continue talking Mahatma Gandhi, Non-violence and Democracy.
The position of Nagaland and the Naga case have no comparison anywhere in the word where a human race newly emancipated like India try usurp its neighbour country of a sovereign state like Nagaland all because of the vast wealth of mineral of resources in our country which the manumitted Indians have come to know and they wanted to grab it by any means. Leaving aside the distinctiveness of our nation as a race and Nagaland as a country, our native right over our own national territory that had been clearly demarcated 400 years ago cannot be superseded by India. The Indians have no vested interest in our country and there is not a single Indian nationality who own an acre of land in our Nagaland. Prior to 1947, that is, when the British were yet here, no Indian is allowed to enter Nagaland without a special permit and that good Regulation (which was in force before Naga territory was annexed) still happily prevails up to this day.
If this world is to have peace and goodwill toward one another, the will of the people and nation must prevail.
India puts forward various arguments in their attempt to confound us.
1. The first argument is about the “menace” of China and Burma. They always say this trying to scare us which we do not have the least thing to worry.
2. The second argument is what they called “strategy” for security of India. Just as much as India needs precaution for her security other countries also require the same precaution. At Least, Nagaland cannot permit India to build up military strategy in our country against Burma or China whose people are our own blood relatives. We have another neighbour in the south west which is Pakistan. We have no quarrel with them. Whether China, Burma or Pakistan, these neighbours have not given us any trouble and we are certain that they have no evil design to annex Nagaland. Whatever it is, we cannot allow India to build up military defence in Nagaland not only against our good neighbours but for our own safety as well. Our country can easily become a graveyard and we, on our part, are determined to prevent it.
3. The third Indian argument is about economy. The Indians say that Nagaland cannot maintain itself economically as if we are a sort of just crawling out from a hole. Their talk is nothing but insult. The truth is, Nagaland had never been dependent on India at any time in history. These are problems decent people do not argue and try to grab other people’s territory. In matters of maintenance, or to be more precise, the question of finance for a state, I cannot do any better than quote His Excellency Shri C. Rajagopalachari (the former Indian Governor-General known to all of us) who said in his famous book the “Reconciliation” -
“The notion that any State can be self-sufficient in resources is illusory. It is born of the habit of thinking in terms of property. Sovereignty does not exclude trade and communications and commerce. The right to rule one-self should not be mixed up with economic Independence.”
Fortunately, Nagaland is a surplus country in matters of food and in other daily necessities that makes life happier. We have a vast area of Oil deposit and we have been burning oil long before the British appeared in our country. The Indian government have already brought in other foreigners of Oil drillers and Geologists and they have shamelessly started exploiting our oil resources. Many of you have seen, and all of you know that drilling has been going on in Chumukedima, 37 miles from here. Drilling is being carried out against our strong protest. We hope it shall not turn out to be another Anglo-Iranian sort of affairs. The position is very serious. We have foreseen the danger long before. There are coal deposits throughout Nagaland. The present coal mine is only a small fraction what we have. For oil we just dig with hand and draw out, that is why we call it “digged-water” (to tzü). Our people still continue manufacture salt for culinary purpose for its effect on health though not on the same scale as in the ancient days due to cheap salt in the market which are imported. Yet we need not import even salt in this landlocked State of ours. We have mica, gas, lime, iron ores, nickel and many other essential materials for which India has an eye on our land.
What worries us is not poverty as everyone of our citizens knows this fact. Overabundance in natural resources of modern military which exist in our country so plentifully causes us much concern. The simple fact is that Nagaland is not yet internationally recognized and free India is trying to take advantage of us.
The Indians insolently told us that China and Communism may take possession of Nagaland sooner or later, therefore, India must occupy it first ! This line of argument is grossly vulgar on their part. Simply because India is afraid that China may take possession of Nagaland or “may come to wield influence over the Nagas,” as they say, will it be the right thing for India to deny us our birthright and deprived us our independence. ?
Being a nation the Nagas have their own distinct way of manners and living; and it is quite possible that we think differently in many respects.
In our country, land belongs to the people as private property, and every family possesses land. We uphold every person as sovereign: man and women alike. Every family is a landlord; but, there is no landlordism in Nagaland.
Democracy is the very spirit in our country. Land being so owned by the people who are in their person sovereign, there is a sound economic basis and there is no room for anyone to grudge or complain against social injustice. If our Naga civilization is not destroyed there is no possibility for any section of our people to become servile or entirely dependent on someone.
Over and above these, the system of our Naga community organisation, which is rooted in the humane principle of individual responsibility, sharing collectively the common weal and woe together, had stood the test of time without waver throughout those centuries of great changes.
The system I refer to is our village and community - group (Thino) organisation. Who is there among us who does not feel proud of this national institution of ours? The organization is not only a social system of a kind. Our community-group system is a living and dynamic institution which makes you love your country and your nation so intensely. Out of this we grow and our society generates a spontaneous feeling that gives you real sense of happiness. There is a compelling sense of responsibility in us toward our fellow citizens which our people happily share in common. It arouses a joyous urge to be of service to others and give our help the best possible. Do our people feel satiated with life ? This had not been our experience. We are very happy as we are. We feel joyous with our social institutions and we want to safeguard it and preserve it. It is precious to us.
We never hear suicide in Nagaland. There must be a reason. Not only in youth alone but you are never a finished product even in your old age because there is an undiminished consciousness of the social link of youthful bloom in the perpetual companionate association with your fellow man day after day, month after month and with the change of seasons without end, singing even in your work regardless of how heavy the work may be. In fact, the heavier the work the more joyous we sing together. In all things, your community-groups stand by you, laugh and cry with you, so you are with them, throughout life. You enjoy your life’s span till the last day comes to leave this earth. Was there any Naga who was ever abandoned on the day he died? Not that we know of even a single instance, it is unthinkable to our society: because we are a proud people, proud in the sense that we respect human personality, the personality that makes the fragile man altogether a different creature from the rest of powerful animals.
To abandon the dead is irreligious, a dishonour to the Creator. To ignore the living is still worse, it is a disgrace to the community and nation. It mocks human personality. Indifference toward human personality, the abode of man’s soul, is not only ignominy to our society’s viewpoint (themia pese kechü-a kenyü) but it inflicts injury to one’s sense of love and justice which are the hallmark of a mature people.
We do not like to mention about the Indians at all at any time. We have nothing to do with them. But it is only for them alone that we are taking all these unnecessary troubles. The Indians repeatedly tell us that we cannot manage our national state, and all that. But what we see in India? Their dead bodies are abandoned to the jackals in the fields. Those who die in the hospitals, even their own relatives very often refuse to claim them! Millions of their sons and daughters are pitifully roaming about in the streets in their awful cities begging and stealing. Why? No work, no land, no self-respect. The more sturdy woman becomes prostitute and even then it is considered as an honourable profession to give happiness to their male population. The Indian mind greatly differ from the way we judge things. We refer to their society, their national characteristics, and not to the weakness of individual person. And this is not to traduce them but they must know that Nagas are not ‘fools’ to be bluffed or frightened to give away their fatherland. Their society is absolutely their own concern. We thought helpless humanity is to be pitied whatever race they may belong to; but when these hopeless race wanted to grab our national state and usurp our birthright by sheer force of preponderant might, why! it is entirely a different matter. It is a challenge to human integrity. No amount of sacrifice is too high to save one’s national honour and preserve one’s hearth and home so that the posterity may continue to live in honour and in peace and enjoy their birthright.
NAGAS DO NOT WANT to be associated with, much less to become citizens, of a people who have no sense of human honour in their make-up, and no human compassion even toward their own sons and daughters. We must yet believe that the Indian leaders will adhere to Mahatma Gandhi’s doctrine of “Non-violence” and fulfill Gandhiji’s promise to the Nagas that India will not attack the Nagas; yet, Mahatma Gandhi is no more. And, we must look into the background of the Indian civilization and see the heart of their people: the core of nationhood in being.
It is a practice in India to kill their daughters because they cannot marry them; that means, they have no tolerance, no consideration even toward womanhood who the very fountain of their posterity. Their men are so selfish that they will not marry unless the wife to be brings wealth which they call “dowry” for the price of marrying her, and, it is almost always the case the girl does not know the man who it to be her husband. A man old enough to be her grandfather is often represented to her as a handsome young boy. That is the way the Indian do business and they consider such tactics as skillfulness ! The selfishness reveals more tragically on the last day the man leaves this world. His wife is burned alive on his funeral pyre. All these go to prove that the core of their heart or the basis of their civilization is intolerant.
What we see in other established institutions in Indian? In their Courts of law the learned Lawyers are there whose profession is to defend their clients. To defend another person is a most noble mission, but instead of looking to the human side of helping and defending their clients it become rather a general practice to mulct their clients through various dubious means who place themselves at their mercy ready to bead and pay any fee within their means. This is especially done by dragging the cases calling it ‘postponement’ and the law become expensive for the poor; thus, the lawyers failed in their responsibility never trying to obtain a quick decision. Or all the professions, the Lawyers and the Pleaders hold the highest respect in the Indian society, but these learned man instruct their clients to tell lies to outwit their opponents. This learned and noble profession was so prostituted that the former British regime in our country never allowed the Indian lawyers to come to Court of law in “Naga Hills Excluded Area” and our Naga people have been saved from the immoral practice of telling lies to deceive one’s opponents like in India. And we are to take note that almost every Indian leader is a lawyer, and these learned people, who search for a flaw in legal system or try to produce one when there is none, are the leaders of their great country today. This is the danger. We already see their tactics.
In the “Charitable Hospitals” also the Indian doctors are there who see the patients as a diseased body and not as fellow human beings who need one’s tender care. Every one of us knew all these. What is the lot of the Indian cultivators? They are mere tenants in their own soil and not the sovereign owners of their own land as in our country. Most of the Indians live in rented houses in all the towns and cities though they may appear to the onlookers as ‘big gentlemen’ behaving and speaking very good English like the British. Leaving aside other considerations, the whole trouble with the Indians is they are not trustworthy. They never keep their word. In the last World War II also our people have been cheated crores (millions) of money in labour and contract works. Many of you have suffered tens of thousands of rupees and you have failed to recover it.
What substance is there in the India civilization? Any thing to yearn for? The Indians are not a happy people. It may have nothing to do with race as much, but they have miserably failed to develop a civilization that makes their people happy. We have nothing to do with them but we the Nagas do not want them to disturb us. We dearly love our pristine nationhood which should not be tarnished with a world splitting culture, which divides man, and not unite them.
We would not have gone to the extent of mentioning all these about the India society and about their country what is patently knows to everyone of us so long ago had they not shamelessly told us again and again that the Nagas cannot exist without India! We do not like to talk about India: let them be anything, we simple do not need them and we do not want them. A self-respecting people understand these human feelings but we have to watch India. We hear the Indians say in Shillong : “Naga log machines gun-se khatam kardena hoga.” (The Nagas shall have to be finished by machine guns).
Whereas Nagaland ought to have enjoyed unruffled peace for generations to come without end, being surrounded by world’s biggest nations around us (in matters of human population), it is unfortunate that the Indians, who alone are one-fifth of world population, seem to be determined to quarrel with so small a nation even like us.
