Nagaland Post www.nagalandpost.com
Vol XXVIII No. 342
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2018 Pages 12 ` 5.00
Mizoram polls: Rajnath promises road facelift
England beat USA 3-0 in Rooney farewell match
Theresa May fights for survival after Brexit deal sparks crisis
northeast, Page 4
sports, Page 11
international, Page 9
Assam rally against Citizenship Bill
Guwahati, Nov 16 (PTI): Thousands of people attempted to march towards the Assam Secretariat here Friday against the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, but were halted by the security forces. People from 70 organisations were part of the march held as part of their ‘Janata Bhawan Gherao’ programme. On being stopped by security personnel, the protestors squatted on the Last Gate Road, behind the secretariat, blocking traffic on the busy thoroughfare for several hours, police said. Members and supporters of the organisations, led by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and the Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP), had congregated here Friday morning to gherao the secretariat. Barricades had been placed around the government building and personnel from the Assam Police and the CRPF were deployed in large numbers to prevent the protestors from staging their ‘Sankalpa Shikha Jatra’ against the Bill. The demonstrators held a massive rally on the road with
PAC condemns armed robbery D I M A P U R , N OV 1 6 (NPN): Public Action Committee (PAC) of the Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) expressed shocked and condemned the armed robbery carried out by NSCN (U) and others on November 11, claiming that they were engaged in this business for a long time. In a press note, PAC c o n v e n o r Ve k h o s a y i Nyekha and co-convenor, K. Ghokheto Chopy lauded Dimapur police for their prompt action in arresting the culprits. PAC said Dimapur police has been able to tackle such criminals, who instead of fighting for the Nagas were extorting from its citizen. PAC appealed to the public to be cautious in their business dealings lest the so called national workers may again pillage on any innocent public. PAC also requested every citizen to be vigilant and to report such matters to the police so that such elements are brought to book as per the law of the land. “We put our heads down in shame for these unscrupulous people who are just out to embezzle its brothers and sisters, totally forgetting the aspirations of its people and busy constructing their own private domains,” PAC stated.
Activists participate in a torch light procession against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, in Guwahati, Friday. (PTI)
leaders of the organisations speaking against the BJP-led governments at the state and the Centre for “imposing the bill on Assam”, despite prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr P C imposed here since Thursday. They also criticized chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal for “remaining silent on the issue despite repeated protests against the bill”. On Guwahati Police Commissioner Pradip Chandra Saloi’s request to the demonstrators to withdraw their protest, the agitators demanded that he carry their message to the government for holding talks with
them on the Bill, within seven days. When Saloi assured them that he would convey their message to the government, the demonstrators cleared the road. KMSS chief Akhil Gogoi, however, said, “Our agitation programmes will continue against the Bill”. He also accused the state government of “working against the interest of the indigenous people of the state by imposing the bill threatening the identity, language, culture of the indigenous people and unity of Assam”. Speaking on the occasion, All Minority Students Union (AAMSU) president
Ajijur Rahman said, as per the Assam Accord of 1985, Hindus or Muslims from Bangladesh and Pakistan who came to the state after March 24, 1971 would have to leave. Large sections of people, organisations in the northeast and leading political party AGP, which is an ally of the ruling BJP, are opposed to the Bill. They claim that it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord which fixed March 24, 1971 as the cutoff date for deportation of illegal immigrants irrespective of religion. AJYCP general secretary Palash Changmai accused the the chief minister of functioning “under the orders of the RSS” and said Sonowal should “give up his Hitlerian rule as it is against the people of Assam.” All Tai Ahom Students’ Union (ATASU) president Litul Buragohain criticised the chief minister “for his silence on the bill.” “He does not deserve to be called a ‘Jatiya Nayak’ (people’s hero) anymore. He should be called Jatiya Khalnayak (villain of the people),” the ATASU president said.
