Kidnapping in Mizoram Drops to Zero in 2015

Officials from the state Home Department confirmed that there had not been a single kidnapping incident so far this year.

The ebbing of militancy in Tripura has had a positive effect in the neighbouring state of Mizoram. As Tripura exited AFSPA with the number of extremist-related incidents, civilian deaths, security personnel deaths, kidnappings and encounters falling to zero this year, Mirzoram, too, saw the number of kidnappings by Tripura-linked militants drop to zero.

Officials from the state Home Department confirmed that there had not been a single kidnapping incident so far this year. They attribute the success to the current tripartite talks between the NLFT, Tripura and the Centre, the second round of which was concluded earlier this month.

Over the past half-decade, at least 31 people were kidnapped — 29 at gunpoint — within Mizoram in nine separate incidents.

Except for two kidnappings near the state’s north-western border with southern Assam, all others incident took place in the border area with Tripura and Bangladesh, according to data furnished to the Tripura Assembly last November by state Home Minister R Lalzirliana.

The latter’s hilly, forested border area has been a hotbed of militant groups that, investigators said, relied on ransom-kidnappings as their main revenue source. The major operators in the area have been the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and lesser-known gangs of Bru tribals that aid the NLFT.

Tripura CM Manik Sarkar recently said the NLFT cadres remain in 16 camps in Bangladesh, three of them close to the Indian border. The Mizoram Home Minister added that 10 kidnappers had been arrested by Mizoram Police, among them seven cadres of the Bru Democratic Front of Mizoram and two cadres of the NLFT.

Seven of these arrested kidnappers were from North Tripura’s Naisingpara relief camp for internally displaced Bru tribals.

Two Congress Spokespersons in Mizoram Quit as Publishers of Party Mouthpiece

The questionnaire the duo refer to in their resignation letter had asked readers to name pastors who have been criticising the Congress government over the lifting of prohibition.

Aizawl, Jul 17 : Two top spokespersons of the ruling Congress party in Mizoram have quit from their posts as publishers of the party mouthpiece following outrage over a questionnaire that targets pastors over the Church’s opposition to the lifting of prohibition.

David M Thangliana and James Thanghmingmawia have submitted their resignations to state party president and Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla saying the questionnaire, published in the July issue of the Congress Thlifim newsletter, has “deeply wounded the sentiments of the church and disgraced the party”.

David, a former journalist, is secretary of the Congress’ media department. James, a former president of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl students’ union, is the department’s chairman.

The questionnaire the duo refer to in their resignation letter had asked readers to name pastors who have been criticising the Congress government over the lifting of prohibition.

It also leaves space to mark the pastors’ current place of posting, and also carries seven options where readers can mark where and on which platform the pastor made adverse comments against the party or the government.

The questionnaire had caused outrage and has been the subject of considerable online debate, especially on social media, where on one post a user identifying himself as a pastor asked members to mark the seventh option, which says “Everywhere he [the pastor] goes”.

Mizoram lifted 18 years of prohibition by enacting a new law last year and opening liquor retail shops in March.

While the church has been vocal against the lifting of prohibition and church members have picketed at least one liquor shop, it has largely been community-based organisations and neighbourhood groups who have been the most active in not allowing liquor shops to open in their vicinities.

Northeast to get better internet connectivity and enhanced digital technology

Tripura is all set to emerge as India's 3rd internet gateway after commissioning of the submarine cable connectivity through Cox Bazar Cable Landing Station in Bangladesh.

Tripura is all set to emerge as India’s 3rd internet gateway after commissioning of the submarine cable connectivity through Cox Bazar Cable Landing Station in Bangladesh.

Union Communication and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was in Agartala recently to lay the foundation stone for the same in the presence of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, Governor Tathagata Roy and top BSNL officials.

The agreement for leasing of international bandwidth for internet at Akhaura between BSCCL and BSNL was signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during his visit to Bangladesh in June.