In 1879 the Indians came and killed our people as the British mercenary soldiers. There are our fathers here standing among us today who personally saw the battle. In the last World War II again how they behaved is fresh in your memory in spite of stern discipline under the British officers. These are bygone experience. But, now that they are free and independent, and they threaten us that they have three million men under arm, which is quite possibly as high as Five million – if police force is included, these are terrible things even to hear them talk. We wanted to avoid any sort of a clash if humanly possible. And, it remains to be seen what Indian Government will do as the government of the one of the eldest family of civilized people on earth.
It is needless to say, we love to retain our Naga age-old culture of classless society as we are, in the spirit of true sisterhood and as brothers to one another.
We like to follow our own form of civilization wherein one need not worry for his and her needs or fear another person. Neither do our Naga society dehumanize another person and forced him or her to resort to begging. We have no lawless problem to deal with and we are happy to see our citizens for all these.
There is no death sentence in Nagaland and we must hope and work for it that this will continue. Life to us represents prestige and honour: it is not merely an animal body of flesh and blood for self-enjoyment. Life is such a serious matter that wanton killing can easily precipitate a local clash. Even a small boy among us understands the implications that involve human integrity.
Being a democratic people, our Naga people are highly disciplined. This did not come easily, that we all know. We are strong enough to be very individualistic but we also know that man cannot live by himself alone. We had to abide by community and public opinion and our fathers struggled hard for all these good things our nation enjoy today. We have learned that every individual citizen has a responsibility toward others, not alone to be kindly but give our best possible help to each other. Nagas uphold that every human being is sovereign and equally precious regardless of his and her social position. We never needed police force to maintain peace, law and order because we are ready to defend ourself and always ready to defend others. As it is, our country is so calm and peaceful that we cannot imagine if we will ever have to worry for personal danger even in future. It is not so secure in many countries. We uphold that it is an honour to recognize the dignity of personal responsibility, and we consider as a privilege to be of service to others which our culture has given the expression we call “mhosho” - to excel (mho, overhead; so, touch). Was there any Naga citizen who over fallen into trouble and left to his and her own fate? This did not happen in our memory. Wherever a need or trouble arise, is it not the responsibility of that community to attend to it wherever it may be? Every citizen realizes his and her responsibility toward fellow countrymen and countrywomen without fear. To do good to others, to stand by them and be ready to live or die together if need be, is the highest culture any nation could wish to have. You and I find it difficult to love our enemy; but to get an opportunity to help that enemy is a rare privilege in trying “to excel” to do good to a fellow man. I call this a great civilization. These are expressed, to be sure, not in the spirit of boasting our national culture but for certain necessity because there are people who have a wry notion about us and we want them to come and see our country with their own eyes.
In a truly democratic society police seams to be somewhat out of place as in a small country like ours. Whatever may develop in future, our community must be sensibly alive all the time as in the past. We must see to it that no section of people be dehumanized to the level of begging or condemned below the social statues of other fellow citizens to be content with his or her helpless lot. This is a responsibility our “community-groups” understand and we must be all the time on the alert to stand by others.
There is no pauper in Nagaland. There is no social ‘out-cast’ in our country. There are no professional beggars up to this very day. There is no families who are houseless anywhere throughout Nagaland. There are no landless persons among us. We do not pay even land tax, which is always a crushing burden to the mass citizens in many other countries. We have no unemployment problem. Economically, Nagaland is on a strong foundation. And, no Naga wanted the Indian immigrants to migrate in Nagaland. It will not help India in any way; not only that, it will disturb the whole Nagaland.
In 1948 also we have informed the Indian Government that Nagaland cannot accept the Indian excess population. Our country is too small. This is not an issue on a question of humanity. What all of us know need not to be repeated. Even if we do give away our country to India, it will not do any good. It will not solve Indian problem; it will not serve the world or create an atmosphere for world peace in which every nation is deeply interested including our country.
Indian immigration to Nagaland by force will only create tension, a problem which did not exist in the last thousand years of human history. We do not want any tension to arise between India and Nagaland; and, we do not want India to create situation in Nagaland.
India is already too congested. While we look to the birth of a child to a family as a great blessing, the birth of a child to the Indian family is a curse to their parents because they cannot feed them; particularly, a girl is considered the greater curse, and very often these daughters are killed by their own parents. It is a paradox that the only thing the Indians produce in excess is more Indians whom they themselves do not want it, but they cannot stop producing them more and more. We all know that India, as a country is a vast country, a very big country, in itself. It is almost three times as big as the whole Great Britain, France and Germany combined together. But their race have been multiplying so fast that their country cannot feed its population instead of producing more than enough foods by such a vast family of man. When a river rises up the danger is not in the riverbed but damage is done to the surrounding bank of the river; that is where we found ourself today.
India wanted to dump her excess population in Nagaland as well as exploit the rich natural resources in our territory. This is so dangerous that it threatens our very existence. Being a small nation (almost a 1000th part of India), we can easily be submerged and get lost: our culture, our civilization, our institutions, our nation and all that we had struggled and build up as we are today will be perished without the least benefit to mankind. And, these we shall lost it not happily but in anger and in perpetual sorrow. If such a day were to be forced on us, God forbid it would have been better none of us were ever born into this world.
We have been threatened with violence.
And, we have weighed and considered everything carefully and all of you know our position. To GIVE AWAY NAGALAND to please India IS NOT THE SOLUTION. You all know that our Naga Delegation met His Excellency, the Governor-General of India, Shri C. Rajagopalachari at Government House in Shillong, only 18 months ago, on November 28, 1949, and we stated to His Excellency,
“Nagas shall not buy friendship with their territory.”
This is not an individual family matter: it concerns one whole nation - and a very small nation at that - it needs great precaution. The crisis facing our nation concerns not only of this generation but it concerns our posterity. As our fathers braved in their generations and handed us down a heritage we are all proud of, we are here to reaffirm that we are the worthy children of our fathers who sacrificed their lives for us of whom we are their posterity. We want our nation and our posterity to continue to live in honour and in peace. Is it anti-Indian to state the living fact that we want our nation to live?
We intensely value our way of living even in so far as land ownership is concerned; and, we yearn nothing better leave alone our social institutions of pure democracy in a classless society where each regard the other as brother and sister, parent and child. We are not just a bunch of human beings called citizens.
The Indians openly say that Communism may take possession of Nagaland but there are communists in India while there is no communist in Nagaland. China is the only Communist country near us but we do not think China will ever bow so low to annex our territory. As for India, we cannot yet say. We have no quarrel with Communism as an economic or political expression; whatever it may be, we never worried about it. Nagas do not favour Communism as a way of life.
There is no political party in Nagaland. We do not need it. And we hope we shall not be pushed to a position in which we have the least desire to shift our stand even so much for an expedient measure. All things considered, Nagaland need not imitate or adopt foreign institution like India in matters of political organizations.
The basic structure of political organization in Nagaland had withstood the change of time all these centuries because it is based on the democratic principle of sovereignty of the people over land ownership as private property. It needs no substitute.
Socially, our community is built up on a system of social alliance and this national institution, which is really three in one whole (Thehu, Thehsü, Thino) has the greatest influence on each and everyone of us.
Economically we have nothing to worry. There is no room for anyone of us to complain against any sort of injustice since he has the same equal freedom with everybody else to own land and to better his position. Nothing prevents him and her. What helps he needs the community is there to stand by him for advice, protection or actual supply of material needs. Naturally enough the whole conception is based on sympathy, love, pride (in the spirit of “mhosho”) and human conscience.
If Nagaland is not disturbed, our country will remain an oasis of peace in the present form of purest democracy in this corner of the world. This is what we like to see it continued.
Someone may tell us that Nagas are Christians following a foreign religion. The Indians publicly say this. We do not take Christianity as foreign religion any more than we consider the light of the sun as foreign origin from outer world. There is a father-creator (Ukepenopfü) as we call it. He is God. The message of the Gospel fulfills our Naga conception of religion – Nanyü – which literally means “anguish of mind” for which we do worship. Once we came to know that there is a personal Saviour to whom one can talk or pray directly, the real light dawned on us, and the weight of man’s “anguish of mind” greatly vanish away. It is the end of the beginning of our personal realization in relieving the anguish of mind in this world and for the next world after death. Whatever the Indians may say of us, there is no foreignness in relationship between father and child; that is, between God the Father and His children.
Our nation is emotionally fascinated with our way of Life. It makes life cheerful. We are not unaware of other people’s opinion of us: they call us “primitive”. Yet, with all our primitiveness, you see smiling face spontaneously beaming on you wherever you go. I say spontaneously because it is not cultivated as an education. There is an instinctual feeling of self-confidence in you and you know it. A sense of security is reflected in you behaviour. What is the source of this happy outcome? It is in the foundation of our “community” system (Thino); and, secondly which is equally important, it is in the land and your ability to cope with life.
We do not say that we have everything or do not need any other thing. That is sheer folly. But the important thing is we have all the basic needs in political matters, for country’s administration, community organization, economic set-up (uki-ulie); and these institutions we have in the way we need it. These are not problems in Nagaland. It is not a grafted growth. Our fathers had laid down all these in their time and we are just restating the fruit of their labour we enjoy today which are natural enough to their ingenuity in the process of developments to our nationhood. And, the best thing is, it fulfills the requirements of the present-day changes; no alteration or adjustment needed. All sound principles stand throughout the ages. Time and situation cannot defy it. Need we stress it again how truly we love our native institutions of people’s democracy where none is the master or servant but all are as parents and children, brothers and sisters.
There is still another argument the Indian Authority put it forward which is of recent origin and it is very dangerous FOR WHICH WE ARE HERS TODAY. They now say that the Nagas are not united and that there is no substance or basis to defend the independence of Nagaland. This is a strange argument. The Indians are trying to outwit us because they already got their Armed Forces entrenched in our territory. This unhappy situation arose through the 10-Year Agreement the Government of India entered into with the Naga National Council in 1947, which took place here in Kohima on June 26, that is, 3 years, 10 months and 20 days today. But the Indian Government officially repudiated the Agreement 1 year 6 months and 8 days ago (today) which they made it known to our Naga Delegation on November 8, 1949 at the Government House in Shillong. These facts are known to you. Seeing that they cannot deceive the Nagas, as they thought they could browbeat us, have resorted to dirty, shameless and unmanly tactics. We are to note carefully that present tactics of argument placed Nagaland not as a national state of a people. India is trying now to argue the existence of Nagaland a political matter (of Indian concern)! But how can this be? Whether we call a national state or a country, both concerns the same thing: it concerns the territory of a people. Nagaland is the land of the Nagas; it is Naga country and nobody else. We are not refugees or immigrants in this beautiful land. Our own language tells exactly what a country is. We call country “Ura” which literally means ‘we are first’ (u, we; ra, ria, first). The root meaning of territory also developed from the same word; namely, “theria” meaning ‘self first’. And our Naga language is certainly as old as human tradition and history cannot contradict us. No man can argue with fact and existence of Nagaland (Nagara) is a natural fact.