DIMAPUR, NOV 16 (NPN): Konyak Union (KU) has reaffirmed that it would put all efforts towards peace and tranquillity within its jurisdiction as per the August 25 meeting resolution of all Konyaks in the aftermath of developments taking place since August 17,2018. KU through its president Manlip Konyak and general secretary Honang Konyak lauded NSCN (K) led by Khango for sending peace overtures to the government of India in order to resume peace talks and maintained that the government of India should reciprocate without further delay. KU also expressed support to the two nations (India and Myanmar) and hoped both would also reciprocate and also honour the traditional and customary system and also honour the sentiments. KU also expressed appreciation to all NPGs, Assam Rifles posted within its jurisdiction for exercising utmost restrained and creating a peaceful climate as desired by all. KU also said it has been coordinating with Myanmar Naga civil
societies for peaceful solution to the Nagas living on the other side. While acknowledging the role played by various Naga civil societies playing the role of mediator, KU also appealed to Naga civil societies and organisations to cooperate and support the process without any bias. Further KU also appealed to political affairs committee of the state government to play a more active role than being mute. KU also said it conveyed to Interlocutor to the Naga peace talks R.N.Ravi that it stood for inclusiveness for NPGs currently striving for peace and also hoped for inclusiveness for all NPGs currently yearning for peace including those who were yet to be engaged in talks. KU has also directed all its units/ branch to uphold the August 25 declaration to achieve the desired goal and also cautioned all NPGs, NGOs, Assam Rifles and public to respect and uphold people’s sentiments. KU also reiterated that the defined Konyak customary jurisdiction should be totally peaceful.
DIMAPUR, NOV 16 (NPN): The emergency presidential council meeting held at NSF conference hall, Naga Club Building here on Friday expressed its deepest appreciation and gratitude to all schools, colleges and other educational institutions, various Naga people’s organisations, non-Naga communities and all who participated in the 100th year celebrations of Naga Club held on October 31 and made it a grand occasion and very successful. The council also acknowledged the pioneers and elders who had selflessly contributed to the cause of Nagas through various forums, Naga Club in particular, while thoroughly deliberating on the newly-formed Naga Club. A press note issued by NSF president Kesosul Christopher Ltu and general secretary Imtiyapang Imsong along with presidents of 20 student bodies, stated that the meeting clarified that it held no malice or ulterior motive except to uphold and show its sincere respect and honour the glorious deed of “our forefathers” who clearly envisioned the destiny of (Full text on p-6) “our people”.
Thousand march in protest during SUTT’s silent procession against the grenade blast.
D I M A P U R , N OV 1 6 (NPN): Thousands of people took part in a silent procession that was taken out in Tuensang town on Friday under the aegis of Sangtam Union Tuensang Town (SUTT) in protest against the grenade blast and assassination bid on K Aliba Sangtam at his NST Colony residence in the town on November 7 by some unknown miscreants. In a press note, SUTT president S. Tsikimong and
general secretary Talisunep Stm, quoting reliable sources, said that the blast took place around 7.40 p.m. during the Diwali, which SUTT said was an “assassination attempt”. Describing the blast as shocking, SUTT said it was an act of terrorism which was against the law and unacceptable in Naga society. It urged every right thinking citizen to condemn such a criminal act and maintain peaceful environment. Participants of the si-
lent procession were addressed briefly by USLP president and SUTT president. The rallyists carried placards with slogans like “Stop terrorism”, “Save civilians”, “Stop assassination”, “No bombing zone”, “Arrest the culprit”, etc. Later, a memorandum was submitted to Tuensang deputy commissioner demanding immediate arrest of the culprits and banning bursting of crackers in the town and its vicinity.
D I M A P U R , N OV 1 7 (NPN): A delegation of the Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union (ENLU) called on NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar Friday wherein issues regarding development of Eastern Nagaland were discussed. The team led by ENLU convenor and minister, S. Pangnyu Phom, ENLU secretary general and advisor Toshi Wungtung, along with advisors-- Bongkhao Konyak, H. Haiying and NPF MLA, C.L. John including DUDA officials apprised Rajiv Kumar about Prime Minister, Narandra Modi’s commitment for development of the Eastern Nagaland region, PRO Nagaland House, Delhi stated in a press note. Project proposals for specific areas of focus like education, road, health, tourism and agri & allied sectors were submitted, PRO added.
ENLU delegation with NITI Aayog vice chairman, Rajiv Kumar.
Rajiv Kumar assured to look into the proposals and take up as per the feasibility reports from the concerned ministries. He appreciated the legislators for personally taking the effort to submit the proposals. Earlier, the team had also met union minister of
state for Home, Kiren Rijiju and apprised him of the urgent need to modernize and upgrade the Village Guards in the State. Rijiju informed the delegation that the proposal of the state government was under serious consideration by the Centre.