Currently, India’s international internet bandwidth connectivity is at two places – Mumbai and Chennai. With the opening of the 10G link through Akhaura, the network in Tripura will be as good as any metro city.

“Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi very clearly feels that the development of India will remain incomplete if the eastern and northeastern part of India does not develop. It is a matter of commitment for us. For the entire northeastern region we have prepared a package of Rs 5,000 crores for mobile and telephone connectivity that has been duly approved by the cabinet. Therefore, improvement of the northeast is very much important for us,” Prasad said after laying the foundation stone.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar also highlighted the importance of tele-connectivity for the Northeast.”There is dearth of infrastructure without which we cannot tap all those resources available in the Northeast. And the most important infrastructure is connectivity and in regards to this, aside from road, rail, and air connectivity, tele connectivity is most important which brings the world to our palms. Thereby importance of tele-connectivity is unquestionable,” he said.

The government will spend 19.14 crore Rupees to create the infrastructure, including the laying of optical fibers. Rupees 8 crore per year will be given as rental fee to Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) to avail the service.

At present, the Northeast region gets internet connectivity through Mumbai and Chennai and the long distance and difficult terrain creates many problems.

With this new development, people in Tripura as well as neighboring Northeastern states will have access to high-speed, uninterrupted internet service with large bandwidth. “The coming up of the gateway will increase the speed (of internet) since we are closer to Bangladesh. This is great news for the remote Northeast as we are going to connect with entire globe,” stated Sitangshu Dey,a local.
As a part of the government’s vision to digitalize India, there are also plans to revive the postal network and provide services like ATMs, e-commerce and core banking through post offices.

The Union Minister opened the core banking services at the Agartala head post office and said that post offices will play an important role in digital India programme, especially in rural areas.

He also laid the foundation stone for Dimapur head post office, inaugurated the postal shopping site for the region and distributed prizes among various postmasters for their services. “We have already applied and we hope that by August, the Reserve Bank of India will approve the payment banking permission. Once it happens and the entire infrastructure is complete, you can understand how much power you will have in all the branches of postal department in banking transaction and payments. Digital India is designed to change India, to empower India, to bridge the gap between digital haves and have-Nots,” Prasad revealed.

The government is keen to expand digital connectivity in the landlocked Northeast region which will give the people access to varied services over the internet and make their lives easier.

Mizoram Govt Amends Rule For State’s Technical Entrance Examination

Aizawl, Jul 17 : The official said the decision was taken so that hundreds of students who have given the entrance test this year would not be adversely affected. The Mizoram government has amended the state’s technical entrance examination rules to include non-ethnic Zo students in category 1, according to a senior official privy to the move but who declined to be named because the matter might still be sub-judice.

The official said the decision was taken so that hundreds of students who have given the entrance test this year would not be adversely affected.

The Gauhati High Court had earlier stayed the Mizoram government’s new technical education rules that placed “Zo-ethnic people who are native inhabitants” in category 1 in the state’s selection criteria for college admissions. This would have given them the first preference to fill up the available seats under the state’s quota in various colleges across India.

According to the rules, students who are not in category 1 — specified as “Non-Zo-ethnic people who are non-native inhabitants” — would then fill up the remaining seats. This includes several ethnic minorities as well as those from elsewhere who live permanently in the state.​

T​he Mizoram Chakma Students’ Union had approached the Gauhati High Court and challenged the new rules that were notified in March after the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), a students’ body, pressured the government by picketing the higher education office in Aizawl. The MZP demanded first preference should be given to students from the ethnic Zo community, which forms a majority in the state.

The Chakmas, who mostly live in the Chakma Autonomous District of southern Mizoram, had protested against the new rules, calling it ​​discriminatory. The community’s main student body, meanwhile, went to court against the rules through a PIL.

Pic source: Vangliani.org

Northeast Mass Militancy Platform

Samudra Gupta Kashyap looks at the resurgence of groups that have come together on a common platform.


