Dimapur, February 21 (MExN): The NSCN-K (Ang Mai) group has issued a detailed statement countering what it termed “false and fabricated allegations” against its leaders and outlining its position regarding the NSCN-YA or NSCN-Yung Aung/Joseph Lamkang (NSCN-YALTL) group.
In the statement, the group said its Chairman, Maj Gen (Retd) Ang Mai, both before and after assuming leadership, sent trusted emissaries — including Iphai Mission Pastor Kuimo, U Chowangsing and other church and civil society organisation leaders — to meet Yung Aung personally or speak with him over the phone to resolve differences through dialogue.
However, it alleged that Yung Aung repeatedly delayed discussions on the pretext of consulting subordinates and instead resorted to “negative actions”. The group claimed it had maintained silence for years to avoid further discord but has now chosen to place certain facts on record.
Referring to developments after the death of late chairman SS Khaplang, the statement said Yung Aung was then serving as a Deputy Kilonser and was relatively unknown within the organisation. It alleged that in late 2018 he became Acting Chairman through a “conspiracy”, purportedly in collaboration with certain “prophetesses and prophets” from a Christian denomination based in Taka village.
The NSCN-K (Ang Mai) further alleged that Yung Aung misled the Naga people and sections of the media by claiming to hold a Master of Arts degree in Political Science, asserting instead that he had passed Class 10 through an open schooling system without Mathematics and Science subjects.
It also disputed his claim of being Khaplang’s nephew, stating that Khaplang belonged to the Shang lineage of the Shangwal sub-group of the Tangshang Naga tribe, while Yung Aung belongs to the Tang lineage of the Ngaimong sub-group. It added that Yung Aung’s mother is from the Lungphi clan of the Mossang sub-group in Khamti and denied any close familial relationship.
The statement alleged that in early 2019 five senior leaders, including Maj Gen (Retd) Ang Mai, were expelled while lodged in a Myanmar jail. It also named Lt Gen Nikki Sumi, Lt Gen Nyemlang Konyak, Kilonser Starson Lamkang, Maj Gen Langnyei Konyak, Kilonser Nyeiton Konyak and Konyak Region Chairman Khampei Konyak as having been removed on “false and fabricated charges”.
It further alleged that the YA-JL faction is functioning as a “one-man government”, with Yung Aung retaining key portfolios, Joseph Lamkang serving as deputy and MIP Minister, and Commander-in-Chief Gen Kumchok sidelined.
It claimed that following Khaplang’s demise, the organisation’s influence and operational reach, which it said once extended from Myanmar to Bhutan and Bangladesh, has declined under the YA-JL leadership. The group alleged that Yung Aung adopted policies contrary to Khaplang’s political vision, compelling several allied organisations to leave the Base Areas in Myanmar and weakening a foundation built over five decades.
The statement also referred to media reports questioning Yung Aung’s identity, with claims that he may be Thoiba Singh from a Meitei family in Manipur, and said the MIP of the YA-JL faction has remained silent on the matter.
Additionally, it alleged that the faction has mobilised sections of the Tangshang Naga community in Myanmar to oppose the re-establishment of the historic Stilwell Road, an international highway project connecting India and China. It further claimed that the faction discouraged support for a bilateral ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar Union and advocated that education and development in Naga areas should follow only after the attainment of Naga sovereignty.
Citing areas near Khamti and Lahe towns, the group alleged there are no gazetted officers from the Khiamniungan and Konyak Naga communities in Myanmar despite decades having passed, and cautioned that the YA-JL faction’s policies risk derailing the development and progress of Nagas in Myanmar.
