Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network
Dimapur, November 05:
In an endeavour to draw more international attention particularly the powerful United States of America and the European countries, top NSCN-IM leader VS Atem has begun his campaign in Washington DC USA.
A highly placed source in the Ministry of Information and Publicity (MIP) of the Isak-Muivah faction, NSCN informed Newmai News Network tonight that the NSCN-IM leader "is now in America lobbying the Congress of the United States of America." The source also added that VS Atem will tour most of the European countries too in the coming days for the same purpose.
International news agency Reuters had filed a story in this regard from Washington, USA that VS Atem had accused New Delhi of using a decade-old ceasefire as cover to tighten its power grip and jeopardising the peace process.
"It is now 10 years without honourable solution in sight," reported an international Reuters news agency from Washington quoting the NSCN-IM leader.
"The Nagas are growing tired and worried.
We feel that our sincerity to peace has been misused, even as India has aggresively used the ceasefire for her own interests.
This breach of trust has put the whole peace process into jeopardy.
Nagas do not wish to be forced back to war.
Our rivers have run red with blood and the cries of our children echo through the hills.We know the price we have paid for our freedom," VS Atem gave a running commentary while talking to the journalists in Washington, according to the news agency report.
Of late, the NSCN-IM has been expressing its frustration and anger while heaping blames on the Government of India for the present state of affairs concerning the peace talks between the two parties.
NSCN-IM supremo Thuingaleng Muivah had gone to the extent of pronouncing that " ten years of the Indo-Naga peace talks are in crisis".
Muivah had told Asian News International (ANI) in New Delhi recently that "we have enough patience....and the ceasefire is in crisis," while adding that in the eventuality of a breakdown in talks, the NSCN-IM cadres would be forced to go back into the jungles.
More of similar tones and words have been spewing out from other high ranking NSCN-IM leaders.
The outfit's Ceasefire Monitoring Cell convenor Phumthing Shimrang had, on the eve of the last round of peace talks, compared the Government of India with that of "Dr Jekyll and Mr.Hyde" story.
It is a classic novel on a doctor who has a split personality written by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Phumthing Shimrang had opined that the approach of the Government of India to the issue was reminescent to the act of the main character of the novel.
With this grim development, the fate of the next round of the talk between the two parties or for that matter, the ongoing ceasefire altogether, is sailing in the rough deep sea.
Thuingaleng Muivah had expressed pessimism few days ago and said that "if there is no progress in the talks, I need to go off for sometime," indicating his plan to go back to Europe.
The outfit's Chairman Isak Chisi Swu had already left India.