Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Kohima, May 06:
The Northeast India based militants may face some problems if the Indian Army has their way.
The Government of India is said to have been pressurising their counter parts in Myanmar to crack down on the Northeast based underground elements who have been sheltering in the neighbouring country.
Sources from the Army said that militant related matter was discussed in the recent Kolkata bi-annual meeting between India and Myanmar Army officials.
The Myanmarese Army comprising fifteen officials came to army headquarters at Rangapahar in Dimapur, Tezpur in Assam and Kolkata and carried out a detailed discussions on the matter, according top Defence source.
It said that "during the meeting in Kolkata, India said that it will give arms to Myanmar but the neighbouring country shall have to launch an operation against the north-east militants".
Few months back Defence Minister AK Antony was asked by local journalists during his visit to Rangapahar army base, off Dimapur as to why India was taking interest to extend military help to Myanmar, the minister had replied that it was being done to boost ties with the neighbouring country.
NE editors decide to form permanent body (Kaziranga): A group of editors from the various states of the Northeast, after a two-day threadbare discussion at Kaziranga in Assam, decided to form a permanent body to work towards, among others, the strengthening of the media and promotion of professionalism in journalism in the northeast region.
The meeting was held in collaboration with PANOS South Asia.
The meeting also decided to name the new body of editors as "Editors' Initiative".
As a start, the Editors' Initiative framed a broad preamble laying down its objectives.
The preamble first and foremost recognized the need for promotion of the Freedom of the Press in the Northeast region.
It also pledged to enhance the standard of journalism in the region and promote regional co-operation among the editors of the region by organizing workshops, seminars and sensitization programs on the values of media freedom and its importance in promoting and deepening democracy.
The editors also discussed possibilities of a media exchange programme amongst the newspapers and other media organizations in the region.
Further, the meeting also decided to explore the possibilities of starting a news pool to which all member media organizations from the different states can contribute periodically, to be used by each of the members as well as others who wish to subscribe to the news pool.
Suggestions were also made that such a pool would be webcast in a weekly web journal of the Editor's Initiative, with free access for all members.