Tripura Govt Extends AFSPA Act For 6 Months To Fight Militancy

Agartala, Sep 10 : Tripura Government has extended Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) for another six months to take stringent actions against militancy in the state, official sources said on Sunday.

The decision to extend the act (AFSPA) for another six months was taken in the recently held

meeting of the state-level coordination committee (SLCC) on security affairs headed by Chief Secretary SK Panda, an official of the state home department said.

The act is in force fully in 34 police stations and partly in six police station areas out of the total 70 police station areas in the state.

The act was first introduced in the state in 1997 when the state was at the peak of insurgency.

The act provides sweeping power to the paramilitary forces and army to conduct raids or arrest any person in the area without arrest warrant.

The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), a tribal based political party in the state had long been demanding for repeal of the act on the plea that innocent tribal people were being harassed by the security forces in the name of curbing insurgency.

Even as four decade old insurgency was tamed in Tripura considerably, two outlawed outfits have their camps in neighbouring Chittagong Hill Tract and Syllhet region of Bangladesh and occasionally sneaks into the state for subversive activities, officials said.

Business Booms Beyond Manipur Borders

By Pranjal Baruah

Moreh (Manipur), Sep 10 : The small border town of Moreh in Manipur's Chandel district is known as a paradise for traders operating along the borders of India and Myanmar. In fact, the locals expand the town's name as 'Millions of Rupees Enter Here', indicative of the large volume of trade underway at Moreh on a regular basis. And the expansion is not very far off the mark as the market here sees inflow of huge amounts of money from trade deals, both legal and illegal, with Southeast Asian countries, which has been on here for decades.

"Officially, Moreh has an estimated border trade of almost Rs 40 lakh per day. Major items bought by Myanmar traders from India are cotton yarn, auto parts, soyabean products and pharmaceuticals, while Indian traders purchase betelnuts, dried ginger, turmeric roots, resin and medicinal herbs from their Myanmar counterparts," says Ishantor Sobhapandit, regional director of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (NE). Local sources said that the unofficial volume of transaction at Moreh is almost over Rs 2 crore per day.

The Indo-Myanmar friendship route opens at 7 am and closes at 4 pm every day for trade. The bilateral trade rules between India and Myanmar allows India to export jeera (peeper) and sugar and import only betelnut from Myanmar, informs K B Subramaniam, public relations secretary at the Border Trade and Chamber of Commerce at Moreh. "The trade of items not listed for official bilateral trade has, however, been escalating over the last few years," he adds.

Targetting these huge transactions, China has virtually invaded Moreh's Namphalong bazaar, located right on the road that demarcates the international boundary between India and Myanmar. Using Myanmarese vendors to sell its products here, the neighbouring country has flooded Namphalong with all kinds of products which Indian buyers are lapping up. Be it toys, mobile phones, home appliances, beauty products, chocolates and even cigarettes, most of the products available at the market are made in China.

Every morning, hundreds of Burmese vendors, both men and women, throng Namphalong and Tamu markets in the border area armed with Chinese products to sell to Indian buyers. "Chinese bulk producers are using the vendors of Myanmar as their agents to sell their products in India. China can send these products to Myanmar without any duty and then to India through the Moreh market," said Khwaza Mainuddin, a border trade official at Moreh.

Robin Jaisi, a vendor of Nepali origin who operates at the Tamu market, added, "My family has been selling various goods with Indian buyers for generations. Most of our products are Chinese and some are from Myanmar and Thailand. Though our currency is Burmese kyat, we accept the Indian rupee too. Electronics and Kaungimaun (a kind of Burmese rice) sell like hot cakes in the Indian market."

Located some 110 km from the capital town of Imphal in Chandel district, Moreh is an ethnic Kuki inhabited town with a population of around 14,000, including ethnic communities like Meiteis, Tamils, Nepalis, Muslims, Meitei-Pangals. It is a fast-developing and an important trade point in India on the border with Myanmar, with the town of Tamu being close to the border.

