‘No piece-meal solution for Assam-Nagaland border clashes’

UNTABA lauds State govt for apprising border issue to the Centre but wants a clear-cut boundary demarcation

EMN
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 5

THE United Naga Tribes Association of Border Areas (UNTABA) has urged the State government to pursue the inter-state boundary issue between Assam and Nagaland in accordance to the ‘Peoples’ Dialogue’ Resolutions of 9th August 2014 based on which the UNTABA had submitted a representation and memorandum to the governments of Nagaland and India instead of trying some piece-meal solutions for pacifying the recurrent clashes.
The UNTABA Chairman, Hukavi T. Yepthomi and Joint Secretary, Yanger Sangtam in a statement asserted that until and unless a clear-cut inter-state boundary is demarcated by transferring back to Nagaland of those alienated Naga lands, no force on earth can prevent unwarranted clashes in the border areas that creates more animosity and mistrust between the different communities of the two States living in and around the border areas and inadvertently allowing the immigrant communities to ‘balkanize’ and become the master in traditional lands.
Meanwhile, the Association lauded the initiative of the State Chief Minister and Home Minister for apprising the border issue between Assam and Nagaland to the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister on September 4 at New Delhi.
The Association however said, the alienated land of the Nagas that were arbitrarily transferred to Assam during the British Imperial Government of India starting from late 19th century does not lie in between Pakistan and India like Jammu and Kashmir that can be called ‘LOC’ (Line of Control) nor does it lie in between China and India that can be called ‘LAC’ (Line of Actual Control) as in Arunachal Pradesh. The only issue is returning back those alienated land of the Naga people to its rightful owner from the State of Assam to Nagaland both of which are under the Union of India as different states, the Association asserted.
“In any initiative undertaken towards the solution of the border issue, until and unless those alienated lands are all placed under the new idea of ‘LOC’ or any such other initiative that fails to cover all the transferred Naga lands presently under Assam till the final demarcation of Inter-State Boundary based on the available historical records, which was duly recognized in the 13th Amendment Act of the Indian Parliament during the establishment of Nagaland Statehood, that; the Inter-State boundary can only be undertaken in accordance to Article 3 and 4 of the Constitution of India.”
The Naga people will never accept any initiative of face-wash or half-baked arrangements that will out rightly deny the very rights of the people, the Association said.