DIMAPUR, APRIL 30 (MExN): Britain’s Duke of York, Prince Andrew will be arriving in Nagaland May 1. The third child of Queen Elizabeth II will be in Kohima where a civic reception has been scheduled at 1:00 PM on May 1 at the NBCC Convention Center in the new capital complex. The visit is to commemorate the Queen’s 60 years on the throne. The royal is also expected to visit the 2nd World War II cemetery here and the Naga heritage village Kisama.
Meanwhile, the Naga Hoho on behalf of the Naga people has warmly welcomed His Royal Highness, Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, to Nagaland and wished him a pleasant and memorable visit. Taking the opportunity of this special visit by a member of the British Royal family, the Naga Hoho in a press note sought to bring to the notice of His Highness and the British Government through His Highness, “the expectations of the Naga people in reciprocation to the hospitality and the support extended to the then British Empire by the Naga people”.
The Naga Hoho in its press note issued by Kevilatuo Kewho and Inaka Assumi, President and Vice President respectively stated that the Naga people under the banner of the Naga Club had submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission in the year 1929 expressing our desire to live as a people and a nation and not to live under any foreign or alien rule. In the same spirit, the Nagas also declared our Independence on 14th August 1947, a day before free India declared its Independence, the Naga Hoho reminded.
Stating that today, the struggle for the recognition of the Nagas as a people and nation still continues, the Naga Hoho reminded that the Naga people continued to strive to maintain and hold on to their unique culture, way of life, values and beliefs. “We believe memories are long and for all the support and sacrifices made for the British empire, the brave warriors of the Naga Hills will not be forgotten by the British Government”, the press note stated.
Pointing out that the World War Cemetery will perhaps remind His Royal Highness of the crucial role Nagaland and its people have played in World History and History of the British Empire, as such, the Naga Hoho has appealed to His Highness and the British Government to fulfill their dues to the Naga people by setting straight the records of history and affirming that the Nagas were never under any foreign rule till the British entered the Naga areas.