India and Myanmar signed a border trade agreement in 1994 and have two operational border trade points (Moreh-Tamu and Zowkhatar-Rhi) on the 1,643 km long border. During the 3rd India-Myanmar Joint Trade Committee in October 2008, it was agreed that border trade at the existing points would be upgraded. A third border trade point is proposed to be opened at Avakhung-Pansat/Somrai.

Northeast Rebels On Bombing Spree

Manipur militants target foot patrols

PLA claims responsibility

A bomb squad inspects a container on NH150 at Kawakeithel bazaar in Imphal on Saturday. Picture by UB Photos

Imphal, Sep 10 : Militants triggered yet another improvised explosive device under a culvert at Kangsoibi Khongbal in Manipur’s Bishnupur district this morning, killing an Assam Rifles jawan and wounding six men.

According to unconfirmed sources, the victim, naik subedar Srinivas Rao, was part of the Assam Rifles foot patrol team that was passing through the area when the bomb went off at a spot around 5km from Imphal. The injured were evacuated to the Leimakhong army cantonment where Rao died of his injuries.

The army’s public relations office, however, is yet to confirm the report.

The PLA in a statement claimed responsibility for the attack, saying four personnel had been killed and many others critically wounded.

The top brass in the army and Assam Rifles deployed in Manipur valley, rattled by three back-to-back bomb attacks, have asked their troops to be on “maximum alert” while on patrolling on foot.

“As foot patrols were targeted in all three attacks, we have asked all units to be cautious and instructed them to look out for IEDs. We are on maximum alert,” a senior army official said here today.

The United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) have carried out three bomb attacks on security forces in the last five days killing one jawan and injuring nine.

The three attacks — two of them in the capital city — were meticulously planned as only one civilian was injured.

The first explosion took place at Keishampat junction here on September 5, in which two Assam Rifles personnel were injured.

The second attack was carried out near Tiddim ground yesterday along the Imphal-airport road in which one army jawan and one civilian were wounded.

All three attacks were timed in the morning when traffic was thin. Army or Assam Rifles foot patrols were targeted as these personnel are the most vulnerable without the safety of vehicles or heavy protective gear.

While UNLF carried out the first attack, the second and third attacks were executed by the PLA.

An army team searched the area for more bombs after the explosion today but nothing could be recovered.

Police here said the attacks were precursors to the September 25 raising day of the PLA, the military wing of the Revolutionary Peoples Front.

Security forces here have also started cutting tall grass growing by the sides of national and state highways to thwart future attacks. The police have alerted Assam Rifles and army units deployed in the valley about places where bombs could be planted.

Village Chief Gunned Down in CCpur, Manipur

Churachandpur, Sep 9 : A 60-year old village chief was shot dead at his house by some gunmen in Manipur's interior Churachandpur district bordering with Myanmar and Mizoram, a delayed official report said on Sunday.

The gunmen barged into the house of Henkholal Haokip at S. Nabil village under Moirang police station on Friday night and shot him dead from point blank range.

Haokip's body was handed over to his family members after postmortem.His eldest son Nehlenlal alleged that a former MLA and his associates were behind the murder.

The ex-MLA allegedly had been pressurising the family to hand over some village lands to a group of people of his choice.

Fear Grips Manipur As Outsiders Told To Leave State

Imphal, Sep 8 : Fear and panic have gripped people from outside the state who have taken up residence in Manipur, after separatist groups issued “quit notices” to all non-Manipuri people, asking them to leave the northeastern state by December 31 or face dire consequences.

The statement was issued on Wednesday to media houses by the Co-ordination Committee (CorCom) - an umbrella of seven major separatist outfits - fighting for an independent state for the majority Metei community in Manipur.

The Manipur government, however, has assured protection to all genuine Indian citizens residing in the state.

“Illegal migrants and the outsider population have reached alarming proportions and the government of India is hiding the population figure of outsiders from the Census Report 2011. All outsiders must leave the state and return home for bringing a solution to the migrants’ problem and its associated ills,” CorCom said, in its statement.

