Kohima: The United Naga Tribes Association of Border Areas (UNTABA) has expressed its disappointment with the outcome of the Nagaland-Assam Commissioner level meeting, held on August 30 at Chumukedima near Dimapur.
In a press release, UNTABA chairman Hukavi T. Yepthomi and general secretary Ejanthung Ngullie said the meeting could not arrive at any ‘substantial agreements’.
It alleged that the meeting only tried to absolve the ‘abject failure’ of both Nagaland and Assam governments in preventing clashes in the border areas in spite of various terms of agreements entered between the two and the Union Home Ministry since 1972.
UNTABA argued that the Ralan area incident was bound to take place and the same occurred as Assam ‘deliberately facilitated’ unabated encroachment from its side by people of ‘questionable origins’ to settle in areas belonging to Nagas in spite of the agreement not to allow the same.
The association alleged that encroachment took place through the use of armed Assam Police and the ‘neutral force’ posted in Disturbed Area Belt (DAB) areas under its command.
The UNTABA also said successive governments in Nagaland have remained ‘a silent observer’ all these years over the illegal actions of the Assam government instead of implementing the existing terms of agreements between the two states. Under such circumstances, the Commissioner level meeting or any other meetings between the law enforcing machineries of the two states should seriously consider and review the existing terms of agreements and take appropriate legal course of action against any violator, the release said.
The UNTABA asked the two governments to firmly put in place appropriate legal structure for preventing such incidents in future. It also opined that such meets would result in ‘nothing’ as was seen by the outcome of August 30 meeting since it would not hold any ground in preventing clashes in near future.
UNTABA reminded that the Nagaland government has failed to raise the killing of Subong Temjen on April 13 and late Ento Chakhesang on May 13 by the Assam Police.
The UNTABA said such ‘indifferent’ attitude of the Nagaland government could no longer be tolerated and said its demands for complete review of all the interim agreements between the two govts. (UNI)
