NSCN lauds Govt move to solve crisi

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NSCN lauds Govt move to solve crisis

The Hindustan Times (New Delhi)
August 15, 2000

The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) has lauded the
Centre for its "bold initiative" to have started peace talks for the
resolution of the Naga problem.

In an Independence Day message to the people of Nagaland, NSCN (I-M)
chairman Isak Chishi Swu declared that the peace process had suffered a
set back due to arrest of the organisation's senior leader Th Muivah in
Thailand. While stating the jailed leader was indispensable so far as
the Naga peace talks were concerned, he expressed hope that the Thailand
Government will release Muivah at the earliest in view of appeals made
by "civil societies" from all over the world. His release would help in
promoting the Indo-Naga peace process, he felt.

Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry, while referring to Isak Swu's
pointed reference that the extension of the cease-fire, which was agreed
upon between the Government and the NSCN-IM representatives recently,
will cover all areas inhabited by the Nagas, has clarified that it would
be confined only to Nagaland. There has been no agreement to extend the
cease-fire to all the Naga inhabited areas, a Ministry spokesman said.

"The Government would like the NSCN (I-M) to implement the agreed ground
rules of the cease-fire in letter and spirit. Unless there is an end to
killings, kidnappings and extortions and the civil society is free from
the threat of violence, a conducive atmosphere for finding lasting
solution to the Naga problem cannot be found", the spokesman added.

On his part, Mr Swu expressed regrets and apologised to the people for
excesses committed by the NSCN cadres. He reminded the people of
Nagaland that the NSCN members were their "bucklers and scapegoats".

Further referring to the extension of cease-fire between the NSCN and
the Centre, he said its main objective was to facilitate "political
talks" with a view to find a lasting solution to the "long drawn
Indo-Naga political issue". The NSCN has been looking for a solution
based on the national principle, he added.

Charging the Government with trying to divide the NSCN in the name of
forging unity among Nagas, Mr Swu said efforts were being made to create
confusion among Nagas in the name of uniting them.