What confronts us just now is not a political matter as between a Colonial government and the subject people. We are not Indian subjects. Only when there is controversy problem will arise. But, in our case, NAGALAND is not a controversy.
The Indians went so far to tell us that “the talk of Naga Independence is the voice of only a few educated educate Nagas”! The Indian Government have come to know that they cannot move the mass Naga citizens in any other way except to say that it is the voice of the educated Nagas. What of it? Where India will be without their educated class? Their talk is not only to confound us but they are trying and preparing the way to confuse the world opinion in their favour. Here our mass citizens who are directly concerned with land, as all our people are directly concerned with land but particularly those of you who are cultivating your fields, you are far more acutely conscious and much more feelingly touched of our national problems because it hurts you in a very personal way. All of us realize that it is not merely a crisis; it is a question of life and death, and for a small nation it means annihilation and extinction from the face of this earth. This is a terrible aspect. With a united voice we shall explore every possible means to avoid getting entangled.
One thing we shall not make a mistake is that
NAGALAND IS NOT A PROBLEM. It is not a controversy between the Indians and the Nagas. It is not a case. Strictly speaking, it is not an issue; at least, not yet.
The Nagas have nothing to do with India. And the Indians have nothing to do with Nagaland. This is the exact position. Historically, Nagas and the Indians did not have a common tradition. Racially, Nagas belong to the Mongolian family while the Indians belong to entirely a different race of their own. Politically, neither the Nagas nor the Indians know each other, that is why trouble is just about to start. Legally, it is nonexistent. There is absolutely no like. Culturally, the Nagas and the Indians never had occasion to meet each other; and, there is nothing in common. Socially, the Indians abhor the Nagas and the Nagas despise the Indians. It is better to face fact now. Religiously, the Indians are Hindus; and the ancient Naga religion is “Animism” having nothing to do with Hindus. As it is, there is nothing in common between the Nagas and the Indians. The difference is too varied, the feeling is too deep, and the attitude is too wide and too malignant for the two nations ever to think to live together in peace much less to become “Indian citizens”. The only way to live in peace is to live apart. Economically, Nagaland had never been dependent on India. All these have been so ever since and long before human history began. Nagas and Indians do not speak the language. Why, we do not eat even the same food. It was very good that the Indians never allow the Nagas to go near them because they hate our people.
So, what connection is there between the two people? Whoever tries to implicate us and confuse the existing or rather non-existing state of affair, he tells deliberate lies. It is folly for India to attempt to subjugate the Nagas. On our part, our fathers even in their illiterate stage never implicated our nation with India; that is why we are so distinctly alive as individually a distinct family of nation. This generation will not blunder. We shall not tarnish our honour.
Since our Naga people take word seriously as an oath, I stress these things once again so that you all will bear in mind that our nation and those of us who are in the NAGA NATIONAL COUNCIL for our national affairs have not made a mistake in dealing with India. Naga National Council tried and continue trying to find a peaceful solution with India for Nagaland to continue to live in peace without harassment. We have no secret. Nothing is hidden from you. And, whatever may happen, you will that our nation had tried her best to avoid it, the rest, it is beyond our power.
NOW, WE ARE HERE TODAY to reaffirm the stand of our Naga nation that we do not need India and we do not want her. We are here today to prove to INDIA and to the world that NAGALAND is united and that our nation aspire the same conviction to continue to be independent as a distinct nation as we are and have always been in the sovereign national state of the Nagas of Nagaland.
We have never doubted and we never worried about the question of our unity, which is an internal affairs of Nagaland alone. This was never a problem and India has no business to interfere us. But the menace of India is there because she wanted to grab our country saying one thing or another like the well known story of the “Tiger and the Lamb” in the Aesop Fables who had painted the worst type of cannibalistic humanity.
We are here united as one nation for the common cause of our nation’s freedom, which is in jeopardy. Nagaland is independent state. We are as independent as any country could be; yet, we are not free and we cannot be free because the Indian Government ceaselessly interferes our administration with their Armed forces. They have been harassing our citizens all the time.
The presence of our people here in a big group in several thousands from all over our country certainly relieves the awful sense of oppression and persecutions. We are already here about six thousand people and more are still coming. Your presence here willingly to stand by our nation in peril dispels the Indian argument of disunity among us.
We all know that the Indian government have strongly entrenched their Armed Forces right inside our territory and they threaten our very existence to “use all the forces at my command to crush you” as their Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru put it to our Naga Delegation who went to New Delhi seeking a peaceful solution to live side by side as friendly neighbours.
We shall do all what is humanly possible so that we shall not have to go down in history in shame or live in sorrow and disgrace; what else we cannot do, we leave it to God’s own mercy and to His care and pray that we do not become a victim of the Indian imperialism.
WE ARE HERE TO COMMENCE OUR VOLUNTARY PLEBISCITE to put on record and to express our mind, our national policy, in the form of Thumb Impression. It is five months now that our nation has been given time to discuss about this Plebiscite Voluntarily offered by us to prove our unity and our spontaneous willingness to continue to live on as a distinct nation. In the past five months I have visited every region of our area and met everyone of you. What we do now will go down in our history. We shall enough time especially this is being a busy season for our people and many of you will have to be disturbed for this national work. Not a single village will be left out as each and everyone of us will like to let our posterity know what we do now for their freedom, for their glory, and for their happiness which they must continue to enjoy as free man.
THIS PLEBISCITE is not whether Nagaland should become a part of India or not. This is only to show India and the world of Naga unity as one effective nation in order to let INDIA know the position of NAGALAND. However, those who wish to show their differences in preference to join the Indian union, we welcome their expression of full freedom of choice. Nobody need worry or fear his and her safety in expressing oneself freely. All will be put on the record in the form of fingerprint. We are making three separate copies for historical document and one copy shall be presented to the Republic of India.
Lastly, let me state that the Nagas’ stand for independence, that is, the continued existence of Nagaland as a sovereign state, is not a political challenge to India. We stand on, and try to reaffirm, our own right as a nation. We Nagas are not against Indians. We never wanted enemies. We only hope that India shall not become our enemy.
Let me enumerate my speech again:-
WHY DO THE NAGAS WANT TO BE INDEPENDENT?
1. We want to feel that we are absolutely and unconditionally free as a nation. Nagas belong to a distinct people and live in a country entirely of their own. We want to remain outside the influence of any other nation, be it white or brown.
2. We want to develop our own culture unhampered in the way we like, without having to worry for a possible mixture of alien blood.
3. We want to direct our own education through the establishment of our own Universities.
4. We want to keep our own land in the possession of our own people for our own people.
5. We want to live our own lives. There should be no room for any possible interference, directly or indirectly, whether now or in days to come.
6. We want to keep in our possession as a heritage something which is exclusively of Nagaland; something which is bound to vanish and be lost to the Nagas if they were to live under an alien direction; these are our national institutions of –
(a) Community Organisation.
(b) People’s sovereignty over ownership of property and land.
(c) Our culture: a culture of love with a true respect for individual personality, a society that admits no strata of social class, caste or creed, religion or race.
7. We want peace, real peace put into an abiding practice in the lives of men. We do not want war. And we do not want to see another war in our land. We do not want to make our country a defence line. We do not want to let our children live in battlefields.
8. We want to make our country a place of happiness, of security and rest. We hope and we cherish that we can make our country a meeting place of the East and an understanding center of the world.
9. We believe that we shall become a better friend and that we can remain a better friend to India and the outside world if we are left to ourselves – unmolested and unexploited.
10. We believe that it is not only for Nagaland but for India and other surrounding countries as well that there is a better chance of creating and retaining peace and good will with a SOVEREIGN NAGALAND being in existence.
Above everything else, we want to be free as a distinct nation: and we shall be free.
A.Z. Phizo, President,
NAGA NATIONAL COUNCIL,
Kohima, Nagaland.
16 May 1951.
`source:http://www.neuenhofer.de/guenter/nagaland/phizo.html
Lalu Prasad taken to jail after conviction in fodder scam case
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File pic[/caption]
RANCHI: RJD president Lalu Prasad was taken to jail on Monday after being convicted by a special CBI court here in the fodder scam case.
65-year-old Lalu Prasad was taken to the Birsa Munda Central Jail here after the court verdict.
The court has fixed October 3 for pronouncement of sentence against Lalu Prasad, former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and others convicted in the case.
While coming out from the court, Lalu appeared calm and did not take any questions as his car sped away to the jail located at Hotwar on the outskirts of Ranchi, adjacent to the National Games village.
Besides Lalu, the court of Pravas Kumar Singh convicted another 44 accused, including Mishra, six politicians and four IAS officers, for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury.
Later, the court sentenced IAS officer K Armugam, former Bihar AHD and labour minister Vidya Sagar Nishad and former MLA Dhruv Bhagat and five fodder suppliers for up to three years.
Earlier, Prasad, who arrived in the court by a white Ambassador car, appeared relaxed and waved to his party supporters. He sat in the second row in the court room as the judge began reading out the judgment against him.
File pic[/caption]RANCHI: RJD president Lalu Prasad was taken to jail on Monday after being convicted by a special CBI court here in the fodder scam case.
65-year-old Lalu Prasad was taken to the Birsa Munda Central Jail here after the court verdict.
The court has fixed October 3 for pronouncement of sentence against Lalu Prasad, former Bihar chief minister Jagannath Mishra and others convicted in the case.
While coming out from the court, Lalu appeared calm and did not take any questions as his car sped away to the jail located at Hotwar on the outskirts of Ranchi, adjacent to the National Games village.
Besides Lalu, the court of Pravas Kumar Singh convicted another 44 accused, including Mishra, six politicians and four IAS officers, for fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore from Chaibasa treasury.
Later, the court sentenced IAS officer K Armugam, former Bihar AHD and labour minister Vidya Sagar Nishad and former MLA Dhruv Bhagat and five fodder suppliers for up to three years.
Earlier, Prasad, who arrived in the court by a white Ambassador car, appeared relaxed and waved to his party supporters. He sat in the second row in the court room as the judge began reading out the judgment against him.
Sunday, 29 September 2013
18 selected for Nagas Next Top Model semi-finals
Altogether 10 females and 8 male models have made it to the next round after a dramatic photo-shoot of the top-18 finalists on September 5 and 6 with Femina Miss India East 2012 Himakshi Agrawala and official photographer Imnaonen Pongen.
Outfits for the photo-shoot were sponsored by Vicie Achumi and Leejen (colors of Nagaland). Himakshi also picked one of the contestants as “model of the day” The next elimination round, also the semi-finals, would be held on October 19 at O.J Modeling Grooming & Training Agency Studio.
The finalists are: Zehovire Kechu (Avi) (female); Moathy Longchar, Dimapur (male); Lomi Kiba, Dimapur, (female); Tiri Sangtam (male); Limaienla Jamir, (female); Solomon Meru (male); Cynthia Khatso (female); Imtichuba (male); Imnajungla Jamir (female); Imnasenla Jamir (female); Vishal Gaur, student (male); Angukato S. Zhimo (male); Sopuo (Apu), Teacher (female); Longtise Sangtam (male); Achano (female); Ezo Humtsoe (Male); Rachel (female); Alikali Chophy (female).
