Imphal, November 04 2010: Participants in the second day seminar on Thursday organised by Just Peace Foundation in connection with Irom Sharmila's ten years completion of fast-unto-death agitation strongly voiced against the black laws.

Writer and activist from Nagaland Kaka D.Iralu went to the extent saying, "India has no right to say who we are.

Houses of the Nagas have been burnt down, Naga women raped and large number of the Nagas had been tortured and killed by the Indian security forces under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA),1958." Kaka D.Iralu continues, "We took up arms as we could no longer tolerate all these atrocities meted out to us by the security forces." The Naga writer also said the burning problem of the North East today is the creation of India.

Kaka Iralu then said that Nagas have been divided by India in collaboration with the British.

He rued that many Nagas in the interior areas are still "living in the 19th century" even today with no sight of hospitals, schools, roads and other modern facilities" .

The seminar themed, "Towards a life with dignity," is part of the Festival of Hope, Peace and Justice observed on the completion of Irom Sharmila fasting for the last ten years demanding the repeal of AFSPA,1958 .

Former police chief of Tripura and now activist Dr K.S Subramaniam advocated that "our fight should not be only against AFSPA but we should also fight against the very deployment of the Army in the North East region." According to Dr Subramaniam, Army is to fight the foreigners outside the country.

"I don't think there is a need for the deployment of the Army in the North East region," Dr Subramanam said.

He also dismissed the AFSPA Review Committee instituted by the Centre as an eye-wash.

Dr Dhanabir Laishram of Manipur University termed the prolong imposition of AFSPA in the North East region as " localised form of indefinite emergency rule in the region." He said that the Government of India speak of promoting non-violence but in the same breath, it refuses to acknowledge the case of Irom Sharmila.

"Sharmila's case is the most democratic, non-violence and passive form of agitation," said Dr Dhanabir Laishram.

He criticised India that the country is the world's largest democracy but the people of the North East "have no A,B,C of right to life due to AFSPA" .

Prominent Nagaland human rights activist Neingulo Krome describes Irom Sharmila's case as a move for the cause of humanity.

Krome called upon the people to have a joint concerted movement against rights violation.

The Nagaland activist presented a lengthy paper in the seminar detailing the suffering experienced by the Nagas under the AFSPA, 1958 .

Also speaking on the occasion is lawyer Brinda Grover who was a member of the Fact-Finding team on the recent Kashmir impasse.

She agreed with the rest of the participants that the people of Kashmir and the North East suffer under AFSPA.

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