However, students, professionals and tourists who are entering the state for academic purposes, art and culture, sports, religion or business for a temporary period are exempted from the quit notices.

The group also asked locals not to rent out houses or sell land to non-Manipuris or allow them to head business houses.

CorCom cited the case of Tripura, where the indigenous population had been reduced to a minority in 100 years; in Assam, the statement said, migrants constitute 46% of the population.

In Nagaland, despite the enforcement of the Inner Line Permit System (ILP), migrants constitute nearly a third of the population, while in Meghalaya, outsiders comprise 14% of the state’s population.

In Mizoram, outsiders are mostly Chakmas and Tongchangyas who entered from across the state’s border with Bangladesh, the CorCom statement said.

The statement claimed that in Manipur, the population of outsiders had crossed 30% as a result of the “silent population invasion” encouraged by the government.

Claiming the there was a danger of the indigenous population in Manipur being reduced to a minority, CorCom called upon the people to resist the entry of outsiders. There are no estimates about the number of non-Manipuris in the state of 2.7mn people. A large number of people from other states work in Manipur as daily wage earners. Many others do business and are employed in private companies and educational institutions.

“We are worried after the threat and don’t know how to react,” said Harinder Singh, a businessman originally from Bihar. “There is a sense of all-pervading fear and panic among most of the non-Manipuri people like us,” said Barun Yadav, a dealer in food products settled in Manipur for the past 12 years, but originally from Uttar Pradesh.

However, Home Minister G Gaikhangam, said the government would ensure security to all genuine Indian citizens. He reiterated, however, that no illegal immigrant would be allowed to settle in the state.

Aadhaar Used For First time in Northeast

Agartala, Sep 8 : Aadhaar was used for the first time in the northeastern region Friday with 194 elderly people in Tripura receiving pension on the basis of their new unique identification numbers, officials said.

The applications of Aadhaar has begun by providing old-age pension to 194 people in Mandai village, Manohar Biswas, the block development officer, said.

Tripura has also become the first state to enroll 90 percent of its 3.7-million population into Aadhaar, said an Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) official.

Aadhaar is the brand name of the 12-digit unique identification number.

Tripura Gramin Bank too has become the first rural regional bank in the country to provide services based on Aadhaar, the official said.

Through business correspondents, a new system of providing banking services, including pension, to people's doorsteps, has been started, the official said.

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh, during a trip to Tripura in August, had said Aadhaar-enabled applications would soon be used to provide pension, wages and scholarships in 50 districts of the country.

Of the 50 districts, four are in Tripura and two in Sikkim.

Aadhaar was first introduced in Jharkhand last year, he said.

UIDAI has enrolled 20 crore people for Aadhaar and aims to register 40 crore more in 18 months.

Mizo Church Group Signs MoU For 'Fair' Election

By Achunga Chuaungo

Aizawl, Sep 8 : The Mizoram People Forum was formed in 2006 under the aegis of Mizoram Presbyterian Church. The church-backed Mizoram People Forum (MPF) last week signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with major political parties across the state of Mizoram to ensure free and fair state Assembly elections scheduled next year.

The MoU, which was drafted first on July 31, was only approved on August 23. The Indian National Congress (INC), Mizo National Front (MNF), Zoram Nationalist Party (ZNP), Mizo People's Conference (MPC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party were the signatories to the agreement.

In an effort to reform the electoral process, the MoU in some 27 points urges parties to take major steps to address deceptive election practices. It asks political parties not to make tall promises in its election manifesto. Only the citizens of India should cast their votes.

The Mizoram People Forum will closely monitor if the candidates are buying votes, dropping voters to their polling stations by means of a vehicle, doing door to door campaign, distributing gifts or offering favors for votes.

“Organisations and individuals should not expect any benefits in the form of money or materials from the candidates,” a statement of MPF said.