NISC demands release of political prisoners
Naga International Support Center (NISC) based in Amsterdam has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of NSCN (I-M) functionaries Anthony Shimray, Absolom and all other Naga political prisoners.
In a statement, NISC said the talks between the government of India and the NSCN (I-M) has been going for more than 16 and the negotiators were practically held Naga leaders under “house arrest”.
NISC alleged that Naga leaders were “arrested, charged with procuring arms and waging war against India” and that they have been monitored wherever they go and their communication (phone and internet) have been tapped.
NISC reminded that the Naga leaders came to India on invitation of then Prime Minister of India with the aim to expedite the peace process.
However over the years, these leaders have been put under restricted movements, said NISC.
The organization recalled that Naga chief negotiator Th. Muivah could not travel to his place of birth and NSCN (I-M) president Isak Chisi Swu a year later could not reach his village due to the restrictions imposed.
Naga International Support Center has urged the government of India to release all Naga political prisoners unconditionally in the original spirit of the cease-fire.
~NP
In a statement, NISC said the talks between the government of India and the NSCN (I-M) has been going for more than 16 and the negotiators were practically held Naga leaders under “house arrest”.
NISC alleged that Naga leaders were “arrested, charged with procuring arms and waging war against India” and that they have been monitored wherever they go and their communication (phone and internet) have been tapped.
NISC reminded that the Naga leaders came to India on invitation of then Prime Minister of India with the aim to expedite the peace process.
However over the years, these leaders have been put under restricted movements, said NISC.
The organization recalled that Naga chief negotiator Th. Muivah could not travel to his place of birth and NSCN (I-M) president Isak Chisi Swu a year later could not reach his village due to the restrictions imposed.
Naga International Support Center has urged the government of India to release all Naga political prisoners unconditionally in the original spirit of the cease-fire.
~NP
Guitarist fromManipur wins the coveted the Furtados Ultimate Guitarist 2013 (Judges Choice)
[caption id="attachment_9084" align="alignleft" width="280"]
Tikendrajit Keisham, a first year Computer Science and Engineering student of Manipur Institute of Technology (MIT)[/caption]
IMPHAL, Sep 28: Tikendrajit Keisham, a first year Computer Science and Engineering student of Manipur Institute of Technology (MIT), Takyelpat, Imphal has won the coveted Furtados Ultimate Guitarist 2013 (Judges Choice) award. Furtados Ultimate GuitaristVideo Contest is a three-month long battle in search of the best guitarist in India. The 'battle' goes through a series of public voting rounds and selection by the esteemed judges.
Tikendrajit Keisham, who hails from Keishamthong Bazar, is adjudged the Judges Choice from among the top 15 finalists who competed from different parts of the country. He has been playing guitar since his childhood. He is influenced by his two elder brothers who are also musicians and played together in the same band. Tikendrajit performed at various local acts since 2002 and also at the Sangai Festival along with local bands.
Tikendrajit Keisham, a first year Computer Science and Engineering student of Manipur Institute of Technology (MIT)[/caption]IMPHAL, Sep 28: Tikendrajit Keisham, a first year Computer Science and Engineering student of Manipur Institute of Technology (MIT), Takyelpat, Imphal has won the coveted Furtados Ultimate Guitarist 2013 (Judges Choice) award. Furtados Ultimate GuitaristVideo Contest is a three-month long battle in search of the best guitarist in India. The 'battle' goes through a series of public voting rounds and selection by the esteemed judges.
Tikendrajit Keisham, who hails from Keishamthong Bazar, is adjudged the Judges Choice from among the top 15 finalists who competed from different parts of the country. He has been playing guitar since his childhood. He is influenced by his two elder brothers who are also musicians and played together in the same band. Tikendrajit performed at various local acts since 2002 and also at the Sangai Festival along with local bands.
Arunachal allots Rs 5cr for tea growers
ITANAGAR: In a bid to promote tea cultivation in the state, Arunachal Pradesh government has proposed to donate Rs 5 crore to tea growers in the current financial year under the chief minister's Mission Mode Project (MMP) on plantation crops.
Under the proposed scheme, progressive tea growers would be provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs 1lakh each for cultivating tea in one hectare, chief minister Nabam Tuki said in the assembly in response to a question raised here by Congress member Takar Marde. Tuki, who also holds the trade and commerce portfolio, said that during the financial year 2012-13, an amount of Rs 3 crore was proposed under 12th Finance Commission grants. "However, so far, the proposal has not been cleared by the monitoring committee," he added.
He said the process of inviting applications from willing tea growers and enumeration of tea farmers had been initiated.
During the last financial year, 20 hectares each in West Kameng, East Kameng, East Siang, Upper Siang, West Siang, Upper Subansiri, Lower Subansiri and Kurung Kumey districts have been earmarked for tea cultivation, while 21 hectares have been allotted for Papum Pare, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Changlang, Tirap and Changlang districts each, Tuki added.
Under the proposed scheme, progressive tea growers would be provided financial assistance to the tune of Rs 1lakh each for cultivating tea in one hectare, chief minister Nabam Tuki said in the assembly in response to a question raised here by Congress member Takar Marde. Tuki, who also holds the trade and commerce portfolio, said that during the financial year 2012-13, an amount of Rs 3 crore was proposed under 12th Finance Commission grants. "However, so far, the proposal has not been cleared by the monitoring committee," he added.
He said the process of inviting applications from willing tea growers and enumeration of tea farmers had been initiated.
During the last financial year, 20 hectares each in West Kameng, East Kameng, East Siang, Upper Siang, West Siang, Upper Subansiri, Lower Subansiri and Kurung Kumey districts have been earmarked for tea cultivation, while 21 hectares have been allotted for Papum Pare, Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Changlang, Tirap and Changlang districts each, Tuki added.
Bicycle diaries: The road to women's safety
SHILLONG: Many had asked Forrest Gump why he was running. Was he running for women's rights, was he running for world peace? But Gump had run because he had felt like it. He had run because he was heart broken.
Sougaijam Bidyalakshmi Leima has been cycling all through the northeastern states.
However, this 17-year-old from Manipur is not cycling because she just feels like it.
She has a definite goal. She is cycling to create awareness and spread her simple message: "Stop violence against women".
The teenager, deeply moved by the increasing trend in rape cases and ill-treatment towards women and children, took up the baton for this cause and braved the fragile law and order situation of the region to start her 'peace cycling expedition' from Imphal in the first week of this month.
Leima, on Friday, began her journey to Tripura and Mizoram.
"I also met students from the colleges in the city to make them aware on the need to protect women's rights," she said.
This braveheart from Jiribam village, after cycling 2,700 km, had reached Shillong on Thursday.
"This is a humble start and in my own little way, through this cycling campaign, I want to contribute to the cause and help in ending such violence against women," she said at a press meet.
The teenager said she hoped that her cycling tour would make the government wake up and take initiatives and suitable legislations to completely root out crime against women and children.
Her bicycle expedition is being sponsored by Manipur-based NGO 'Joint Coalition Coordination Committee on North East India Cycle-2'.
~TOI
Sougaijam Bidyalakshmi Leima has been cycling all through the northeastern states.
However, this 17-year-old from Manipur is not cycling because she just feels like it.
She has a definite goal. She is cycling to create awareness and spread her simple message: "Stop violence against women".
The teenager, deeply moved by the increasing trend in rape cases and ill-treatment towards women and children, took up the baton for this cause and braved the fragile law and order situation of the region to start her 'peace cycling expedition' from Imphal in the first week of this month.
Leima, on Friday, began her journey to Tripura and Mizoram.
"I also met students from the colleges in the city to make them aware on the need to protect women's rights," she said.
This braveheart from Jiribam village, after cycling 2,700 km, had reached Shillong on Thursday.
"This is a humble start and in my own little way, through this cycling campaign, I want to contribute to the cause and help in ending such violence against women," she said at a press meet.
The teenager said she hoped that her cycling tour would make the government wake up and take initiatives and suitable legislations to completely root out crime against women and children.
Her bicycle expedition is being sponsored by Manipur-based NGO 'Joint Coalition Coordination Committee on North East India Cycle-2'.
~TOI
Islamist gunmen attack Nigeria college, 50 students feared killed
[caption id="attachment_9077" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Extremists attacked an agricultural college gunning down dozens of students as they slept in dormitories and torching classrooms in an ongoing Islamic uprising in northeast Nigeria.[/caption]
POTISKUM: Suspected Islamic extremists attacked an agricultural college in the dead of night, gunning down dozens of students as they slept in dormitories and torching classrooms in an ongoing Islamic uprising in northeast Nigeria, the school's provost said.
As many as 50 students may have been killed in the attack that began at about 1am Sunday in rural Gujba, provost Molima Idi Mato of the Yobe State College of Agriculture, told Associated Press.
"They attacked our students while they were sleeping in their hostels, they opened fire at them," he said.
He said he could not give an exact death toll as security forces still are recovering bodies.
The Nigerian military has collected 42 bodies and transported 18 injured students to Damaturu Specialist Hospital, said a military intelligence official, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.
The school's other 1,000 enrolled students have fled the college that is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the scene of similar school attacks around Damaturu town, said provost Mato.
He said there were no security forces stationed at the college despite government assurances that they would be deployed. The state commissioner for education, Mohammmed Lamin, called a news conference two weeks ago urging all schools to reopen and promising protection from soldiers and police.
Most schools in the area closed after militants on July 6 killed 29 pupils and a teacher, burning some alive in their hostels, at Mamudo outside Damaturu.
Northeastern Nigeria is under a military state of emergency to battle an Islamic uprising prosecuted by Boko Haram militants who have killed more than 1,700 people since 2010 in their quest for an Islamic state. Boko Haram means western education is forbidden in the local Hausa language.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau last week published a video to prove he is alive and prove false military claims that they might have killed him in an ongoing crackdown.
Government and security officials claim they are winning their war on terror in the northeast but Sunday's attack and others belie those assurances.
The Islamic extremists have killed at least 30 other civilians in the past week.
Twenty-seven people died in separate attacks Wednesday and Thursday night on two villages of Borno state near the northeast border with Cameroon, according to the chairman of the Gamboru-Ngala local government council, Modu-Gana Bukar Sheriiff.
The military spokesman did not respond to requests for information on those attacks, but a security official confirmed the death toll. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give information to journalists.
Also Thursday, police said suspected Islamic militants killed a pastor, his son and a village head and torched their Christian church in Dorawa, about 100 kilometers from Damaturu. They said the gunmen used explosives to set fire to the church and five homes.
Meanwhile, farmers and government officials are fleeing threats of imminent attacks from Boko Haram in the area of the Gwoza Hills, a mountainous area with caves that shelter the militants despite repeated aerial bombardments by the military.
A local government official said there had been a series of attacks in recent weeks and threats of more. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for his life, said Gwoza town was deserted when he visited it briefly under heavy security escort on Thursday.
He said militants had chased medical officers from the government hospital in Gwoza, which had been treating some victims of attacks. And he said they ahd burned down three public schools in the area.
