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NSCN-K blow to Naga unity move

By K Anurag in Guwahati
August 05, 2008 14:27 IST
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The Naga rebel group National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang has turned down the offer of rival NSCN-Isak-Muivah for a dialogue outside the country giving a jolt to the Naga unification move. The NSCN-K chairman S S Khaplang has spurned the offer of talks from NSCN-IM chairman Isak Swu.

In a statement issued to the media, the NSCN-K stated that its chairman Khaplang had told his NSCN-IM counterpart, Swu to first pull out of the on-going talks with the Indian Government if he was committed to the cause of Naga unity.

In June, Khaplang after a telephonic conversation with NSCN-IM chairman Swu had sent two of his representative to Chiang Mai in Thailand to attend a reconciliation meeting organized by the UK-based Quakers.

However, the fate of the next round of the Naga reconciliation meeting at Chiang Mai slated for August 17 is in jeopardy in the wake of NSCN-K 's rejection of the talks offer from the NSCN-IM.

The NSCN-K spokesman, P Tikhak said that Khaplang was opposed to the New Delhi-NSCN-IM peace talks as it was "against the aspirations of the Naga people who want sovereignty that cannot be compromised at any cost."

The spokesman stated that NSCN-K also had objected to the 31-point charter of demands placed by the rival NSCN-IM before New Delhi as it did not include "eastern Nagaland (the Naga inhabited areas in Myanmar) with the rest of Naga-inhabited areas within India.

The NSCN-K stated that meeting outside the country wouldn't be of any help if the fratricidal killings continued within Nagaland among the rival rebel groups. The clashes between the NSCN-IM and the NASN-K have so far claimed over 50 lives in Nagaland so far this year prompting NGOs and civil society organization to call for unification of all Naga groups to put a stop to the bloodshed.

The NSCN-K further stated that restoration of permanent peace in Nagaland would not be possible unless there was unity among all the rebel groups. Both the NSCN-IM and the NSCN-K are in truce with the Indian government.

While NSCN-IM has been talking peace with New Delhi, the NSCN-K is yet to be invited for dialogue by the government.
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K Anurag in Guwahati