Further, no protest rally should be organised 10 days before the election, and only a restricted number of banners, flags, posters are to be used by the parties. A village council having more than 7 members can have 3 banners, 30 flags and 20 posters.

Supporters of candidates can no longer use caps, Tshirts, badges and stickers bearing party symbols, and party flags during election campaigning.

The MPF urged political parties to choose candidates who are mature and trustworthy. Importantly, the candidate must respect the Constitution and laws of the country.

The Mizoram People Forum was formed in 2006 under the aegis of Mizoram Presbyterian Church. It is currently an organisation that comprises of major church bodies and NGOs striving for disciplined conduct of polls.

‘Everybody Fears Being The Next To Be Killed By The Army’

By Monika Khangembam

WE, WHO grew up here, have grown up in violence. We have grown up to the sound of gunfire, never knowing if it was the armed forces training or an ambush. Manipur’s youth is running away.

We are in search of a better life, but, more importantly, we are searching for some semblance of peace.

For us, a privileged life would be electricity, running water and freedom from the ringing of automatic weapons.

The majority of the people who leave Manipur are students looking for a better education.

The government needs to create enough institutes, in which it has failed miserably over the past few decades. It’s a very simple scenario; if you pour more water than the vessel can take, it overflows. College examinations aren’t conducted on time and the delay in results leads to students losing an academic year. We need dedicated institutes that offer professional courses that can compete with the rest of the country.

Leaving Manipur takes you away from all the lawlessness. However, we face other challenges of integration. People assume we have loose morals, and take our ethnicity as a licence for eve-teasing and molestation. We are accused of polluting their culture. The law now bans calling someone ‘chinki’, but I don’t think that will change anything.

They will come up with a different word. The intent behind that namecalling needs to be checked. It has a lot to do with a lack of awareness. We need to reach out further, to the common people in villages and small towns through school curricula, colleges, panchayats and NGOs. We do not expect people to be able to distinguish between Mizos and Meiteis, but at least they should accept that we are part of this country.

Manipur is plagued with many problems but the top three are corruption, insurgency and Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). Corruption is Manipur’s biggest problem. It is impossible to get a job without paying money. Even for the post of a sub-inspector, you have to pay 10-12 lakh and this perpetuates the cycle of corruption. Jobs are not created, and the few created are not recruited fairly. Unemployment results in a loss of faith in the system and some even join the underground, take up arms and begin extorting money.

Insurgency in Manipur is a complex issue. There are six groups (mostly Meitei-led) which have been declared unlawful organisations, 18 Kuki groups that are in a suspension of operation arrangement and two Naga groups in a ceasefire arrangement. Some underground groups have become extortionist but there are still some core groups adamant about exercising their right to self-determination through a plebiscite.

This demand has existed since India was created. Dozens of militant organisations came up trying to win the people’s confidence but the present scenario has more to do with money and power. Even if you want to start a private enterprise, you have to pay some of these groups. We cannot blame the Centre all the time, it is the state that has to initiate talks.

On the other side, the AFSPA looms large. It has been in force even before the violence in Manipur escalated. It is fed to us through the media that AFSPA is there to fight insurgency. But why do they get the power to shoot anyone they suspect of being an insurgent? AFSPA has become symbolic of terror. Extrajudicial execution, torture, rape, arbitrary detention have caused resentment and anger.

My parents tell me that in their time, Manipur was very peaceful. Why is the state so full of violence today? If it is really maintaining ‘law and order’, then how is that there is more gun violence than few years ago? It’s high time the government took a different approach. Everybody fears being the next to be killed by the army. Repealing AFSPA will have a huge psychological impact among the people.

The Centre should apologise for what they have done to us in the past, and look to our future together. I think many people are just waiting for that one initiative from the government that says they’re sorry for all the atrocities meted out in the past. The Centre has been very negligent. Their duty is not only to shower money. We want them to monitor the state and address our issues. At the same time, our state machinery has largely failed. What Manipur lacks today is honest young leaders who work collaboratively.

Khangembam is a Bengaluru-based human rights activist and communications professional