Friday, March 5, 2010

The politics of peace

After the nine-hour-long KLM flight from Amsterdam, one would have expected a weary Thuingaleng Muivah on the New Delhi airport tarmac on Saturday night.

But the 75-year-old general secretary of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) showed little signs of a jet lag.

A guerrilla who survived for decades in the jungles of the northeast, Muivah did not even show signs of the load he was carrying on his shoulders — the aspirations of his community.

NSCN-IM, the most dominant force in Naga insurgency, has been on a ceasefire mode since 1997.

And since then, about 60 rounds of parleys have taken place in India and abroad.

Emerging out of yet another round of meeting with Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday, Muivah said, “The negotiations would continue. If the Centre is serious, we will talk.”

VS Atem, convener of the NSCN-IM’s steering committee, told Hindustan Times: “The government has admitted that while talks have been going on for so long, it will be the endeavour of this government to find a solution in the ‘shortest possible’ time.”

But there are already signs that patience among various sections of the Nagas is wearing thin, as 13 years have gone by without there being anything concrete to show.

Here are some examples:

“It is about time an honourable solution is hammered out. Everyone’s tired of this waiting game.” — Asangla, a housewife in Nagaland capital Dimapur.

“Our leadership has been coming to the negotiating table, but we do not see similar sincerity on the government’s part.” - N Venu, general secretary, Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights.

“Now we want to see the sincerity in action and in spirit. The Naga community is just tired of the delaying tactics of government.” — Solomon, president, Dimapur Naga Students’ Union.

Some years back, a Union minister candidly admitted to this correspondent that the delaying tactic forms a key component in talks with insurgent outfits. And clearly, the government’s strategy is paying dividends.

A leading Naga activist, N Krome, however, attributed the government’s strategy more to indecisiveness than conscious strategising. He said successive governments in Centre lacked consistency in their approach to the Naga issue.

Other rebel groups also claim to have experienced the same delaying tactic in government-induce talks.

Arup Borbora, a member of the Peoples’ Consultative Group (PCG), told HT: “Bureaucrats take control of the talks. There is no political vision and sincerity. And without sincerity, problems will never get resolved.”

The PCG was set up in Assam in 2005 to mediate between the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and the government.

“The real issue is being skirted around. There is lack of sincerity,” echoed Govinda Basumatary, general secretary, National Democratic Front of Bodoland (ceasefire faction).

There are differing views among the observers in New Delhi.

Ajit Doval, counter-insurgency expert and former director of the Intelligence Bureau, said, “The government should have used the 13-year period to consolidate by active socio-economic programmes. The NSCN-IM, however, used this period to strengthen itself.”

But Ajai Sahni, executive director, Institute for Conflict Management, said, “The NSCN should also show some flexibility. If they expect the government to talk to them on absolute sovereignty, that is not going to happen.

“We have to ask whether the two sides have framed a formulation to move forward. In any case, the very fact that the ceasefire is continuing is itself a gain,” he said.

While the coming days will reveal whether any common ground has been identified, certain core issues remain to be tackled immediately.

How the sovereignty question will be tackled.

How effective the talks with just one faction of the insurgents will be, as there are competing claims to leadership of the Nagas, chiefly led by the NSCN’s Khaplang faction.

How the government proposes to resolve the demand for a Greater Nagalim that has been opposed by neighbouring Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Sonia to inaugurate premier health institution

Conceived by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi more than two decades ago, a health institute designed on the lines of AIIMS will be formally inaugurated by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Shillong on Friday.

State Health Minister Mukul Sangma said Gandhi would have a first-hand knowledge of the facilities available at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute for Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS).

"Many proposals of the institute are pending with the Centre. Her visit will help in boosting support from health ministry," Sangma said.

The institute, designated as a centre of excellence by Health Ministry, plans to begin its telemedicine project shortly.

