Kohima: In an appeal to the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) expressed grave concerns over the “looming “serious threat” posed by the “Indian occupational force” to fence the arbitrary India-Myanmar border and abolish the Free Movement Regime.
They asserted that this plan shows the clear evidence of the government of India’s “insincerity and insensitivity” towards the inherent Naga birth right and the hope for the Naga people to once again live as free people.
“The occupation of free Naga Homeland by the Indian and Burmese armed forces in violation of the Naga nationhood and the resistance by the Naga people is more than seven decades. Despite the unaccountable atrocities perpetrated on the Naga people by the colonial governments, the Naga ceasefire agreement with government of India and Myanmar (erstwhile Burma) and various other agreements and joint communiqués gave a ray of hope for a political solution. However, situation has become precarious.,” the student body said in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General.
According to the NSF, the protracted Indo-Naga and Myanmar-Naga political conflict has been going on for over seven decades.
“The Naga declared independence on 14th August, 1947 and in compliance with conventional rules, the declaration was sent to the King of England, the government of India and to the Secretary General of the United Nation. Consequent upon the declaration of Naga independence, the British government left some portions of Naga areas in complete disorder that triggered India to invade Naga homeland,” the NSF said.
Through the letter, the NSF pointed out that the Nagas conducted a plebiscite on 16th May, 1951, wherein 99.9% wanted Independence from India.
“Nonetheless, the referendum was utterly disdained by India and the international communities. Since then, India and Myanmar without any remorse divided Naga homeland into two countries, then split into various administrative regions,” said NSF.
To them, the “Naga country” has over four million population with an area spread across 1,20,000 square kilometer, situated in the Northeast region of India and Northwest region of Myanmar.
“We would like to unmistakably assert the fact that Naga movement for self-determination is not a case of cessation but a fight against the occupational forces,” the student body said.
The NSF emphasised that their struggle is not for cessation but against the oppressive forces that seek to suppress their identity and autonomy. They highlight the unjust war waged by India and Myanmar, driven by geo-strategic and capitalist interests, which have led to the exploitation of Naga natural resources and the imposition of draconian laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958.
They viewed that the proposal to fence the Indo-Myanmar border and scrap the Free Movement Regime is yet another repressive tactic to subjugate the Naga people and control their day-to-day activities. The Naga students stressed that these measures not only violate their historical and traditional rights but also infringe upon their inalienable human rights.
“Historically, the existing artificial boundary has no practical relevance whatsoever for the day-to-day lives and realities to the Nagas way of life, culture and identity, particularly to the villages along the assumed international border,” they said.
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Seeking the UN intervention, the NSF urged the UN to immediately stop the programme for abolishing Free Movement Regime and the proposed fencing on the arbitrary India-Myanmar boundary in “Naga homeland”.
They urged the UN to closely monitor the state of affairs across the Naga homeland and support for peaceful resolution to the Indo-Naga-Myanmar political issue.
They also suggested the exploration of possibilities for a fresh referendum under the supervision of international bodies.
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