CFSB chairman, Maj Gen (Retd) Eppen Jacob Kochekkan (4th right) and additional chief secretary & commissioner, Nagaland, Banuo Z. Jamir along with other government officials and representatives of the NSCN Khaplang at the CFSB meeting at Chumukedima police complex on Tuesday, August 9.
Dimapur, August 9 (MExN): The NSCN (Khaplang) has told the Government of India that three of the eight NSCN designated camps presently occupied by the GPRN/NSCN led by Khole and Kitovi, belongs to the former. The matter was one of the major agenda discussed at the 45th CFSB meeting between Government representatives and the NSCN Khaplang at the Chumukedima police complex, on Tuesday.
Emerging from the 2-hour long meeting, CFSB chairman Major General (Retd) Eppen Jacob Kochekkan told media persons that the Naga armed group was of the view that the three designated camps (Khehoi, Athibung and Sangphur) belongs to them. “This is an issue which needs further examination,” the CFSB chairman said.
CFSB supervisor of the Khaplang-led NSCN, “kilonser” Y Wangtin Naga who led the 4-member from his organization in today’s meeting, said to have told the Government of India representatives that his group would not mind if new designated camps are allotted to the Khole-led group. “But under no circumstances, the NSCN (K) would part with the three designated camps,” Wangtin added.
In the meeting, the armed organization also raised the demand for shifting the CFSB office from Mon to Tizit and setting up a CFSB sub-office in Dimapur. On the extent of ceasefire coverage, the CFSB chairman said the ceasefire with the Naga groups is limited to Nagaland state only.
Asked whether the issue of extortion by various groups was discussed in the meeting, Jacob replied in the affirmative and said that “extortion is always an ongoing issue.” He however expressed optimism that in the coming days, government agencies would be able to curb the menace. On the present stand-off between cadres of Khaplang and those of Khole in Zunheboto, the CFSB chairman said both the groups have given categorical assurances not to ‘indulge in violence’.
Meanwhile, setting at rest the confusion and apprehension as to which group GoI would recognize as having entered into ceasefire after the June 7, 2011 split, Wangtin said the “NSCN (K) had entered into ceasefire with GoI in 2001, which continues till today.”
“If GoI wants to have ceasefire with only Khole group, we won’t mind,” he added. On involvement of its cadres in extortions in Dimapur and recent bomb blast in the commercial hub, Wangtin claimed that the allegations were baseless ‘as the NSCN (K) had shifted all their cadres to designated camps’. Asked if his group was still sheltering other North Eastern rebel outfits in “eastern Nagaland” (Myanmar), Wangtin did not rule out ‘visits’ of other groups to the NSCN camps.
Government representatives in the meeting included Nagaland Additional Chief Secretary & Commissioner Banuo Z Jamir, ADG (A) ST Sangtam, IGAR (N) Major General Sandeep Singh, and DIG of CRPF AN Pandey, staff officer (CFSB) G Rengma, IGAR (N) Lt. Colonel Saru Kapur and assistant chairman (CFSB) Shokum Yim. Besides Wangtin, the NSCN Khaplang was represented by ‘kilonser’ Hokato Vushe, secretary Yato Konyak and ‘kilonser’ Lincoln.
