Shillong, May 23: Hurdles are many before the HNLC- government talks achieve its target.
Only the participating leaders of the HNLC were granted safe passage to take party in the peace talks.
A delegation of HNLC along with its interlocutor Sadon Blah (HNYF) addressed a press conference on Tuesday in Umiam.
General amnesty, suspension of operations (ceasefire) withdrawal of ban imposed by the Centre and other issues will have to be addressed by the government.
Though the HNLC in the past made offer of unconditional talks, discussion will have to be held on issues related to protection of indigenous people of the state, according to an HNLC delegation led by the interlocutor and HNYF leader Sadon.
Two HNLC leaders, Manbhalang Jyrwa (Vice Chairman) Aristerwell Thongni (political secretary) and their PSOs Storjy Lyngdoh and Raymond Lapang were present.
Jyrwa pointed out it would be difficult to take the peace talks forward, if the government does not agree to provide amnesty.
“Without amnesty how will we take the peace talks forward?” Jyrwa told reporters.
Jyrwa said the issue of amnesty and summon notices issued by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) were also raised during a recent meeting with deputy chief minister in-charge Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong.
“The home minister and the government have given us the assurance that as long as the peace process is going forward, there will be no arrest, no harassment,” he said.
“Both the Centre and the State government have clarified that there will be no problems but we as leaders still have our apprehensions that when we all come to the state, arrest will be made since NIA is a quasi-judicial body. There is a slight confusion. Had there been no confusion, our leaders would have already come here,” Jyrwa said.
He said the HNLC is very much positive to take forward the cause.
“The status of the peace process right now is we will be having a formal talk very soon in the first week of June. After the formal talks take place, we will be able to deliberate on important issues.”
He said more leaders of the outfit will be coming to the state for the peace talks.
He indicated that the Chairman of the HNLC Bobby Marwein will be joining the talks at a later stage.
No surrender
Jyrwa asserted that the question of HNLC surrendering will not arise.
Sadon said since the beginning of the peace process, the outfit had held discussion with the central government interlocutor and officials of the home ministry for three times.
The latest meeting was held with the deputy chief minister Prestone Tynsong in the presence of the chief secretary Donald P Wahlang.
“It is kind of breaking the ice so that the peace process can move forward, we cannot straight away go to the political demands of the organisation. What we have done in these four-five days, we talk about the safe passage for the leaders of the HNLC to be able to come to India and have a face to face discussion,” he said.
On the need to have amnesty, Sadon said, “And secondly, the discussion was on amnesty because the peace process cannot move forward until and unless both the Centre and State governments consider amnesty for the organization as a whole and all its individual members.”
“About the safe passage, it has been agreed about a year ago that all the participating leaders of the organisation can move freely to proceed with the peace process and as far as amnesty is concerned, that is a subject matter which we will be placing in the first formal meeting that will be held soon. So far, that is the status and that was the discussion we had,” he said.
Sadon added, “Until and unless this waiving of legal action is in place, waiving of legal action means like it may be through amnesty or whatever procedure the government knows better so the peace process can be signed only after the organisation feels it is okay to go ahead with it.”
According to Sadon, the agenda will be placed in the first tripartite meeting between the Centre, State and the HNLC. “Technicalities will be discussed with the Centre and State government. If it is okay it is okay and if not then it might be delayed that’s all,” he said.
“If we go by the context of the ceasefire arrangement with other groups in North East India, you will understand that ceasefire is different from surrendering of arms and ammunition,” he said.
On the statement made by the outfit’s general secretary cum publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw, Sadon said, “The wordings that he (Nongtraw) used was we cannot guarantee the success of the peace talks since this is a peace process in progress. We cannot guarantee whether it will be hundred per cent successful or there will be speed breakers.”
Rectify political mistake
Sadon said through the peace process, the HNLC wants to rectify the “political mistake” committed on the Hynniewtrep people.
“From the inception of the organisation, we have been fighting for the implementation of the Instrument of Accession (IOA) and Annexed Agreement (AA) and against violation of the Indian government. If we talked about ILP, if we talked influx, if we talk economic development, all are based on that because the organisation since its inception had looked at the IOA and AA as a big violation on the Hynniewtrep people,” he said.
“So the HNLC through this peace process and through its struggle in the past 35 years wants to rectify this political mistake that was committed on the Hynniewtrep people. So in this peace process, what the HNLC is trying to do is to correct that historical wrong and to correct that constitutional imposition that was made and maybe review the constitution itself to fit the historical stand of the indigenous people”, he added.
