Jailed 'IM' leader ends fast, Naga Hoho slams GoI
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN
Dimapur, September 29 2013:
Even as Anthony Shimray, the 'foreign secretary' of the Naga rebel group, NSCN (IM), is due to complete his three-day long fast in Tihar Jail where he is currently lodged, Naga Hoho has slammed the Government of India for its alleged lackadaisical attitude towards the Naga political problem.
While joining the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Delhi in observing 'Black Day' in support of the jailed NSCN-IM 'foreign secretary' Anthony Shimray who resorted to fasting in Tihar Jail, Delhi since September 27 marking the completion of three years of his 'detention', Naga Hoho lamented that in spite of repeated reminders, the government of India has so far shown a lackadaisical attitude towards the Naga political problem and no conclusive political resolution has been taken till date.
In a letter from Tihar Jail, Anthony Shimray had said his fasting to mark the three years completion in the jail is also to demand that all 'political prisoners' be released without conditions to for the sake of strengthening the fragile peace process and to end killings and random arrest.
He had also said in the letter that peace is a must but peace is not made through coercive policy, arrest and suppression.
"Arrest, imprisonment and killings do not cohere with peaceful political negotiation.
It is a mockery of peace talks; it is a betrayal to one's own self.
Peace requires us to stand for the integrity of who we are, not just as a group of people, a nation or race but as humans," Anthony Shimray.
Meanwhile, the Naga Hoho said on September 27,2010, Anthony Shimray, one of the peace negotiators was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from Kathmandu airport in gross violation of Cease-fire agreement between Government of India and NSCN (IM) .
"Following the arrest and illegal detention of Naga national workers, enough representations have been submitted to the Government of India by various Naga people's representative organizations, civil societies and political parties from all Naga areas � supplemented by occasional meetings with various Prime Ministers of India to expedite the Indo-Naga talks for a peaceful settlement to the long vexed Naga political problem and to release all the political prisoners unconditionally," the Naga Hoho stated.
"We strongly believe that mere periodic holding of political talk without a definite conclusion will only deepen the political predicament," the Naga Hoho added.
The Naga Hoho then said that it would like to point out to a vital setback which may weigh down the peace process is the detention and arrest of 'Naga national workers' by different Indian Government's agencies under various acts and laws.
"This is a matter of great concern that deeply hurt the sentiments of the Naga people as it is against the spirit of cease-fire agreement," it expressed, adding, "While upholding our principle towards seeking permanent and lasting peace, we urge upon the Indian leaders to immediately intervene in the subsequent issues that the peace process is carried forward with all sincerity to bring out a logical conclusion at the earliest, and also that the Naga political prisoners or detainees arrested during the cease-fire period are released unconditionally" .
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