Kohima, May 28 : It’s been exactly 20 years since they spoke to each other.
After his talks invitation to his rival group’s chairman, S.S. Khaplang’s deputy went unanswered and even the Church’s efforts at unification fell flat, NSCN (I-M) chairman Isak Chishi Swu went that extra mile and called up his former comrade in the undivided NSCN to talk peace.
Sources told The Telegraph that Swu spoke to Khaplang to accelerate the reconciliation and unification process between the Naga militant outfits.
This is for the first time since the split in the NSCN in 1988 that the two top militant leaders from the rival groups had a conversation. The talks come in wake of rising factional clashes in Nagaland.
Before the conversation with Khaplang, Swu had invited the NSCN (K) army chief Khole Konyak to Bangkok. The apex Naga tribal body, the Naga Hoho, too, confirmed the telephone conversation between the two leaders.
Kevilietuo Angami, vice-president of Naga Hoho, said there were at least two telephone conversations between Swu and Khaplang. He said the NSCN (I-M) chairman had called up Khaplang from Chingmai in Thailand, recently.
Sources said Khaplang was eager to push forward the ongoing reconciliation and unification process between the two NSCN factions. “There were at least two telephone conversations,” a source said, adding that Khaplang had even agreed to attend the recently concluded Chingmai Naga conclave sponsored by the Naga Reconciliation Forum but was prevented from doing so because of “differences” in his own group.
However, sources said contact between the top leaders of the two factions would continue. The Chingmai Naga reconciliation conclave was also attended by several foreign organisations from the US and the Philippines to broker peace and unity among the warring Naga groups.
Representatives of various Naga organisations also attended the meeting.
Recently, a senior kilonser (minister) of the NSCN (K), Kughalu Mulatonu, said there was no point going to Thailand to attend the reconciliation meeting as the Nagas were already united.
He also criticised the “reconciliation forum” of trying to help Muivah escape from India.
The NSCN (I-M), however, skipped today’s meeting of Naga organisations and factions held in Kohima under the aegis of the Joint Forum of gaonburas (village chiefs) and dubashis (chiefs of Naga customary courts).
The joint forum has called for a yearlong ceasefire between the Naga factions with immediate effect. At a similar meeting on December 7, the factions, in the presence of gaonburas and dubashis, agreed to a six-month truce but failed to keep their commitment.
Today’s meeting was attended by gaonburas and dubashis of all the 11 districts and representatives of Naga Hoho, Naga Mothers’ Association and Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation.
Quoting NSCN (I-M) members, a senior official from the joint forum said the outfit skipped the meet because of a prior commitment but agreed to abide by whatever decision was taken today.
Telegraph India
0 comments:
Post a Comment