Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Imphal, April 26:
The United Naga Council, Naga Peoples' Movement for Human Rights (NPMHRSouth), All Naga Students' Association, Manipur (ANSAM) and Naga Women Union, Manipur (NWUM) deeply lamenting the Wungram Colony arson of April 22 have said that it portrays the Naga community in poor light in front of the whole world.
"Down the ages, darkness of dirty 'ism' must be done away with.
This very sensitive and tragic event should be a wake up call for all Nagas of the danger on what negative trend of community conflict can damage the cohesion of Naga struggle internally besides portraying a faulty image of the Naga Nation in front of the whole international community," rued the Naga organisations.
Issuing this statement to Newmai News Network today evening, UNC, ANSAM, NPMHR-South Sector and NWUM while lamenting the ugly incident at Wungra, Colony in Dimapur where more than 30 houses were burnt besides loss to many household properties, said, "when the Naga people are sleeplessly rendering our efforts to build and evolve understanding among the Naga brethrens, such barbaric acts of violence are obstructing the structuring process of peace in our land.
Igniting fire from an individual petty and silly issue to ethnic conflict is absurd".
The statement further said that without prejudice, Nagas throughout "our homeland" should collectively put efforts to find amicable understanding and dismiss misgivings once and for all to respect human values and work out mechanisms to prevent such happening in the future.
It is also time to resolutely retrospect, introspect and reason consciously to bury the feelings of hatred, jealousy and vendetta for the good cause of the peoples' struggle, said the joint statement of the UNC, ANSAM, NPMHR and NWUM.
The Naga bodies appealed "all sections of sensible society, individuals, villages or tribes not to casually take the law into our own hand to solve any problem.
Justice of any kind must be done according to the law of the land or under the customary law," adding, "We value to end violence and live together united as one family".