Source: Hueiyen News Service
Shillong, March 07 2009:
Meghalaya Governor R S Moshahary yesterday suggested that New Delhi needs to temporarily withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Power) from Manipur to instill confidence amongst people.
Army operations, if required, should be short and then the state police should take over the operations, Mr Mooshahary said.
The former National Security Guard Chief was speaking at a seminar on ''extremism in Northeast India,'' organised by the North East India Council for Social Science and Research.
The state police must be strengthened under such circumstances for optimum result as the police have better understanding of the people and the region, he felt.
Advocating, stringent anti-terror laws and protracted army operations as not the answers to combat extremism and terrorism, Mr Moshahary said, a new approach was required.
''A change of attitude by building confidence amongst the people would go a long way to fight terrorism, not stringent law and long army operations,'' the Governor stated.
He said prolonged army operations, as was being carried out in the Northeast, would only prove ''counter-productive'' in the long run.
The governor also blamed ''non-transparent and inefficient'' state governments of the Northeast for the present state of affairs.
''Militancy is a money-spinner and a lucrative trade, while corruption is subverting the democratic set-up.
Corruption and extorting are the twin brothers terrorising the society,'' he said.
Equating corruption and extortion in the Northeastern states to ''disguised terrorism'', the former NSG Chief turned governor said, corruption was doing as much harm as terrorism.
The Governor also lashed at the uncountable organisations operating in the region who frequently calls bandhs, terming bandhs as ''acts of terror.'' People are deprived of their fundamental right of free movement due to this frequent bandhs forced upon by these organisations and groups,'' he underlined.
Moshahary urged the ''relaxed people and civil societies'' of the region to raise their voices against all forms of terrorism.