The official said the Gwoza local government has set up offices in Maiduguri, the state capital to the north.
More than 30,000 people have fled the terrorist attacks to neighboring Cameroon and Chad and the uprising combined with the military emergency has forced farmers from their fields and vendors from their markets.
The attacks come as Nigeria prepares to celebrate 52 years of independence from Britain on Tuesday and amid increasing political jockeying as the country gears up for presidential elections next year.
Extremists attacked an agricultural college gunning down dozens of students as they slept in dormitories and torching classrooms in an ongoing Islamic uprising in northeast Nigeria.[/caption]POTISKUM: Suspected Islamic extremists attacked an agricultural college in the dead of night, gunning down dozens of students as they slept in dormitories and torching classrooms in an ongoing Islamic uprising in northeast Nigeria, the school's provost said.
As many as 50 students may have been killed in the attack that began at about 1am Sunday in rural Gujba, provost Molima Idi Mato of the Yobe State College of Agriculture, told Associated Press.
"They attacked our students while they were sleeping in their hostels, they opened fire at them," he said.
He said he could not give an exact death toll as security forces still are recovering bodies.
The Nigerian military has collected 42 bodies and transported 18 injured students to Damaturu Specialist Hospital, said a military intelligence official, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.
The school's other 1,000 enrolled students have fled the college that is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the scene of similar school attacks around Damaturu town, said provost Mato.
He said there were no security forces stationed at the college despite government assurances that they would be deployed. The state commissioner for education, Mohammmed Lamin, called a news conference two weeks ago urging all schools to reopen and promising protection from soldiers and police.
Most schools in the area closed after militants on July 6 killed 29 pupils and a teacher, burning some alive in their hostels, at Mamudo outside Damaturu.
Northeastern Nigeria is under a military state of emergency to battle an Islamic uprising prosecuted by Boko Haram militants who have killed more than 1,700 people since 2010 in their quest for an Islamic state. Boko Haram means western education is forbidden in the local Hausa language.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau last week published a video to prove he is alive and prove false military claims that they might have killed him in an ongoing crackdown.
Government and security officials claim they are winning their war on terror in the northeast but Sunday's attack and others belie those assurances.
The Islamic extremists have killed at least 30 other civilians in the past week.
Twenty-seven people died in separate attacks Wednesday and Thursday night on two villages of Borno state near the northeast border with Cameroon, according to the chairman of the Gamboru-Ngala local government council, Modu-Gana Bukar Sheriiff.
The military spokesman did not respond to requests for information on those attacks, but a security official confirmed the death toll. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give information to journalists.
Also Thursday, police said suspected Islamic militants killed a pastor, his son and a village head and torched their Christian church in Dorawa, about 100 kilometers from Damaturu. They said the gunmen used explosives to set fire to the church and five homes.
Meanwhile, farmers and government officials are fleeing threats of imminent attacks from Boko Haram in the area of the Gwoza Hills, a mountainous area with caves that shelter the militants despite repeated aerial bombardments by the military.
A local government official said there had been a series of attacks in recent weeks and threats of more. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for his life, said Gwoza town was deserted when he visited it briefly under heavy security escort on Thursday.
He said militants had chased medical officers from the government hospital in Gwoza, which had been treating some victims of attacks. And he said they ahd burned down three public schools in the area.
The official said the Gwoza local government has set up offices in Maiduguri, the state capital to the north.
More than 30,000 people have fled the terrorist attacks to neighboring Cameroon and Chad and the uprising combined with the military emergency has forced farmers from their fields and vendors from their markets.
The attacks come as Nigeria prepares to celebrate 52 years of independence from Britain on Tuesday and amid increasing political jockeying as the country gears up for presidential elections next year.
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Manipur Institute of Technology students driven out of hostel in Manipur
IMPHAL: Agitating students of the Manipur Institute of Technology (MIT), who were driven out from theirhostels at Takyel here on Sunday, are currently staying at a nearby community hall. Locals are providing food and other support materials to them.
Demanding removal of MIT's principal in charge, Th Kulachandra Singh, the engineering students have been agitating since September 16. The governing body of the institute will convene an emergency meeting to discuss the matter on Tuesday.
MIT is a constitute college of the Manipur University (MU) and, currently, it has around 400 students, some of whom are from outside the state.
The striking students charged Singh with mismanaging the institute in various aspects, resulting in an undesirable academic atmosphere. The charged him with misuse of the institution's funds, failure to develop infrastructure and non-activation of placements for students.
On Sunday, police resorted to lathicharge, firing teargas canisters and mock bombs to disperse the students who were staging a sit-in protest in the institute's complex. The police action left at least 17 students, including one from Noida, injured. The police action came after clamping of prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC at the institute.
"We have been staying in the community hall since all the students, including hostellers, were driven out from the institute on Monday afternoon. In fact, the MIT authorities had issued an order on September 19, asking boarders to vacate the hostels," said W Hemkumar, a student, on Monday.
Though the students have already submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor of MU highlighting their demands and grievances, no positive action has been taken as yet, complained Hemkumar.
"We will continue to agitate unless our demands are complied with for the welfare of the institute in general and the students in particular," he said. Soon after the hostellers, about 70 in all, took shelter in the community hall, local clubs, philanthropists and student bodies started providing them essentials like food, water and clothing, Hemkumar said.
The governing body of the institute will convene an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue, particularly the charges levelled against the principal by the agitating students, official sources said.
The Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur, while deciding to support the MIT students' stir, stated that the issue has snowballed out of proportion as the MU vice-chancellor was listening only to the institute's principal in charge. Though MIT collects placement fee, infrastructure fee, medical fee and magazine fee during admission, none of these facilities are available in the institute, said the student body's general secretary, A Thoithoi.
~toi
Demanding removal of MIT's principal in charge, Th Kulachandra Singh, the engineering students have been agitating since September 16. The governing body of the institute will convene an emergency meeting to discuss the matter on Tuesday.
MIT is a constitute college of the Manipur University (MU) and, currently, it has around 400 students, some of whom are from outside the state.
The striking students charged Singh with mismanaging the institute in various aspects, resulting in an undesirable academic atmosphere. The charged him with misuse of the institution's funds, failure to develop infrastructure and non-activation of placements for students.
On Sunday, police resorted to lathicharge, firing teargas canisters and mock bombs to disperse the students who were staging a sit-in protest in the institute's complex. The police action left at least 17 students, including one from Noida, injured. The police action came after clamping of prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC at the institute.
"We have been staying in the community hall since all the students, including hostellers, were driven out from the institute on Monday afternoon. In fact, the MIT authorities had issued an order on September 19, asking boarders to vacate the hostels," said W Hemkumar, a student, on Monday.
Though the students have already submitted a memorandum to the vice-chancellor of MU highlighting their demands and grievances, no positive action has been taken as yet, complained Hemkumar.
"We will continue to agitate unless our demands are complied with for the welfare of the institute in general and the students in particular," he said. Soon after the hostellers, about 70 in all, took shelter in the community hall, local clubs, philanthropists and student bodies started providing them essentials like food, water and clothing, Hemkumar said.
The governing body of the institute will convene an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue, particularly the charges levelled against the principal by the agitating students, official sources said.
The Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur, while deciding to support the MIT students' stir, stated that the issue has snowballed out of proportion as the MU vice-chancellor was listening only to the institute's principal in charge. Though MIT collects placement fee, infrastructure fee, medical fee and magazine fee during admission, none of these facilities are available in the institute, said the student body's general secretary, A Thoithoi.
~toi
Three suspected Ulfa men arrested, arms recovered in Guwahati
GUWAHATI: Three suspected Ulfa militants were arrested and a cache of arms and ammunition was recovered in the wee hours on Tuesday, police said.
"After getting an information, we laid traps at seven places around Guwahati. Post midnight, we spotted a vehicle and searched it. We recovered the arms from there and arrested three persons," Inspector General of Police (Central Western Range) LR Bishnoi said.
Three AK-81 rifles, nine magazines and three US-made bottle grenades were recovered from the vehicle, he said.
The arms were being taken to Goalpara district near the border with Meghalaya, Bishnoi said.
~toi
"After getting an information, we laid traps at seven places around Guwahati. Post midnight, we spotted a vehicle and searched it. We recovered the arms from there and arrested three persons," Inspector General of Police (Central Western Range) LR Bishnoi said.
Three AK-81 rifles, nine magazines and three US-made bottle grenades were recovered from the vehicle, he said.
The arms were being taken to Goalpara district near the border with Meghalaya, Bishnoi said.
~toi
Powerful earthquake kills 45 in Balochistan
[caption id="attachment_9039" align="alignleft" width="300"]
A Pakistani woman speaks on her mobile phone after rushing out of her apartment following a major earthquake that struck Baluchistan province in Pakistan on Tuesday.[/caption]
An earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale shook parts of Balochistan and Sindh on Tuesday, killing at least 45 persons and injuring many in Awaran. The U.S. Geological Survey on its website said the earthquake occurred at 4.29 p.m. and the epicentre was 69 km north of Awaran, and 270 km north of Karachi. Dawncorrespondent Salim Shahid told The Hindu on the phone from Quetta that 45 deaths had been confirmed by the Awaran district administration. There were at least four aftershocks.
Land mass in sea
The powerful quake pushed up a 40 to 60 feet high and around 200-foot-long land mass in the sea near the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan. Deputy Inspecter General of Police, Makran region, Mozam Jah said that soon after the quake the land mass emerged around 600 m from the coast. Local journalist Behram Baloch told the Dawn correspondent that such an island had emerged in Gwadar in 1960 also.
About 150 to 200 houses, mostly made of mud, stone and wooden planks, had collapsed in the remote district of Awaran in Balochistan province.
Rescue operations were under way. The army and medical teams have been dispatched to the area, according to media reports.
The tremors of the quake were felt in Karachi, Hyderabad and other places, including New Delhi. The provincial government has declared an emergency. Jam Kamal Khan, member of the National Assembly, was quoted on TV saying that the number of houses damaged could be 400 or more as rescue teams were yet to assess the damage.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in New York, has directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to keep him updated regarding the losses, relief and evacuation measures, according to an official statement.
He said that the federal government would provide all possible assistance to the earthquake affected and asked NDMA and Pakistan Army to assist the local administration in relief activities.
A Pakistani woman speaks on her mobile phone after rushing out of her apartment following a major earthquake that struck Baluchistan province in Pakistan on Tuesday.[/caption]An earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter Scale shook parts of Balochistan and Sindh on Tuesday, killing at least 45 persons and injuring many in Awaran. The U.S. Geological Survey on its website said the earthquake occurred at 4.29 p.m. and the epicentre was 69 km north of Awaran, and 270 km north of Karachi. Dawncorrespondent Salim Shahid told The Hindu on the phone from Quetta that 45 deaths had been confirmed by the Awaran district administration. There were at least four aftershocks.
Land mass in sea
The powerful quake pushed up a 40 to 60 feet high and around 200-foot-long land mass in the sea near the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan. Deputy Inspecter General of Police, Makran region, Mozam Jah said that soon after the quake the land mass emerged around 600 m from the coast. Local journalist Behram Baloch told the Dawn correspondent that such an island had emerged in Gwadar in 1960 also.
