DIMAPUR — The Global Naga Forum (GNF) has made a fervent appeal to the members of the G20 Summit, who are currently in Nagaland for the B20 Conference, to help usher in a new era of peace, justice and sustainable development in the ‘Naga homeland’ through their diplomatic intervention and investments.
Welcoming the delegates from G20 countries to Naga homeland, comprising parts of Manipur, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh in India and in northwest Myanmar, besides Nagaland, the GNF sought their diplomatic intervention with the government of India to resume the peace talks for early resolution of the 75-year-old Indo-Naga political issue, as well as help bring about sustainable economic growth.
The forum stated that the road connectivity and living condition of the major population in the area are poor with no basic amenities and many children still going to schools without proper facilities, while the educated youth have scarce employment opportunities.
Maintaining that the Nagas living on the Myanmar side of the international border face even greater challenges like extreme poverty, inadequate infrastructure, lack of basic amenities such as hospitals, schools, public transport, and communication facilities, the GNF expressed hope that the visit of the G20 delegates will “lead to investments and grant-driven projects for wholesome improvements in these and other areas not only for the people of Nagaland but for all our people living in India and in the Sagaing and Kachin areas in Myanmar”.
It stated that India’s Act East Policy will be lopsided unless the development of Naga areas in Myanmar is included.
“We, therefore, urge the global community to support the development of Naga areas not only for the sake of our people but for the good of all concerned, and to pressure the Myanmar government to take urgent developmental action,” it said, adding the Nagas dream of playing their “parts in promoting ecologically sustainable economic growth and peaceful co-existence for all”.
The GNF also expressed disappointment over the delay in resolving the protracted Indo-Naga political issue despite signing the Framework Agreement in 2015 and the continued enforcement of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) in the Naga-inhabited areas for 65 years, which it claimed has resulted in gross human rights abuses, including the killing of 14 innocent civilians in Oting, Nagaland, by the Indian army in December 2021. Justice for this incident hasn’t been served, while Nagas in Myanmar are facing exploitation and gross human rights violations from the Tatmadaw, it added.
Citing these problems faced by the Naga people, the GNF appealed to the members of the G20 Summit to use their individual and collective influences to create diplomatic spaces wherein India, Myanmar and Nagas can explore and find mutually beneficial substitutes for the endless conflicts.
It also expressed dismay over the global community’s silence on the treatment of the Nagas in India and Myanmar, saying that “speaking out against grievous wrongs committed on any people, including the weak and marginalized, and righting the wrongs, is the shared responsibility of the global community”.
