UNTABA for review of interim pacts between Assam and Nagaland govts

EMN
DIMAPUR, AUGUST 31

THE United Naga Tribes Association of Border Areas (UNTABA) has expressed disappointment with the outcome of the Commissioner level meeting between the governments of Assam and Nagaland held at Police Complex Chumukedima on August 30.
In a statement today, the UNTABA has made two suggestions while stating that the meeting brought about nothing substantial for both parties to agree on but only tried to absolve the abject failure of the two governments in preventing clashes in the border areas in spite of various terms of agreements entered between the two and the Home Ministry, Government of India, since 1972.
The UNTABA stated that the Ralan area incident was a ticking time bomb, aided by the government of Assam whom it alleged ‘deliberately facilitated’ the unabated encroachment from its side people of questionable origins to settle in the Naga lands in violation of agreements not to allow any encroachment. It also said the Assam government utilized ‘its well armed Assam Police and the so called ‘neutral force’ that are posted in the DAB areas’ which are all under its command.
The UNTABA statement is critical of the role of successive governments of Nagaland which have remained a ‘silent observer all these years over the illegal actions of the government of Assam instead of implementing the existing terms of agreements between the two States’.
The release has mooted for Commissioner level meeting or any level meetings between the law enforcing machineries between the two states to ‘ seriously consider and review the existing terms of agreements and take appropriate legal course of action against any violator and firmly put in place appropriate legal structure for preventing such incidents in future’. Failing this these exercises tantamount to nil ‘seen by the outcome of yesterday’s meeting since it will not hold any ground in preventing such clashes in near future also’ the statement added.
The UNTABA further decried the shortfall of the Nagaland government which it said failed to ‘raise the killing of Subong Temjen on April 13 and Ento Chakhesang on May 13 by the armed Assam Police, while on the other hand the government of Assam has instituted a ‘One man Inquiry Commission’ to study the circumstances leading to the aftermath of Ralan incident.
“Such indifferent attitude of the Nagaland Government can no longer be tolerated by the Naga people,” the UNTABA cautioned and therefore, once again, strongly reiterated its demands made in ‘Peoples’ Dialogue’, among others, for complete review of all the existing Interim Agreements between the two state governments immediately in the interest of all the concerned.