Army officer transferred following Mizoram Guv intervention

Aizawl, Aug 13 : An army officer posted at the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJW) at Vairengte has been transferred following the intervention of the Mizoram governor for allegedly misbehaving with the local people.

An official statement here said that the transfer order came after Mizoram Governor Lt. Gen. (retd) Nirbhay Sharma spoke to CIJW School Commanding officer Maj. Gen. Vivek Sehgal regarding complaints from the people of Vairengte, which lies on the Mizoram-Assam border.

The army officer, Col R Singh, was transferred to Guwahati yesterday, it said.

The Young Mizo Association (YMA) of Vairengte town had submitted a memorandum to Sharma seeking his intervention for the immediate transfer of the said officer.

In the memorandum, IMA alleged that Col Singh often organised football matches near the Vairengte local church during church services.

"The colonel, carrying pistol and other weapons like sword or knife, used to terrorise people in the streets of Vairengte and even abused women," YMA had alleged, adding that "in an inebriated state, (he) also used to drive his motorcycle noisily and dangerously".

Local community leaders in Vairengte had submitted an FIR against Col Singh on July 4 and again on August 5 while criminal cases have been registered against the officer at Vairengte police station.

The governor, meanwhile, expressed hope that the people of Vairengte and staff and personnel at the CIJW School would continue to live in harmony as they have done all these years.

Why the Naga peace accord is keeping Manipur on its Toes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh with leaders of the NSCN(IM) in New Delhi (PTI photo) Despite repeated assurances from the Union government that the territorial integrity of Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam will be maintained and the peace accord recently signed between the Centre and the NSCN (IM) will not affect these states, tension has been palpable in Manipur since August 3.

Both Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh and Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister of the state G Gaikhangam (himself a Naga) have maintained that they had been kept in the dark and had not been consulted before the signing.


Any other month in any other year, the secrecy of the peace accord would have been enough to spark violent protests among the non-Nagas in the state – the dominant Meitei community who inhabit the four districts that constitute the Imphal valley, and Manipur’s third largest community the Kuki tribe.

But despite headlines in Manipur’s local dailies and Manipuri sentiment being dominated by the present Inner Line Permit agitation and demand, underneath lies a slowly simmering anger about the peace accord.

In 2001, the Centre had to quickly clarify the terms and conditions of the ceasefire signed with the NSCN (IM) as Imphal valley erupted in violent communal riots in protest against the ceasefire. The ceasefire was to be valid for all Naga area without territorial limits. Manipur reacted to it as an implicit threat on its territorial integrity – an acceptance on the part of the Indian Government that all Naga areas were considered one.

The Chief Minister’s residence was attacked as was the Secretariat, government buildings were set afire and mobs ran amok. To this day the violence of the June 18, 2001 protests are marked as yearly anniversaries across the Imphal valley.

There are four Naga districts in Manipur – Senapati, Ukhrul (where NSCN (IM) General Secretary Th Muivah hails from), Tamenglong and Chandel which cover vast expanses of Manipur’s land. The fear in 2001, as is today, is that the land will be handed over to Nagaland reducing Manipur to a shadow of a state.


Even as Manipur waits and watches, Naga families who have been living in Imphal for decades have already begun considering moving out of the valley and relocating to their original districts and making contingency plans and “escape routes” in case communal riots break out in the near future.

The Kuki Inpi – Manipur umbrella Kuki body – has meanwhile issued an open memorandum to the Prime Minister demanding that the peace accord be explained.

The Kuki Inpi has said that the “criminal actions” of the NSCN (IM) needed to be addressed before the signing of the accord – a reference to the Naga-Kuki riots which had taken place in the early 90s in which 906 kukis were killed and 3,000 Kuki villages and 100,000 Kukis displaced by the Nagas.

Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee sends relief to Mizos of Myanmar

Aizawl, Aug 13 :  In a noble move, The Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) today sent relief services to the Mizo flood victims in Myanmar.

The relief materials included 400 bags of rice, 20 quintals of Dal, 40 tins of edible oil, two quintals of soya product and medicines total worth of Rs 8.20 lakh, a press statement issued by the MPCC said.

Two trucks were sent to Zokhawthar and Farkawn villages in Champhai district, the statement said, adding that the materials sent to Zokhawthar would be delivered at Tahan (Myanmar) and the materials sent to Farkawn would be delivered at Haka village (Myanmar).

The materials would be taken over by the Mizos at the Myanmar border, the statement said.

The central committee of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) had already sent 200 bags of rice to the flood victims in Myanmar last week.

Peace accord: Muivah seeks peace with Nagaland’s Neighbours

By Rahul Karmakar
Guwahati, Aug 13 : Thuingaleng Muivah, general secretary of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM), has asked the Nagas to “understand the problems of India” and respect the “rights of neighbouring states” while awaiting details of the Naga peace accord.

