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The former Naga Hoho General Secretary
Mr. Vihuto Yepthomi was critical of the Government of
India’s entering into the peace process with the NSCN
(K). Because, according to Government of India, the
President of the outfit (NSCN-K) Mr. SS Khaplang is a
"foreign national".
"So how the Government of India is going to take him
for political talks", pointed out the former Naga Hoho
General Secretary. "It should only be done at UNO
level".
Mr. Yepthomi said negotiating with Mr. Khaplang who
they (Government of India) described as "foreign
national" would become against the international law.
But the Government of India has accepted his (SS
Khaplang) group to enter into peace process for final
political settlement. Therefore what is going to
emerge from the process, the ex-Naga Hoho leader said,
"We are yet to know"?
Mr. Yepthomi however made it very clear that unless
and until all the different factions of the Naga
undergrounds are united, there will be no lasting and
permanent solution to the Naga problem. The
representations submitted by the Naga Hoho, Nagaland
Baptist Council of Churches(NBCC) and Council of Naga
Baptist Churches(CNBC) to the collective leaderships
of the NSCN(IM) during the recent Naga Consultative
meet in Bangkok were the clear manifestations that
unless and until all factions come together, it would
be difficult to for a durable and final settlement of
the prolonged Naga political problem, the ex-Naga Hoho
leader stated.
Calling upon all the Naga underground groups –be it
NSCN (IM) or NSCN (K) or Federal Government of
Nagaland--to sink their differences if they all called
themselves as "national workers",Mr. Yepthomi said
today’s complex Naga issues could have been settled
long back when Nagas started their movement as early
as in 1929. But it is all because of the negligence of
the Government of India that this insurgency movement
plagued not only entire north east but even
neighboring countries. "Now the issue is
internationalized", he stated. "It is the false of the
Government of India".
Mr. Yepthomi also expressed regrets that the Naga
problems could not have been settled during Indira
Gandhi’s regime. There were six rounds of talks held
during her regime but it did not materialize. Nagas
were humiliated at last, he lamented.
Asked why talks could not progress, the former Naga
Hoho General Secretary said, "Only God knows".
Mr. Yepthomi also said Naga cases are sometimes
"eye-openers" to the north easterners. Several
statehoods were granted by the Government of India
after Nagaland was given the 16th State of Indian
Union through the 16-Point Agreement and then Nagas
started insurgency movement and now spread entire
region.
The former Naga Hoho General Secretary, while praising
for the recent Naga Consultative Meet held in Bangkok,
however pointed out that Naga Hoho’s status as apex
body of the Nagas had not lived up to as expected
because equal number of representatives from various
Naga NGOs including Naga Hoho has reduced its(Naga
Hoho) status. He also said Naga Hoho did not take part
in the first Naga Consultative Meet held in 1999 at
Nuiland near Dimapur while the two top leaders of the
NSCN (IM) were there.
Mr. Yepthomi also stated that they were approached by
the NSCN (IM) to be in the Cease Fire Monitoring Group
but the offer was turned down by them. He further
explained that Naga Hoho had nothing to do with Cease
Fire Monitoring Group because it normally deals with
the laid down ground rules of the ceasefire and the
Hoho’s main objective is for finding political
solution. "And moreover we are working for all Nagas
and not for one group". He stated.
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