Planned on the lines of AIIMS New Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, NEIGRIHMS has been the first and the only post-graduate medical institute in Northeast and third in the country established by Health and Family Welfare ministry.

NEIGRIHMS has been functioning since 2002 - first as an interim facility and later from its sprawling campus on the outskirts of Shillong but formal inauguration was pending, sources said.

The institute has been battling the shortage of faculty, leading to slow pace of functioning.

Govt aware of problems of industries in NE region: Pranab

The government admitted on Friday that small and tiny industries in the North Eastern region were facing hardships in getting credits as banks could not open branches in some areas.

Replying to questions in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, "We are fully aware of the problems in the North Eastern region...that is why a separate industry package has been given for the region."

He, however, said efforts are being made to meet credit requirements of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), micro and other tiny industry even without having bank branches in some areas of the regions.

The minister also informed the House that the task force, constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to look into the issues of small industries, has submitted the report and it was under consideration of the government.

Anant Geethe (Shiv Sena) said tiny industries like those making toys need help other than financial support. "India used to be number one in the toy-making but now China has taken over. What steps are being taken to address these issues?" he asked.

Mukherjee said the government has been taking several initiatives other than financial assistance to ensure that the SMEs and tiny industries do not suffer.

RTI Act first significant achievement of UPA govt: Sonia

The Right to Information Act is the first significant achievement of the UPA government, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said on Friday.

"The enactment of the RTI is the first significant achievement of the UPA government. This is the first single piece of legislation to ensure transparency and delivery by the government," Gandhi told a public rally in Shillong.

"Regardless of whichever government is in power, each citizen can by law put questions and expect answers from the government," she said and called upon the people to make full use of the Act.

She earlier formally inaugurated the Regional Institute for Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) here.

Stressed people likely to grind teeth at night

WASHINGTON - Stress not only hurts your brain, but also has a bad effect on teeth, claims a new study.

Boffins writing in BioMed Central’s open access journal Head and Face Medicine studied the causes of ’sleep bruxism’, gnashing teeth during the night, finding that it was especially common in those who try to cope with stress by escaping from difficult situations.

Maria Giraki, from Heinrich-Heine-University, Dsseldorf, Germany, worked with a team of researchers to study the condition in 69 people, of whom 48 were ‘bruxers’.

She said, “Bruxing can lead to abrasive tooth wear, looseness and sensitivity of teeth, and growth and pain in the muscles responsible for chewing. Its causes are still relatively unknown, but stress has been implicated. We aimed to investigate whether different stress-factors, and different coping strategies, were more or less associated with these bruxism symptoms”.

Tooth grinding was measured by thin plates that were placed in trial participants mouths’ overnight, while stress and coping techniques were assessed by three questionnaires. Bruxing was not associated with age, sex or education level, but was more common in people who claimed to experience daily stress and trouble at work.
iraki adds, “Our data support the assumption that people with the most problematic grinding do not seem to be able to deal with stress in an adequate way. They seem to prefer negative coping strategies like ‘escape’. This, in general, increases the feeling of stress, instead of looking at the stressor in a positive way”. (ANI)

28th Agartala Book Fair attracts book lovers

AGARTALA - Thousands of book lovers are coming every day at the ongoing 28th Agartala Book Fair.

Organised by the Information Cultural Affairs and Tourism (ICAT) Department of Tripura with the cooperation of state publishers, the twelve-day-long fair is being held at the Sishuniketan ground of Agartala. It ends on March 11.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar inaugurated the fair in the presence of Assam Sahitya Sabha Padma Shri Rong Bong Terang and Vice-Chancellor of Tripura (Central) University, Arunoday Saha.

Book sellers from Kolkata, Delhi, Bangladesh and others are participating in the 163 stall book fair.

Booklovers consider the fair to be a golden opportunity.

Writers and publishers are also very happy about the fair doing good business.

This type of fair not only creates a healthy atmosphere in northeastern state, but also ensures the huge public participation. By Pinaki Das (ANI)