About 150 to 200 houses, mostly made of mud, stone and wooden planks, had collapsed in the remote district of Awaran in Balochistan province.
Rescue operations were under way. The army and medical teams have been dispatched to the area, according to media reports.
The tremors of the quake were felt in Karachi, Hyderabad and other places, including New Delhi. The provincial government has declared an emergency. Jam Kamal Khan, member of the National Assembly, was quoted on TV saying that the number of houses damaged could be 400 or more as rescue teams were yet to assess the damage.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in New York, has directed the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to keep him updated regarding the losses, relief and evacuation measures, according to an official statement.
He said that the federal government would provide all possible assistance to the earthquake affected and asked NDMA and Pakistan Army to assist the local administration in relief activities.
Monday, 23 September 2013
Mob burns AR Gypsy, AK 47 Rifle; damages 5 police vehicles
[caption id="attachment_9034" align="alignleft" width="300"]
An irate mob last-night set aflame a Maruti Gypsy used by Assam Rifles[/caption]
Lamka, Sep 22: An irate mob last-night set aflame a Maruti Gypsy used by Assam Rifles along with an AK-47 Rifle around 7.50 pm at Bungmual village about 3 kms from here, when the latter reportedly questioned a man for storing some incriminating images on his mobile phone and subsequently arrested some others who tried to secure their friend’s release.
Information culled today on the incident indicates that AR personnel travelling in a white Gypsy pulled-out a Bolero driver identified as Jamkhomang husband of Ngaibiakmawi who just reached Bungmual after trailing him all the way. They then blindfolded him inside their Gypsy and quizzed him on different issues including on the contents on his mobile phone after the AR personnel took possession of it.
On the request of Jamkhomang one Goulal, the local nominee of an MLA and son of former minister H Songchinkhup reached the spot and tried to secure his friend’s release who was instead arrested as well. The AR men then reportedly entered houses located along the road and pulled-up every men on their sight and arrested two others. The AR men's conduct during all this time seems to have angered the villagers who clanged the electric poles and other materials to draw a crowd that immediately accosted the AR personnel.
The crowd gradually turned into a mob, attacking the AR Gypsy first then setting it aflame moments later. The AR men fired several rounds in the air. The firing rather than quelling the mob drew more people and further angered them, leading the mob to push the burning Gypsy into a gorge and resulting in a tense stand-off.
Top officials from the district, including the ADC Chairman, Deputy Commissioner and SP rushed to the spot but they also failed to quell the anger as the mob damaged two more police vehicles, a Gypsy of the DCs escort team and dented the IRBs bullet proof vehicle. The incident resulted in State forces resorting to another round of firing.
After about two hours of stand-off, the local officials on the insistence of the agitating mob managed to secure the release of all those arrested by the Assam Rifles and managed to steadily disperse the crowd.
SDPO Churachandpur David Piaklian who claimed that an FIR has been registered on last night’s incident confirmed that five vehicles belonging to the State forces were damaged while he said that an AK-47 rifle was burnt to cinders alongside the ARs’s Gypsy.
Meanwhile Churachandpur Reporters Association has condemned the Assam Rifles for confiscating a Digital camcorder of one reporter who was filming last night’s incident. The reporters alleged that it was an educated and optimistic Major who snatched the camera from the reporter. The camera was reportedly returned later today but without the cassette/disc. The association appealed on the Major not to repeat such act and to tender an apology at the earliest.
The ZSF Ghq also issued a statement condemning the 46 AR for causing injury to one Sumzagou, 60 of Gangpimual who had rushed towards Bungmual village on hearing the alarm bells thinking it was a fire last night. He was dragged by the AR personnel, kicked, punched and hit with rifle butt which left him bleeding on the head, it said.
‘The act of arresting, blindfolding and assaulting innocent civilian and doing the same to another person who came to prove that the arrested person is innocent failed to make every right thinking person belived that the 46AR were there to conduct lawful activities,’ added the federation that said it believed there are lawful means of arresting, questioning and detention.
The federation is also aware that there are various Supreme Court guidelines which any law enforcing agencies cannot simply ignored. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the AR to prove whether they are true law enforcing machinery of the state and ‘Friends of the Hill People’.
~Sangai
An irate mob last-night set aflame a Maruti Gypsy used by Assam Rifles[/caption]Lamka, Sep 22: An irate mob last-night set aflame a Maruti Gypsy used by Assam Rifles along with an AK-47 Rifle around 7.50 pm at Bungmual village about 3 kms from here, when the latter reportedly questioned a man for storing some incriminating images on his mobile phone and subsequently arrested some others who tried to secure their friend’s release.
Information culled today on the incident indicates that AR personnel travelling in a white Gypsy pulled-out a Bolero driver identified as Jamkhomang husband of Ngaibiakmawi who just reached Bungmual after trailing him all the way. They then blindfolded him inside their Gypsy and quizzed him on different issues including on the contents on his mobile phone after the AR personnel took possession of it.
On the request of Jamkhomang one Goulal, the local nominee of an MLA and son of former minister H Songchinkhup reached the spot and tried to secure his friend’s release who was instead arrested as well. The AR men then reportedly entered houses located along the road and pulled-up every men on their sight and arrested two others. The AR men's conduct during all this time seems to have angered the villagers who clanged the electric poles and other materials to draw a crowd that immediately accosted the AR personnel.
The crowd gradually turned into a mob, attacking the AR Gypsy first then setting it aflame moments later. The AR men fired several rounds in the air. The firing rather than quelling the mob drew more people and further angered them, leading the mob to push the burning Gypsy into a gorge and resulting in a tense stand-off.
Top officials from the district, including the ADC Chairman, Deputy Commissioner and SP rushed to the spot but they also failed to quell the anger as the mob damaged two more police vehicles, a Gypsy of the DCs escort team and dented the IRBs bullet proof vehicle. The incident resulted in State forces resorting to another round of firing.
After about two hours of stand-off, the local officials on the insistence of the agitating mob managed to secure the release of all those arrested by the Assam Rifles and managed to steadily disperse the crowd.
SDPO Churachandpur David Piaklian who claimed that an FIR has been registered on last night’s incident confirmed that five vehicles belonging to the State forces were damaged while he said that an AK-47 rifle was burnt to cinders alongside the ARs’s Gypsy.
Meanwhile Churachandpur Reporters Association has condemned the Assam Rifles for confiscating a Digital camcorder of one reporter who was filming last night’s incident. The reporters alleged that it was an educated and optimistic Major who snatched the camera from the reporter. The camera was reportedly returned later today but without the cassette/disc. The association appealed on the Major not to repeat such act and to tender an apology at the earliest.
The ZSF Ghq also issued a statement condemning the 46 AR for causing injury to one Sumzagou, 60 of Gangpimual who had rushed towards Bungmual village on hearing the alarm bells thinking it was a fire last night. He was dragged by the AR personnel, kicked, punched and hit with rifle butt which left him bleeding on the head, it said.
‘The act of arresting, blindfolding and assaulting innocent civilian and doing the same to another person who came to prove that the arrested person is innocent failed to make every right thinking person belived that the 46AR were there to conduct lawful activities,’ added the federation that said it believed there are lawful means of arresting, questioning and detention.
The federation is also aware that there are various Supreme Court guidelines which any law enforcing agencies cannot simply ignored. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the AR to prove whether they are true law enforcing machinery of the state and ‘Friends of the Hill People’.
~Sangai
Somdev qualifies for Malaysia Open
[caption id="attachment_9030" align="alignleft" width="300"]
file pic[/caption]
Somdev Devvarman celebrated his return to the top-100 by qualifying for the singles main draw of the ATP Malaysian Open with a straight sets victory over Jean-Julien Rojer, here on Monday.
Somdev, who rose to 98 in ATP charts on Monday, edged past the unranked Dutch 7-5, 7-5 in the third and final qualifying round of the $875,500 hard court event.
The Indian broke his rival, who is a world number 15 in doubles, twice in each set in the match which lasted one hour and 35 minutes.
In the doubles event of the same tournament, Yuki Bhambri has been given a wild card along with local player Syed Naguib, Syed Mohd Agil.
However, they have a tough first round as they have drawn second seeds Julien Benneteau and Nenad Zimonjic, who are formidable doubles players. Yuki had reached the doubles final of the Taiwan Challenger, last week.
Meanwhile, Karunuday Singh failed to qualify for the singles event of the Thailand Open after losing his final round to Swiss Marco Chiudinelli.
The Indian lost 6-4, 1-6, 4-6 in the third round of the qualifiers in Bangkok.
file pic[/caption]Somdev Devvarman celebrated his return to the top-100 by qualifying for the singles main draw of the ATP Malaysian Open with a straight sets victory over Jean-Julien Rojer, here on Monday.
Somdev, who rose to 98 in ATP charts on Monday, edged past the unranked Dutch 7-5, 7-5 in the third and final qualifying round of the $875,500 hard court event.
The Indian broke his rival, who is a world number 15 in doubles, twice in each set in the match which lasted one hour and 35 minutes.
In the doubles event of the same tournament, Yuki Bhambri has been given a wild card along with local player Syed Naguib, Syed Mohd Agil.
However, they have a tough first round as they have drawn second seeds Julien Benneteau and Nenad Zimonjic, who are formidable doubles players. Yuki had reached the doubles final of the Taiwan Challenger, last week.
Meanwhile, Karunuday Singh failed to qualify for the singles event of the Thailand Open after losing his final round to Swiss Marco Chiudinelli.
The Indian lost 6-4, 1-6, 4-6 in the third round of the qualifiers in Bangkok.
Suu Kyi firm on Constitutional change in Myanmar
[caption id="attachment_9027" align="alignleft" width="214"]
file pic[/caption]
Myanmar’s Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi pledged on Monday to push ahead with efforts to amend her country’s Constitution before the next election in 2015.
Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy considers the current Constitution undemocratic because it gives the military a substantial percentage of Parliamentary seats and disqualifies Suu Kyi from running for President.
“This constitution has to be changed if we are ready to make the transition to democracy,” Suu Kyi told a news conference during a visit to Singapore.
“I will continue with efforts to have the constitution amended,” she said, adding there will be problems if it is not done by 2015.
Suu Kyi said it was “a bit premature” to say what would happen if the constitution isn’t amended.
Myanmar’s parliament established a committee in July to review the constitution. The 109—member committee includes lawmakers from all parties in parliament, including Suu Kyi’s party and President Thein Sein’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, along with the military’s allotted representatives.
Possible changes might allow ethnic minorities increased self—rule, including allowing ethnic minority parties to elect their own chief ministers in their regions, rather than have them appointed.
The current constitution was drawn up under the previous military regime to ensure its continuing influence in government.
Since coming to office in 2011, Thein Sein has instituted a series of political and economic reforms after almost five decades of repressive army rule. A major achievement was persuading Suu Kyi’s party to rejoin the electoral process after decades of government repression, and her party won 43 of 44 seats it contested in by—elections last year.
