Senapati tripartite talks deferred
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, May 29 2011:
The scheduled tripartite talks between the Centre, State and the UNC at Senapati district HQ has been postponed following a request from the Manipur government to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
With the postponement, MHA officials, who were to represent the Central government, did not arrive at Imphal today.
The MHA team to be led by Joint Secretary (Home) NE charge was scheduled to come today.
The non-arrival of the MHA officials and a statement issued by the UNC today confirmed the postponement of the talks.
A statement of the UNC, in the meantime has informed that they had received intimation from the MHA that Manipur government has urged for postponement of the May 30 Senapati talks.
The UNC statement stated that the scheduled was deferred on the GoM's request, which cited "delicate law and order situation in Senapati in the wake of Nagaland CM's visit to Senapati without the consent of the GoM" .
Mention may be made that the GoM had requested the UNC to furnish a clear agenda for the talks, the statement added.
Regarding the matter, the UNC asserted that "While emphatically affirming our non-association with political parties, it is clarified that the tripartite talk is not related in anyway to the launching programme of the NPF, Manipur Unit or to the visit of Nagaland CM, to Senapati for the same, and to establish direct linkage between the tripartite talk and the said event betrays bankruptcy of fairness and honesty of the GoM" .
The UNC decried the Manipur government's statement about the worsening of the law and order problem arising from the visit of Nagaland CM, except for the deployment of Manipur State IRBs and Police Commandos in the hundreds, who were responsible for the killing of two Naga students and unbridled violence on hundreds of women on May 6, 2010 .
A delicate law & order situation in Senapati, if any, is the creation of the GoM and its agencies, it says.
The UNC statement reminded that the "Nagas in Manipur have severed all political ties with the communal GoM and to expect the UNC to respond to it would only reflect lack of seriousness and non-cognizance of the gravity of the situation" .
About the agenda for the talks, the statement said that the UNC has already made clear that the talks should be on the issue contained in the memorandum submitted to the GoI on September 14, 2010, and this stands confirmed from the GoI.
It also claimed that the last talks held on December 3, 2010 at Senapati was held on the basis of the memorandum, and in fact, GoM representatives had made reference to it.
"While the tripartite talks scheduled for 30th May, 2011 has been deferred, we would like to acknowledge with gratitude the special prayers, service/mass of all the churches/organisations held today.
The time has come for every Naga to take responsibility for their future, and in this regard, we appeal for your continued moral and prayer support for the early realisation of the alternative arrangement for the Nagas in Manipur," the statement added.