Dimapur’s Daily organic market gets pick-up truck Need to check spread of fake news: Gov
Kuda Village Baptist Church pastor, reverend Miazielie Sakhrie reading scripture before dedicating the mini pick-up truck on November 16. (NP)
Vendors lament lack of customers Staff Reporter
K Y M C
D I M A P U R , N OV 1 6 (NPN): Unable to reach the 100% target of Measles and Rubella Vaccination Campaign (MRVC) coverage across the state, the Health & Family Welfare (H&FW) department has decided to extend the campaign, which was scheduled to end on November 17, by another 10 working days. As per reports received, a total of 4,33,178 children have been vaccinated with MR Vaccine through 3,027 school and 2,483 outreach sessions attaining a coverage percentage of 96.58%. With the desire to make Nagaland free of Measles and Rubella which is only possible with 100% coverage achievement, the state has decided to extend the campaign, the department stated. In this regard, all responsible parents have been requested to take their child, if still unvaccinated, to the nearest health facility (District Hospital, CHC, PHC and Sub-Centre) at the earliest. Meanwhile, H&FW informed that till date there has been no reported case of AEFI, and was hopeful that the department we will be able to immunize all target children for their safety and healthy future.
Protest in Tuensang against Nov 7 blast
KU welcomes Khango-led NSCN (K) NC acknowledges ENLU team calls on NITI Aayog vice chairman peace overture; urges GoI to reciprocate public support
This is it!
“Your food item is adulterated. That’ll be Rs.1 lakh fine. We discovered it even without lab test.”
H&FW extends MRVC campaign
D I M A P U R , N OV 1 6 (NPN): A mini pick-up truck for the Daily Organic Market to transport produce to the market was dedicated on Friday, at Supermarket (Naga Shopping Arcade), near Nagarjan Traffic Point,
Dimapur. The truck was dedicated by Kuda Village Baptist Church (KVBC) pastor reverend Miazielie Sakhrie. The Daily Organic Market is an initiative of the Farmer Producer’s Organisation (FPO) of Dimapur district. Representatives of Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) Dimapur district mentioned that the truck was bought from the amount
donated by Nagaland Governor, PB Acharya during his visit to the daily organic market when it was inaugurated. The chairman of the FPO, Chozukhwu Nyekha, also thanked the Governor for his support for local farmers. Speaking to Nagaland Post, local vendors, mostly women, appealed to the public to extend their support to local producers
by buying local organic produce from the market. Varieties of local produce such as bamboo shoots, tomatoes, bitter gourd, bitter eggplant; yams, oranges etc., sourced from various districts are put on display for sale, a regular women vendor said. A lady vendor also mentioned that they have been sustaining their livelihoods from the little they earn by selling vegetables. On the other hand, there is a lack of support from the general public in buying the local products, she lamented. She added that there were times when they barely sell anything. For instance, she sold only ten rupees worth of goods last Wednesday after sitting the whole day. However, she said they remain hopeful that the market will catch on and they will be able to earn enough to sustain themselves.
D I M A P U R , N OV 1 6 (NPN): Nagaland Governor, P.B. Acharya on Friday stressed on the need for a mechanism to check spread of fake news that could be a threat to democracy. He said this keeping in mind the extensive use of social media as a powerful tool to disseminate news because of its ability to reach out to a huge number of people in any part of the globe instantly. Extending warm greetings to the press fraternity in Nagaland on the occasion of National Press Day, Acharya in his message pointed out that, among the four pillars of democracy, media had greater potential and power to create a better world and better future. He underlined that an independent, fair and bold media was essential for strengthening the democracy. Stating that media, both print and electronic, played
P.B. Acharya (File)
a major role in shaping the society and had become a bridge between the government and citizens, Acharya explained that consistent media coverage on each and every issue of the society created big impacts, making it one of the most important professions these days. He admitted that the media had been a great contributor to strengthening democracy of the country. He said this year Press Council of India had decided to deliberate upon the subject of journalistic ethics and
challenges faced in the digital age, on the occasion of National Press Day. The governor called for a mechanism for maintaining standards of newspaper reporting, besides ensuring that all guidelines were adhered to by the reporters of all news media. He said there should be a constant review of the quality of reporting and improvement in the guidelines. He suggested that this could be followed by media organisations all over the country to continuously improve quality and maintain consistency in news reporting. Meanwhile, a programme was held at the conference hall of directorate of information & public relations (IPR) here on Friday to mark the National Press Day on the theme “Journalism Ethics and Challenges in Digital Era”. (Con’t on p-7) K Y M C