In 1990, some of these groups — NSCN-K, ULFA, UNLF and Kuki National Army — had formed Indo-Burma Revolutionary Front, which is now defunct. Several armed rebel groups of the Northeast, having lain low for some time, have become active again after coming together on the newly formed United National Liberation Front of Western Southeast Asia. In 1990, some of these groups — NSCN-K, ULFA, UNLF and Kuki National Army — had formed Indo-Burma Revolutionary Front, which is now defunct. NSCN-K, which tops the list of constituents of the new platform, carried out the June attack in Manipur where 18 Army men were killed, while ULFA’s anti-talks faction, under pressure to match the other groups, killed two Hindi-speaking persons in Assam this week.

NSCN-K
Formed after the original NSCN split in April 1988, NSCN-K had entered into a ceasefire with the government in 2001, three years after the NSCN-IM had signed a similar agreement. But after waiting 14 years for a call for talks, it abrogated the ceasefire in March 2015 and renewed violent activities, killing at least 30 security personnel in a series of attacks in Nagaland, Arunachal and Manipur, most significantly in June when it attacked an Army convoy in Manipur.
Strength: 1,000, with most of its cadres based in Myanmar. Headed by S S Khaplang, it demands a sovereign Greater Nagalim comprising present Nagaland and adjoining areas in Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Myanmar.

ULFA-I
ULFA was originally founded in 1979 by Arabinda Rajkhowa, Paresh Barua and others. The breakaway ULFA (Independent) faction was formed by Barua in August 2012, a year after founder chairman Rajkhowa announced a decision to sit for peace talks with the government. On Tuesday, ULFA attacked a Hindi-speaking family and killed two. Assam police say Barua was under pressure from the newly formed platform to “perform” after the other constituents had already “achieved” major successes. Barua, whom Army and intelligence agencies describe as an illegal arms dealer in the subcontinent, has no inclination to sit for talks and continues to demand a “sovereign” Assam. But unlike NSCN factions or groups like NDFB-S, KLO and the Manipuri outfits, the ULFA does not have a definite map for the area it would like to “liberate”.
Strength: 240, with Paresh Barua as military chief and Abhijit Asom as chairman; most cadres based in Myanmar.

NDFB-S
A splinter group of the original National Democratic Front of Bodoland founded by Ranjan Daimary, NDFB-S is headed by Myanmar-based I Songbijit, a former “commander” of the outfit in 2012. Songbijit carries a cash award of Rs 10 lakh on his head. Killed over 100 in a series of attacks in Assam during 2014.
Strength: 270. It demands a sovereign Bodoland.

KLO
Kamtapur Liberation Organisation formed in 1995. Demands a Kamatapur state with 6 West Bengal districts — Cooch Behar, Maldah, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North and South Dinajpur — and four
of Assam —Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Dhubri and Goalpara.
Strength: 600; Chief Timir Das alias Jiban Singh is in Myanmar.

CorCom
Comprises six groups of Manipur — UNLF, Kangleipak Communist Party, Revolutionary People’s Front (which is the political wing of PLA), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup, People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak and PREPAK (Pro), Formed in 2010, CorCom (Coordination Committee) coordinates closely with with NSCN-K and UNLFWSEA, intelligence officials say.

NSCN-K Gets Ready For Fight To The Finish

The insurgent group has been constructing bunkers at undisclosed locations along the Indo-Myanmar border. This was communicated to Myanmar during a Joint Consultative Commission meeting attended by foreign ministers of the two countries on Thursday in New Delhi.

By Abhishek-Bhalla



The home ministry has asked the PMO to ban the outfit. Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalan-Khaplang (NSCN-K), responsible for the attack on the Army that killed 18 jawans in March, is readying itself for a long-drawn-battle across the border in Myanmar fearing an onslaught by Indian and Myanmar forces.

The insurgent group has been constructing bunkers at undisclosed locations along the Indo-Myanmar border. This was communicated to Myanmar during a Joint Consultative Commission meeting attended by foreign ministers of the two countries on Thursday in New Delhi.

