The All Manipur United Club Organisation (AMUCO) president Ph Nando Luwang has appealed to the Central government to bring the Naga peace talks, which has been continuing over the last two decades, to its conclusion.
Nando told the media on the sidelines of a sit-in-protest staged at Kwakeithel Bazaar on Tuesday in connection with the ‘21st Protest Day Against the Divisive Policy of the Government of India’.
He said the protest day is being observed concerning the peace talks being conducted between NSCN (I-M) and the Government of India, in which the former demanded an agenda of ‘without territorial limits’ as a ceasefire agreement.
Nando said that regarding the inclusion of “without territorial limits” in the ceasefire agreement, AMUCO demonstrated a mass protest on June 14, 2001 demanding the protection of territorial integrity and boundary of Manipur.
In continuation of the movement that was launched for the protection of territorial integrity and boundary of the state, the incident of June 18 took place and 18 patriots laid down their lives. If AMUCO did not demonstrate the mass protest, the 18 individuals might not have been martyred and the territorial integrity and boundary could have been affected, he added.
He further alleged that NSCN (I-M) and the Government of India do not want to bring an end to the Naga peace talks and ceasefire agreement that have been continuing since August 1, 1997. The agenda of the Government of India behind the peace talk is to suppress insurgency by using NSCN (I-M), and the agenda of NSCN (I-M) is to set up a position in the Northeast, he alleged.
Both the parties are yet to achieve their targets and therefore, both the NSCN (I-M) and the Government of India do not want to bring an end to the agreement, said Nando.
He further asserted that the Naga Peace Talk has been giving a huge impact to the people and reiterated the need to bring it to a conclusion.
“One insurgent group based on a community had tried to destroy the territorial integrity and boundary of Manipur. Similarly, another insurgency group of another community has also started the same,” he said.
Nando said that such efforts of trying to destroy the territorial integrity and boundary of Manipur will never be successful.