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Demilitarize NE, NESO tells Centre
http://www.sentinelassam.com/
22 June 2006 |
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NEW DELHI, June 21: A day ahead of two separate crucial meetings on insurgency problem of Asom and Nagaland, an influential student organization of the North-East today asked the Centre to demilitarize the entire region and bring 'acceptable and honourable' solution to the problems of the region by holding talks with all armed groups.
"The Government of India must show boldness in bringing the armed groups to the negotiating table," North East Students' Organization (NESO) president Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya and general secretary NSN Lotha told reporters here.
"A time-frame mechanism with a focus for an acceptable, honourable and beneficial solution must be worked out," they said, adding "as a prelude the NE region be demilitarized with a time-bound schedule and the armed group should be confined to the five-kilometre border area and not be allowed to enter into the civilian areas." Bhattacharya and Lotha said the Centre must demonstrate its sincerity and commitment to all the ongoing political dialogues with different armed groups of the North-east. A crucial meeting between the ULFA-backed People's Consultative Group and the Centre would be held here tomorrow. Besides others, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will attend the meeting.
Another meeting between the NSCN(IM) and Government negotiators, led by Union Minister Oscar Fernandes, would be held at the Netherlands city the Hague tomorrow.
The NESO leaders also demanded urgent steps to solve the vexed illegal immigration problem of the region and special economic package for the North-east.
The NESO also urged the Centre to implement the 1985 Assam Accord within a stipulated time-frame else they would be forced to adopt a 'new way' to meet the aspirations of the people of the region.
Samujjal Bhattacharya said the student body was demanding a special constitutional status for the entire north-eastern region (NER) to have control over the land and other resources.
"Apart from India, there is no other democracy in the world, where there is no comprehensive immigration laws," he said, adding that empowering NER with a special constitutional status would enable them to frame their own immigration laws to check the influx of illegal infiltrators who have already posed 'serious threat' to the original inhabitants of the region. (Agencies)
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