“I will challenge you to show me another party in Burma that is as capable as the NLD,” Suu Kyi said in Singapore. “This is the only party to date that has been constructed democratically. ... I am confident of the capacity of my party to carry our people with us, and that is what is important.”
file pic[/caption]Myanmar’s Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi pledged on Monday to push ahead with efforts to amend her country’s Constitution before the next election in 2015.
Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy considers the current Constitution undemocratic because it gives the military a substantial percentage of Parliamentary seats and disqualifies Suu Kyi from running for President.
“This constitution has to be changed if we are ready to make the transition to democracy,” Suu Kyi told a news conference during a visit to Singapore.
“I will continue with efforts to have the constitution amended,” she said, adding there will be problems if it is not done by 2015.
Suu Kyi said it was “a bit premature” to say what would happen if the constitution isn’t amended.
Myanmar’s parliament established a committee in July to review the constitution. The 109—member committee includes lawmakers from all parties in parliament, including Suu Kyi’s party and President Thein Sein’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party, along with the military’s allotted representatives.
Possible changes might allow ethnic minorities increased self—rule, including allowing ethnic minority parties to elect their own chief ministers in their regions, rather than have them appointed.
The current constitution was drawn up under the previous military regime to ensure its continuing influence in government.
Since coming to office in 2011, Thein Sein has instituted a series of political and economic reforms after almost five decades of repressive army rule. A major achievement was persuading Suu Kyi’s party to rejoin the electoral process after decades of government repression, and her party won 43 of 44 seats it contested in by—elections last year.
“I will challenge you to show me another party in Burma that is as capable as the NLD,” Suu Kyi said in Singapore. “This is the only party to date that has been constructed democratically. ... I am confident of the capacity of my party to carry our people with us, and that is what is important.”
New iPhones sales hit 9M: Apple
[caption id="attachment_9024" align="alignleft" width="300"]
A new iPhone 5s, bottom and a new iPhone 5c are seen on display. Apple says shoppers snapped up 9 million of its newest iPhones since the devices were launched on Friday, and that demand is exceeding supply. File photo[/caption]
Apple says shoppers snapped up 9 million of its newest iPhones since the devices were launched on Friday, and that demand is exceeding supply. Its shares jumped 6 percent in premarket trading.
Apple says the two new models gave it its strongest iPhone launch ever. The company began selling the low-cost 5C and top-of-the-line 5S on Friday.
The company says demand for iPhone 5s has exceeded the initial supply, and many online orders are scheduled to be shipped in the coming weeks.
Wall Street hadn’t been enthusiastic about the new models, which were unveiled earlier this month.
Shares of Apple gained $28.10, or 6 percent, to $495.51 in premarket trading. The Cupertino, California, company’s stock is down about 12 percent in 2013 and has lost almost third of its value over the last year.
A new iPhone 5s, bottom and a new iPhone 5c are seen on display. Apple says shoppers snapped up 9 million of its newest iPhones since the devices were launched on Friday, and that demand is exceeding supply. File photo[/caption]Apple says shoppers snapped up 9 million of its newest iPhones since the devices were launched on Friday, and that demand is exceeding supply. Its shares jumped 6 percent in premarket trading.
Apple says the two new models gave it its strongest iPhone launch ever. The company began selling the low-cost 5C and top-of-the-line 5S on Friday.
The company says demand for iPhone 5s has exceeded the initial supply, and many online orders are scheduled to be shipped in the coming weeks.
Wall Street hadn’t been enthusiastic about the new models, which were unveiled earlier this month.
Shares of Apple gained $28.10, or 6 percent, to $495.51 in premarket trading. The Cupertino, California, company’s stock is down about 12 percent in 2013 and has lost almost third of its value over the last year.
Getting Aadhar card not mandatory: Centre
[caption id="attachment_9021" align="alignleft" width="300"]
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that securing Aadhar cards was optional and it has not made it mandatory for the citizens. File photo[/caption]
The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that securing Aadhar cards, being issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), was optional and it has not made it mandatory for the citizens.
The apex court, hearing a batch of pleas against decisions of some States to make Aadhar cards compulsory for a range of activities including salary, PF disbursals and marriage and property registrations, asked the Centre not to issue it to illegal immigrants as it would legitimise their stay.
The counsel for UIDAI and Centre responded to the pleas of petitioners, saying, “So far as the Union of India is concerned, we have said the Aadhar card is voluntary.”
During the brief hearing, the bench of justices B.S. Chauhan and S.A. Bobde was told that despite the fact that the Aadhar card is “voluntary” in nature, an order has been issued by the Registrar of the Bombay High Court in pursuance of an order of the State government that it would be necessary for disbursal of salary of judges and staff also.
“The scheme is complete infraction of Fundamental Rights under Articles 14 (right to equality) and 21 (right to life and liberty). The government claims that the scheme is voluntary but it is not so.
“Aadhar is being made mandatory for purposes like registration of marriages and others. Maharashtra government has recently said no marriage will be registered if parties don’t have Aadhar cards,” senior advocate Anil Divan, arguing for Justice (retd.) K.S. Puttaswamy, former judge of Karnataka High Court, said.
Justice Puttaswamy, in his PIL, has also sought a stay on the implementation of the scheme.
Making Aadhar mandatory for various purposes raises questions over the government’s authority to implement such types of the scheme, it said, adding it also highlighted “the perils of the manner of its implementation“.
The Centre has said the consent of an individual was indispensable for Aadhar and it has been launched to “promote inclusion and benefits of the marginalised sections of the society that has no formal identity proof.”
~hindu
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that securing Aadhar cards was optional and it has not made it mandatory for the citizens. File photo[/caption]The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that securing Aadhar cards, being issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), was optional and it has not made it mandatory for the citizens.
The apex court, hearing a batch of pleas against decisions of some States to make Aadhar cards compulsory for a range of activities including salary, PF disbursals and marriage and property registrations, asked the Centre not to issue it to illegal immigrants as it would legitimise their stay.
The counsel for UIDAI and Centre responded to the pleas of petitioners, saying, “So far as the Union of India is concerned, we have said the Aadhar card is voluntary.”
During the brief hearing, the bench of justices B.S. Chauhan and S.A. Bobde was told that despite the fact that the Aadhar card is “voluntary” in nature, an order has been issued by the Registrar of the Bombay High Court in pursuance of an order of the State government that it would be necessary for disbursal of salary of judges and staff also.
“The scheme is complete infraction of Fundamental Rights under Articles 14 (right to equality) and 21 (right to life and liberty). The government claims that the scheme is voluntary but it is not so.
“Aadhar is being made mandatory for purposes like registration of marriages and others. Maharashtra government has recently said no marriage will be registered if parties don’t have Aadhar cards,” senior advocate Anil Divan, arguing for Justice (retd.) K.S. Puttaswamy, former judge of Karnataka High Court, said.
Justice Puttaswamy, in his PIL, has also sought a stay on the implementation of the scheme.
Making Aadhar mandatory for various purposes raises questions over the government’s authority to implement such types of the scheme, it said, adding it also highlighted “the perils of the manner of its implementation“.
The Centre has said the consent of an individual was indispensable for Aadhar and it has been launched to “promote inclusion and benefits of the marginalised sections of the society that has no formal identity proof.”
~hindu
Sunday, 22 September 2013
Nagaland girl gets 2 Assam Don Bosco University's gold medals
GUWAHATI: Nagaland girl Subra Mukherjee has won the gold medal in M Tech, as well as AssamDon Bosco University's (ADBU) Chancellor's gold medal, for securing the highest marks among toppers across all disciplines in 2013 at the second convocation of ADBU held here on Saturday.
At present, Mukherjee is an assistant professor at ADBU's M Tech department.
Degrees were conferred on 298 students, of whom 192 stureceived bachelor's degree in engineering and technology. Sixteen M Tech students, 27 MSW students, 24 MCA students and 39 MBA students also received their degrees.
Medals were also given in various categories to 11 outstanding graduates. For the first time this year, two ADBU students were awarded the vice-chancellor's gold medal for "positive contribution to campus life." The awardees belong to campuses at Azara and Kharguli in Guwahati.
Speaking as the chief guest of the convocation, Amar Nath Rai, director of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), said, "It is a matter of great pride that ADBU, which started journeyonly in 2008, is offering such a wide range of courses in engineering, management, social science, as well as distance and online learning."
At present, Mukherjee is an assistant professor at ADBU's M Tech department.
Degrees were conferred on 298 students, of whom 192 stureceived bachelor's degree in engineering and technology. Sixteen M Tech students, 27 MSW students, 24 MCA students and 39 MBA students also received their degrees.
Medals were also given in various categories to 11 outstanding graduates. For the first time this year, two ADBU students were awarded the vice-chancellor's gold medal for "positive contribution to campus life." The awardees belong to campuses at Azara and Kharguli in Guwahati.
Speaking as the chief guest of the convocation, Amar Nath Rai, director of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), said, "It is a matter of great pride that ADBU, which started journeyonly in 2008, is offering such a wide range of courses in engineering, management, social science, as well as distance and online learning."
Rolling in the deep cover by Lanlan Huileng
[caption id="attachment_9008" align="aligncenter" width="620"]
Lanlan[/caption]
Watch this talented 7 yr girl from Ukhrul singing Rolling in the deep!!! This is trending right now on our list!
Lanlan[/caption]Watch this talented 7 yr girl from Ukhrul singing Rolling in the deep!!! This is trending right now on our list!
Just Give Me A Reason ft. Nate Ruess (Cover Video) by Kenny Rio Ft.Vini & DJ Ina XcLusiVe
Just Give Me a Reason cover by Kenny Rio Ft. Vini is hot on Youtube right now. And its our pick of the MONTH!.
Pink – Just Give Me A Reason ft. Nate Ruess (Cover Video) by Kenny Rio Ft.Vini & DJ Ina XcLusiVe
KennyRio: https://www.facebook.com/KennyRioMusic
Music Mixed & Produced: DJ InA XcLusiVe
https://www.facebook.com/DjInazhimo
CoreConxept: https://www.facebook.com/coreconxeptwww.coreconxept.com
Vocals Recording: Kevi Pucho (Element Indie Records)
https://www.facebook.com/ElementIndie…
Location: Korean Cultural Centre
SKYSCRAPER : DEMI LOVATO (COVER) IMTIYALA JAMIR
[caption id="attachment_9001" align="alignleft" width="300"]
IMTIYALA JAMIR[/caption]
A proud mentor here presenting Imtiyala Jamir, a 12 year old girl from Dimapur singing Skyscraper by Demi Lovato. Please do support her by sharing this video. please be good with your comments and do encourages this young bunch of talented musicians.
SKYSCRAPER : DEMI LOVATO (Hollywood Records)
Artist : Imtiyala Jamir
Music Arrangements : Alobo Naga & Kevin Savino
Violin : Jungshi Caius Jamir
Cello : Amen Jamir
BGV : Naro Changkija
Make up & Hair : Calvina Kinny ( Glamazon)
Cinematographer : Apino Swu & Betoka Swu
Video Editing : Charles Crezen ( Tribes Music & Media Lab)
Recorded at :Element Indie (Kevi Pucho)
IMTIYALA JAMIR[/caption]A proud mentor here presenting Imtiyala Jamir, a 12 year old girl from Dimapur singing Skyscraper by Demi Lovato. Please do support her by sharing this video. please be good with your comments and do encourages this young bunch of talented musicians.