His appeal came during a 40-minute reception – subdued by Nagaland standards – outside the airport in Dimapur, the state’s commercial hub, on Wednesday afternoon. This was his first visit to Nagaland after the signing of the framework agreement earlier this month.

“What we signed was a framework agreement that paves the way for the final accord. All Naga groups and stakeholders would be consulted before the final deal is done,” Muivah said.

He insisted solutions to the six-decade-old Naga political crisis would be based on shared sovereignty, but indicated the NSCN-IM was keen on avoiding confrontation with Nagaland’s neighbours without naming Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur.

“Nagas will have their rights, but we should also respect the rights of the neighbouring states,” Muivah said, adding the Nagas should also understand New Delhi’s compulsions in arriving at a solution acceptable to all.

The governments of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur had welcomed the announcement of the framework agreement with the NSCN-IM. But they are wary of the contents in view of the NSCN-IM agenda of integration of Naga-inhabited areas under one administrative unit.

These areas of Greater Nagalim (Nagaland), as the outfit envisages, include four hill districts of Manipur, three of Arunachal Pradesh and large swathes of Assam bordering Manipur.

Mizoram Charity Concerts for Myanmar Flood Victims

The Zofa Global Network and the Green Mizoram Network organized mobile charity concerts for flood victims called “In Aid of Disaster Victims in Myanmar” on 6 and 7 August in Aizawl, Mizoram State, North East India.

Mizoram State's largest community-based organisation donated 10 tons of rice while local musicians held mobile charity concerts in five public squares in Aizawl, the state capital.

On 6 August, the mobile charity concerts were held at the Bawngkawn, Chanmari, New Market and the Millennium Centre in Aizawl.

On 7 August, the concerts were held at Thakthing Bazar (Mizzion Veng), Khatla Kawn, Vaivakawn and Israel Point in Aizawl.

Performing were the top Mizo singers Rosangliana (Zo Rock), Sawmtea, Manuna Chawngthu, Ronald Zothantluanga, Zualboihi, Sangkimi Khiangte, Lawmi Khiangte, Feli Fanai and Rosy Zorinpuii.

The Presbyterian Church also asked all churches in Aizawl to contribute towards the aid effort and asked those in towns and villages to also pitch in if they can. A local TV network has also called for contributions from viewers.

Two of the state’s main student unions, the MZP and the MSU, have also appealed to all students in the state to contribute one-day’s lunch worth of money to be sent as aid to the flood-affected people.
Another group of musicians is also planning a concert for later this month.

People United in Music with a Purpose (PUMP) has organised a Charity Concert for victims of the  flooding in Myanmar on 14 and 15 August in front of the Millennium Centre, in Aizawl.
The following singers and bands will be performing on 14 August: C.Luri, Zoramchhani, Mami Varte, Manunna (Hardray), Andrew Laltlankima, Henry Varte, Ruthi Ch.Ralte, Zorini Khiangte, Feli Thangluah, Dr.Zothansanga, DJ Lalvenhimi, Sawmtea Chhangte, Mizo Cardinal Choir, David Vanlalpeka, Lancy Remlalhruaii, Pratima, Spi, Michael M Sailo, Zualboihi, May-i, Ruatfeli (Triau Track), Hmingtea, and The Breeze.

The following singers and bands will be performing on 15 August: Lawmi Khiangte, Lungmuana Chhangte, The Prophets, Stacy VL Muanpuii, Forever Young, The Keys, Hlimhlimi, Henry Varte, Rosy K. Remsangpuii, Temi Sailo, Betea, TBZ Choir, leprosy Mission Choir, Mizo Cardinal Choir, Feli Fanai, Laikai ROCK, Tribal Power, Hexatone, 3rd Eye, Radiowave and Kroashia.

source: bnionline.net

Mizoram: Local group ask Gov to remove Army Colonel to prevent ‘civil-military conflict’

Aizawl, Aug 11 : Colonel Ravinder Singh, who is posted at the Army's Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS), was arrested by Vairengte police for threatening a man in a shop last week with a knife.

Locals in Mizoram’s Vairengte village have asked state Governor Nirbhay Sharma to help remove an Indian Army Colonel to prevent “civil-military animosity and conflict” after the Colonel was arrested for the second time in a month by police due to his alleged violent behaviour, including threatening a local man with a knife.

Colonel Ravinder Singh, who is posted at the Army’s Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS), was arrested by Vairengte police for threatening a man in a shop last week with a knife. He had been arrested and later charge-sheeted for allegedly assaulting a fellow-Colonel in the school campus a month before.

The local unit of the Young Mizo Association, the state’s largest community-based organisation with members in bvirtually every household, on Monday submitted a letter to Governor Sharma asking that the Colonel be removed from the school and listed out complaints by villagers.

