Source: The Imphal Free Press
Imphal, July 05:
The All-Assam Students Union and the All-Manipur Students Union have joined forces to press the demand for revocation of the decision to extend the ongoing ceasefire with the NSCN(IM) to areas beyond Nagaland after August this year.
Md Gaffar, general secretary in charge of the AMSU, informed press offices today that the AMSU and the AASU would take joint action to press for withdrawal of the ceasefire from areas beyond Nagaland.
As a first step, the two sister organizations would organize massive protests in both the states on July 7 next to register the opposition of the people of Assam and Manipur to the inclusion of the geographical territories of these two states within the ambit of the ceasefire with the NSCN(IM).
In a joint statement released in this respect today and faxed here by AASU, the AASU and the AMSU warned the Centre not to take any steps which hit at the root of the geographical and territorial identity of Assam and Manipur: Any action attempting to jeopardize the basic and greater interest of both the states will not be tolerated.
The consequences will be very serious, the joint statement warned.
While placing on record their appreciation of the beginning of discussion and dialogue between the Centre and the NSCN(IM) towards a permanent solution to the Naga problem, both the unions maintained that the ceasefire must be confined within the territory of Nagaland.
The statement also made it clear that both the unions want a peaceful and permanent solution to the longstanding Naga insurgency problem but expressed resentment that no such attitude was taken by the Centre to solve the vexed militancy issue of the other north east states.
Castigating the government of India's �divisive policy� in isolating only the Naga insurgency groups and entering into a ceasefire agreement with them, the two organizations regretted that despite repeated demands and appeals from all sections of the people, no step has been taken to solve other insurgency problems of the region on an equal footing.