A note prepared for the meeting said that apprehensive of Myanmar Army movement towards the Taga-Lungmak area, NSCN-K instructed officials of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) to complete construction of underground facilities, possibly bunkers.

"They were also instructed to restrict movement of their cadres and store essential items," the note said. Following the attack, the home ministry has been pushing for NSCN-K to be included in the list of banned organisations under the anti-terror law. The home ministry has submitted an action plan to the Prime Minister's Office on how banning the outfit will allow law enforcement agencies to crackdown on it.

However, there is a view in the government that there could still be a possibility of peace talks with the group but home ministry which looks after issues related to insurgency in the North East is not in favour of any dialogue with them at the moment.

Soon after the attack, the Army carried out strikes in Myanmar targeting NSCN-K camps. Since then the forces have intensified operations against the rebel group.

With NSCN-K abrogating the 14-year-old ceasefire in March, its Chairman SS Khaplang and ULFA chief Paresh Baruah initiated the formation of an umbrella group named United National Liberation Front of West South East Asia.

India also took up the issue of NSCN-K cadres abducting young boys from villages in Nagaland along the Myanmar border for recruitment in the group. Mail Today had earlier reported that nine boys were abducted and made to cross the border for being recruited in the group. Sources said the group was also setting up new camps at secret locations in Myanmar after intelligence agencies were successful in locating the old ones.

Mizoram: 16-year-old boy Allegedly Kills Sister, Brother-in-law To Buy Mobile Handset

Aizawl: A 16-year-old boy, who wanted to purchase a mobile handset, allegedly killed his sister and brother-in-law and looted Rs 36,000 from them in a village in the district, police said in Aizawl on Wednesday.

The 16-year-old boy confessed to the Juvenile Justice Board on Tuesday that he had killed the couple on July 7 and took away Rs 36,000, said Aizawl district SP C Laldina.

The 16-year-old boy confessed to the Juvenile Justice Board that he had killed the couple on July 7 and took away Rs 36,000, said Aizawl district police.

The boy was arrested from his home a day after the crime, Laldina said.


Laldina said quoting the boy as having told the Board members that he had been given a single-barrelled gun to hunt animals in the jungle surrounding his village and was overcome by the temptation to rob his step-sister so that he could buy a mobile phone.

"The boy went back, gunned down the husband and hit his step-sister with a firewood," his interrogators said adding that he also inflicted several injuries with an axe.

The couple recently received Rs 66,000 from the government after being selected as the beneficiary of the state government's flagship programme - the New Land Use Policy of which they had already spent around Rs 30,000 and the rest stolen by the accused.

Mizoram celebrates World Skills Day, CM buys tools for trained Youth

Mizoram CM Lal Thanhawla also talked about PM Modi's launching of the Skill India program on the occasion of World Skills Day


Chief Minister of Mizoram Pu Lal Thanhawla. (Source: PTI/File) Mizoram celebrated World Skills Day at two venues on Wednesday with CM Lal Thanhawla distributing tools he bought for 92 youth newly-trained under a state program while state Labour Minister Lalrinmawia Ralte pushed for greater collaboration with South Korea beginning with a k-pop concert scheduled in Aizawl later this month.

Lal Thanhawla took part in a program in his constituency Serchhip where he handed over the tools he spent Rs 4 lakh from his own pocket for to 92 youth who trained for various vocational skills under the Young Mizo Association, a community-based organisation, and the Mizoram Youth Commission.
Lal Thanhawla also talked about PM Modi’s launching of the Skill India program on the occasion of World Skills Day.

In Aizawl, state labour Minister Lalrinmawia Ralte said the K-Pop contest and concert planned for later this month is “not only for fun and games” but for the Mizo community “to knock on the doors” of the east Asian country for better collaboration in other fields.

“We have begun taking steps towards learning from the South Koreans, with whom we share similarities,” he said.

Korean culture, films, music and even cuisine has a large following in Mizoram.

The K-pop contest and concert is being jointly organised by the Mizoram government and the Korean Cultural Centre on July 25 at the Mizoram University.