Thomas
NNC Member
Generally, the legally established Government of a nation or King has the power and authority to declare a general amnesty for the rebels and insurgents who went on against the Government or King and committed killings and terrorist activities.
In Nagaland as an independent nation, the legally established Naga National Government is the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) which was legally established by the people under the aegis of the Naga National Council (NNC) in 1956. Besides the FGN, there is no legally established Naga National Government in Nagaland.
The so-called NSCN/GPRN is not a legal government that was formed in January 1980 to go against the legally established Naga National Government, the FGN and the authentic political institution of the Naga Nation, the NNC. Moreover, the NSCN-IM committed terrorist activities and horrible killings. How then can the NSCN-IM has the right to declare a general amnesty. Yet, Markson V Luikham claimed that the Nagas missed a golden opportunity for unification because the general amnesty declared by NSCN-IM on June 2, 1999 was not accepted by the NSCN-K and the NNC. (His article appeared in The Morung Express on June 3, 2025).
The NSCN-IM has no right to declare general amnesty, but they did it. It is not a Christian or human etiquette. According to the Law of God and men, whoever commits wrong must be admitted, repent, and apologize or ask for forgiveness by God and men. But now the killers and murderers declared general amnesty to the bereaved people and family members that is topsy-turvy. Such a whitewashing hand process will never be accepted by the Nga people.
Instead of admitting the misdeeds, the so-called NSCN-IM Chairman Q Toccu, in his message on May 16, 2025, the 25th Naga Plebiscite Day said, “The infamous Shillong Accord”, But for the Nagas the Accord is not infamous, instead the NSCN-IM is an infamous organization. Because the Nagas have no problem with the Accord, as it was a miraculous work of Almighty God to save the Naga nation. As the work of God, it became null and void in itself that is a miraculous. So, we are proud to celebrate Naga Independence Day on 14th August and Plebiscite on May 16, every year. Last year on 14th August, the NSCN-IM celebrated 78th Naga Independence Day at Ukhrul Town with a mammoth public gathering in the running history of Tangkhul Region.
The NSCN-IM killed thousands of Nagas joining hands with the enemy. Also, they attempted to kill Naga nationalism as well by signing the Framework Agreement on 3rdAugust 2015 demanding a political status known as shared sovereignty with a flag and constitution from India. They are doing knowingly the Nagas have nothing to demand from India. The NSCN-IM leaders Isak-Muivah were protected by GoI granting them Z+ Foolproof Security and made them have their Headquarters in New Delhi. Therefore, the NSCN-IM is an infamous faction for the Nagas, not the Accord of 1975.
The legally established Naga national Government the FGN formally and legally declared general amnesty on November 18, 1990, to the NSCN factions and leaders. In November 1990, according to the divine message of God, a prayer meeting for reconciliation was convened by the FGN at Chedema Peace Camp from 16 to 18thNovember, in which the NNC/FGN leaders attended the meeting with full hope that the Nagas would have reconciliation once again in the spirit of forgive and forget. But despite the official information, none of the leaders from NSCN-IM and NSCN-K factions came to attend the meeting. The prayer meeting was conducted by Rev Vitokho, Principal of Christ for the Nation Bible College, Kohima. At there, general amnesty to the wrongdoers was declared by Late Zashei Huire, the President of the Federal Government of Nagaland.
But the NSCN-IM continued to kill the Nagas, refusing to have peace with the Nagas. After the clandestine Ceasefire Agreement with India on 27th July 1997, which was affected on 1st August 1997, the NSCN-IM cadres openly joined hands with the enemy to fight against their own Naga brothers. In this regard RN Ravi, Indian intelligence director of Northeast India wrote in July 2014 as follows:
“New Delhi’s emasculation of the institutions of the state such as stripping the police of their statutory obligations to enforce the laws and maintain the public order against unlawful activities of the NSCN (I-M) further worsened the situation. The NSCN (I-M) has been unrestrained in demonstrative use of brutal force. Dressed in battle fatigues and armed with sophisticated combat weapons, its cadres freely roam the streets of towns and villages. In the teeth of popular opposition, New Delhi allowed it to set up multiple garrisons, almost in every district to help expand its reach in the State. In the guise of giving the NSCN (I-M) a secure political space for building a workable consensus on the fractious Naga issues, New Delhi has given the militia a free military run of the Naga inhabited areas.”
“Over 1,800 Nagas have been killed in some 3,000 fratricidal clashes since the beginning of the ‘ceasefire’ (1997-2013). … The irony is underscored by the fact that while the security forces and the NSCN (I-M) have been at mutual ‘peace’ during the ‘ceasefire,’ twice as many Nagas have died, killing one another in some 300 per cent escalation in fratricidal violence” (Unquote).
Such killing among the Nagas continued, and therefore, the Naga Hoho conducted a meeting in Phek Town in April 1998 and declared April 25 as Peace Day for warring Naga brothers and insisted on accepting it by the NNC/FGN and the NSCN factions by writing an official letter. The NNC/FGN welcomed the said declaration and gave official encouragement to the NGO leaders and Church leaders in writing, to work for peace and reconciliation. The same was welcomed by the NSCN-K as well. But the NSCN-IM released an official statement by MIP saying: “Unless Naga people recognize the leaders of Muivah and Isak, the NSCN-IM will not accept peace”, which appeared in Nagaland dailies in April 1998.
This is a barrier to reunification among the Nagas, but not that the Nagas did not accept the amnesty declared by NSCN-IM on June 2, 1999. Indeed, the NSCN-IM leaders persistently and adamantly refusing to admit their misdeeds, stop telling lies, and deceiving is a barrier to reconciliation. The telling lies are; the Shillong was a capitulation Accord, the NNC surrendered, the accord was the main factor for division and killings. With these telling lies the gullible Naga young soldiers from Eastern Nagaland incited to fight against the NNC/FGN.
The truth was, socialism of Muivah shattered the solidarity of Naga people. But they are telling lies up to date 46 years, as mentioned above. The NSCN-IM leaders may be following the philosophy of Hanna Arendt Germany, who said in October 1906:
“The constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies, cannot distinguish between right and wrong as well. And such a people, deprived of the power to think and judge, is, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such a people, you can do whatever you want”. (Unquote).
However, they may follow such philosophy, my intention to write this article is, that we the leaders should admit our mistake which will be a constructive policy to build our nation, but should not play destructive policy, deceiving, and telling lies. Because the Nagas cannot tolerate with the NSCN-IM leaders’ telling lies up to 46 years. I want them to stop it as we all are Christians. As long as they uphold the NSCN, they can never deny that socialism was the main factor of division and killings among the Nagas. As long as they uphold the Framework agreement, they can never deny that they stand for Suisa’s proposal. Suisa’s proposal was also one of the main factors for division among us (NNC/FGN leaders) and in 1988 with Khaplang.