These include the Colonel playing football outside church buildings during Sunday church services, moving around the village with guns, machetes and other weapons and terrifying residents, presenting gifts to women after they make it clear they do not want them and visiting them at odd hours in their shops, workplaces and even homes, knocking on locals’ doors late in the night and one time removing a porch light-bulb, and general public drunkenness.

“Our young men have developed a sense of enmity against him,” the YMA wrote in the letter to Governor Sharma, adding the Colonel’s continued presence might lead to “unwanted commotion breaking out in the village”.

Northeast Sees 40% More Foreign Tourists

New Delhi, Aug 11 : Despite deterrents such as poor connectivity and lack of decent hotels, foreign tourist flows to northeastern states jumped nearly 40 percent in 2014 over the previous year, even as efforts are on to promote the sector there, parliament was informed on Monday.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Tourism Mahesh Sharma said the number of foreign tourist arrivals in the eight northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura in 2014 was 118,552 compared to 84,820 in 2013 -- marking a 39.76 percent increase. In 2012, the figure was 66,302.

"Some of the factors responsible for poor tourist inflow to the destination are lack of connectivity, non-availability of reasonably priced hotel accommodation, absence of tourism infrastructure and carrying capacity of the destination."

He said the government has included the northeast in two new tourism schemes that have been launched.

Apart from the Northeast Circuit under the 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme, two other circuits under the scheme - Buddhist Circuit and Himalayan Circuit - can be linked to the region

According to the minister, Kamakhya in Guwahati has been identified under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (Prasad) scheme.

Sharma said as against the required 10 percent budgetary allocation of every central government ministry for the development of the northeastern region, the tourism ministry has been providing more than that in the last three fiscal years.

In 2014-15, the ministry allocated Rs.144.68 crore (Rs.1.44 billion) from its Rs.1,100-crore budget in 2014-15 or 13.15 percent of the total budget. In 2013-14, it was Rs.149.16 crore out of Rs.980 crore and in 2012-13, it was Rs.113.72 crore out of Rs.950 crore.

This apart, the ministry has undertaken several initiatives for the promotion of tourism in the northeast, Sharma said.

These include provision of complimentary space to the northeast in India pavilions set up at major international travel fairs and exhibitions and 100 percent central government financial assistance for organising fairs and festivals in the northeastern states.

"The ministry of tourism, as part of its ongoing activities, annually releases print, electronic, online and outdoor media campaigns in the international and domestic markets, under the Incredible India brand line, to promote various tourism destinations and products of the country, including the lesser known destinations which have tourism potential," the minister said.

"The ministry of tourism undertakes special campaigns on northeastern region on TV channels to promote tourism in the region."

He said the International Tourism Mart (ITM) is organised annually with the objective of showcasing the largely untapped tourism potential of the northeastern region in the domestic and international markets.

"In addition, a series of promotional activities are undertaken in important and potential tourist generating markets overseas through the India Tourism Offices abroad with the objective of showcasing India's tourism potential."

Under the 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme, an amount of Rs.20.35 crore has been allocated to the state government of Manipur in 2013-14 fiscal for the "Integrated Cable-Car and Lakeside Tourism Development Project at Loktak Lake".

"Under this scheme, funds are allocated under public-private partnership," Sharma said.

In reply to another question, the minister said the North Eastern Council had conducted a study for the identification of tourism circuits in the northeast and the same has been shared with the respective state governments.

He said the Arunachal Pradesh government has also sent a proposal for integrated development of adventure tourism in the state under the 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme.

Northeast Airports Lack Night Landing Facilities: Minister

New Delhi, Aug 11 : Representational Image (Getty Images) Four major airports in the northeastern states of Assam, Mizoram and Meghalaya do not have night landing facilities, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma said on Monday.

"Presently, the airports at Shillong (Meghalaya), Lengpui (Mizoram), Jorhat and Tezpur (both in Assam) in the northeastern region are not equipped with night landing facilities," Sharma stated in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

He said that while Shillong airport belonged to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Lengpui airport belonged to the Mizoram government and the Tezpur and Jorhat airports were owned by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

"Upgrade of airports, including provision of night landing facilities is a continuous process, which is undertaken by the Airports Authority of India depending on the operational requirements at the concerned airport, demand from airlines, technical feasibility, availability of land free from all encumbrances etc.," he said.

According to the minister, though the Kumbirgram airport at Silchar in southern Assam is equipped with night landing facilities, it belongs to the IAF and permission for night landing flights for civil operations at this airport rests with the IAF.

Sharma said that domestic air services have been deregulated by the government and airlines were free to operate anywhere in the country, subject to compliance of route dispersal guidelines (RDGs) issued by the government.

"The government has laid down RDGs with a view to achieve better regulation of air transport services taking into account the need for remote and regional areas of the country.

However, it is up to the airlines to provide air services to specific places, depending upon the traffic demand and commercial viability," he stated.