SKYSCRAPER : DEMI LOVATO (Hollywood Records)
Artist : Imtiyala Jamir
Music Arrangements : Alobo Naga & Kevin Savino
Violin : Jungshi Caius Jamir
Cello : Amen Jamir
BGV : Naro Changkija
Make up & Hair : Calvina Kinny ( Glamazon)
Cinematographer : Apino Swu & Betoka Swu
Video Editing : Charles Crezen ( Tribes Music & Media Lab)
Recorded at :Element Indie (Kevi Pucho)
Israeli forces enter Nairobi mall, Kenyan president's nephew, fiancee among dead
[caption id="attachment_8997" align="alignleft" width="290"]
Gunfire and explosion heard at Westgate mall in Nairobi[/caption]
NAIROBI: Israeli forces have joined Kenyan efforts to end a deadly siege by Somali militants at a Nairobi shopping mall, a security source told AFP Sunday.
"The Israelis have just entered and they are rescuing the hostages and the injured," the source told AFP on condition that he is not named.
At least 59 people have been confirmed killed in the attack by Somali militants on an upmarket shopping mall in Nairobi, a government minister said on Sunday, as Kenyan troops battled gunmen still holding an unknown number of hostages.
Heavy gunfire could be heard as Kenyan security officials said they were attempting to kill or capture the remaining attackers and end the 24-hour-long bloodbath at the Westgate mall.
Among the dead was renowned Ghanaian poet and statesmen Kofi Awoonor. Somalia's al-Qaida-inspired al-Shabaab rebels said the carnage at the part Israeli-owned complex was in retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia, where African Union troops are battling the Islamists.
Interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said 59 people were confirmed dead. "A number of attackers are still in the building, and range between 10 to 15 gunmen," he said in a statement. "We believe there are some innocent people in the building, that is why the operation is delicate."
Kenyan president's kin dead
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Sunday a nephew and his fiancee were among the 59 people confirmed killed in an ongoing siege in the shopping mall by Somali militants.
"I feel the pain of every life we have lost, and share your grief at our nation's loss," Kenyatta said, calling his killed relatives "young, lovely people I personally knew and loved."
"They shall not get away with their despicable and beastly acts," Kenyatta said in an emotional speech to the nation.
"We will punish the masterminds swiftly and indeed very painfully." More than 1,000 people have been rescued from the mall, but between 10 to 15 attackers — reportedly including both men and women — remain in the building "as well as many unarmed, badly shaken, innocent civilians", Kenyatta added.
The Westgate mall is popular with wealthy Kenyans and expatriates, and was packed with around 1,000 shoppers when the gunmen marched in at midday Saturday, tossed grenades and sprayed automatic gunfire at terrified people.
Security agencies have long feared that the shopping centre could be targeted by al-Qaida-linked groups.
The attack was the worst in Nairobi since an al-Qaida bombing at the US embassy killed more than 200 people in 1998.
After a day and night of sometimes ferocious gun battles, security sources said police and soldiers had finally "pinned down" the gunmen. The Kenyan Red Cross appealed for blood donations and authorities urged residents to steer clear of the area.
"We are still battling with the attackers and our forces have managed to maroon the attackers on one of the floors," said Kenyan military spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna.
"We still do not know the number of hostages nor the attackers but we hope to bring this to an end today."
One teenage survivor recounted to AFP how he played dead to avoid being killed.
"I heard screams and gunshots all over the place. I got scared. I tried to run down the stairs and saw someone running towards the top, I ran back and hid behind one of the cars," 18-year-old Umar Ahmed said.
In the hours after the attack began, shocked people of all ages and races could be seen running from the mall, some clutching babies, while others crawled along walls to avoid stray bullets.
"They spoke something that seemed like Arabic or Somali," said a man who escaped the mall and gave his name only as Jay. "I saw people being executed after being asked to say something."
Kenyan police, troops and special forces then moved in and went shop-to-shop inside the shopping centre. Foreign security officials — from Israel, the United States and Britain — were also seen at the complex.
An AFPTV reporter said she saw at least 20 people rescued from a toy shop, some of them children taken away on stretchers.
Kenneth Kerich, who was shopping when the attack happened, described scenes of utter panic.
"I suddenly heard gunshots and saw everyone running around so we lied down. I saw two people who were lying down and bleeding, I think they were hit by bullets," he said.
"The gunmen tried to fire at my head but missed. I saw at least 50 people shot," mall employee Sudjar Singh told AFP.
Ghanaian poet Awoonor, 78, who was once his country's representative to the United Nations, was killed while shopping with his son, who was injured in the attack, Ghanaian officials said.
A spokesman for Shabaab said the attack was retaliation for Kenya's nearly two-year-old military presence in war-torn Somalia in support of the internationally backed Mogadishu government.
"We have warned Kenya of that attack but it ignored (us), still forcefully holding our lands ... while killing our innocent civilians," Shabaab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said in a statement.
"If you want Kenya in peace, it will not happen as long as your boys are in our lands."
The group also issued a string of statements via Twitter, one of them claiming that Muslims in the centre had been "escorted out by the Mujahideen before beginning the attack".
Police at the scene said a suspect wounded in the firefight had been detained and taken to hospital under armed guard, and later died of his injuries.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was "appalled by the brutal attack against innocent citizens" and sent her "sincere condolences to those who have lost family, friends and loved ones".
Paris confirmed that two French citizens were among those killed in what it condemned as a "cowardly" attack. Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper said two Canadians, one of them a diplomat, were among the dead, while official Chinese news agency Xinhua said one Chinese woman was killed and her child wounded.
Two Indians and a South Korean were also among the dead. The United States said its citizens were reportedly among those injured by the "despicable" act while British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there were "undoubtedly British nationals caught up in this so we should be ready for that".
The UN security council condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms".
Gunfire and explosion heard at Westgate mall in Nairobi[/caption]NAIROBI: Israeli forces have joined Kenyan efforts to end a deadly siege by Somali militants at a Nairobi shopping mall, a security source told AFP Sunday.
"The Israelis have just entered and they are rescuing the hostages and the injured," the source told AFP on condition that he is not named.
At least 59 people have been confirmed killed in the attack by Somali militants on an upmarket shopping mall in Nairobi, a government minister said on Sunday, as Kenyan troops battled gunmen still holding an unknown number of hostages.
Heavy gunfire could be heard as Kenyan security officials said they were attempting to kill or capture the remaining attackers and end the 24-hour-long bloodbath at the Westgate mall.
Among the dead was renowned Ghanaian poet and statesmen Kofi Awoonor. Somalia's al-Qaida-inspired al-Shabaab rebels said the carnage at the part Israeli-owned complex was in retaliation for Kenya's military intervention in Somalia, where African Union troops are battling the Islamists.
Interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said 59 people were confirmed dead. "A number of attackers are still in the building, and range between 10 to 15 gunmen," he said in a statement. "We believe there are some innocent people in the building, that is why the operation is delicate."
Kenyan president's kin dead
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Sunday a nephew and his fiancee were among the 59 people confirmed killed in an ongoing siege in the shopping mall by Somali militants.
"I feel the pain of every life we have lost, and share your grief at our nation's loss," Kenyatta said, calling his killed relatives "young, lovely people I personally knew and loved."
"They shall not get away with their despicable and beastly acts," Kenyatta said in an emotional speech to the nation.
"We will punish the masterminds swiftly and indeed very painfully." More than 1,000 people have been rescued from the mall, but between 10 to 15 attackers — reportedly including both men and women — remain in the building "as well as many unarmed, badly shaken, innocent civilians", Kenyatta added.
The Westgate mall is popular with wealthy Kenyans and expatriates, and was packed with around 1,000 shoppers when the gunmen marched in at midday Saturday, tossed grenades and sprayed automatic gunfire at terrified people.
Security agencies have long feared that the shopping centre could be targeted by al-Qaida-linked groups.
The attack was the worst in Nairobi since an al-Qaida bombing at the US embassy killed more than 200 people in 1998.
After a day and night of sometimes ferocious gun battles, security sources said police and soldiers had finally "pinned down" the gunmen. The Kenyan Red Cross appealed for blood donations and authorities urged residents to steer clear of the area.
"We are still battling with the attackers and our forces have managed to maroon the attackers on one of the floors," said Kenyan military spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna.
"We still do not know the number of hostages nor the attackers but we hope to bring this to an end today."
One teenage survivor recounted to AFP how he played dead to avoid being killed.
"I heard screams and gunshots all over the place. I got scared. I tried to run down the stairs and saw someone running towards the top, I ran back and hid behind one of the cars," 18-year-old Umar Ahmed said.
In the hours after the attack began, shocked people of all ages and races could be seen running from the mall, some clutching babies, while others crawled along walls to avoid stray bullets.
"They spoke something that seemed like Arabic or Somali," said a man who escaped the mall and gave his name only as Jay. "I saw people being executed after being asked to say something."
Kenyan police, troops and special forces then moved in and went shop-to-shop inside the shopping centre. Foreign security officials — from Israel, the United States and Britain — were also seen at the complex.
An AFPTV reporter said she saw at least 20 people rescued from a toy shop, some of them children taken away on stretchers.
Kenneth Kerich, who was shopping when the attack happened, described scenes of utter panic.
"I suddenly heard gunshots and saw everyone running around so we lied down. I saw two people who were lying down and bleeding, I think they were hit by bullets," he said.
"The gunmen tried to fire at my head but missed. I saw at least 50 people shot," mall employee Sudjar Singh told AFP.
Ghanaian poet Awoonor, 78, who was once his country's representative to the United Nations, was killed while shopping with his son, who was injured in the attack, Ghanaian officials said.
A spokesman for Shabaab said the attack was retaliation for Kenya's nearly two-year-old military presence in war-torn Somalia in support of the internationally backed Mogadishu government.
"We have warned Kenya of that attack but it ignored (us), still forcefully holding our lands ... while killing our innocent civilians," Shabaab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said in a statement.
"If you want Kenya in peace, it will not happen as long as your boys are in our lands."
The group also issued a string of statements via Twitter, one of them claiming that Muslims in the centre had been "escorted out by the Mujahideen before beginning the attack".
Police at the scene said a suspect wounded in the firefight had been detained and taken to hospital under armed guard, and later died of his injuries.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was "appalled by the brutal attack against innocent citizens" and sent her "sincere condolences to those who have lost family, friends and loved ones".
Paris confirmed that two French citizens were among those killed in what it condemned as a "cowardly" attack. Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper said two Canadians, one of them a diplomat, were among the dead, while official Chinese news agency Xinhua said one Chinese woman was killed and her child wounded.
Two Indians and a South Korean were also among the dead. The United States said its citizens were reportedly among those injured by the "despicable" act while British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there were "undoubtedly British nationals caught up in this so we should be ready for that".
The UN security council condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms".
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