| for that matter Sardar Patel is credited with the liberation of Rajasthan - many of whose kingdoms did not want to join India or the case of Junagarh, Hyderabad and Goa - which had to be annexed. California was annexed by USA from Spain- if my history is correct. Why not give the whole of USA back to Native Americans -atleast New York City's Manhattan Island- which was sold by them through error/deceit -whichever version you take to be true. I would suggest that we go on from where we are today -- and not dig up past. Umesh |
Barua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:_______________________________________________There is a myth being circulated that India is a country which never invaded other country. This is however is not true. In case of Nagaland, India definitely invaded the country. The Naga's, who time and time again have made it known to both former colonizer Britain and newly emerging India that they wanted to be left alone, were invaded by India in 1954. The following is a brief historical background of Nagaland:RB-------------------------------------------------Like many others in the region, Nagas went through a period of British rule. However, Britain did not extend its colonial administrative system into Naga areas, and their Hindu vassalages Ahom, Cachar and Manipur- could not assimilate the Nagas. Britain understood the futility of trying to impose a feudal bureaucratic governance system on the Nagas and instead chose to recognise Naga village councils as legitimate authorities.In 1929, when Britain began preparations to leave Asia, Naga Club (the earliest Naga organization formed by school educated Nagas in 1918) made it known to Britain that Hindu and Muslim based societies had very little in common with Naga society. Further, one hates the Naga for taking pork and the other for taking beef. It was clearly impossible for them to live together in harmony; and Nagalim should be left on its own.As part of the arrangement for the transfer of power, Britain brought the Interim Government of India and the Naga National Council [NNC] to work out the terms of their relationship after British withdrawal. In June 1947 the Government of India and the NNC reached The Nine Points Agreement. The Agreement envisaged a Protected State in Nagalim under NNC with India as the Guardian Power for ten years after which the Nagas were free to decide their future.The Indian Constituent Assembly, through mental acrobatics, arrived at the conclusion that The Nine Points Agreement means "district autonomy within the Indian Constitution to be implemented unilaterally by India [' The Naga National Council's agreement with Sir Hydari Akbar and Shri Bordoloi came up before the Constituent Assembly, or rather before the Special Committee of the Constituent Assembly. All the six Schedules attached to the Constitution were largely drawn up with that agreement in view If it is felt that the six Schedules do not go far enough, it is open to Parliament to amend them whenever it likes', Nehru stated during debate on the Naga Hills situation in the Lok Sabha, 23 August, 1956 ]".India made preparations to occupy Nagalim by force. When this was brought to Gandhi's attention on 19 July 1947, he declared that the Nagas had every right to be independent of India if they choose to do so. Further, he declared that he would oppose India with his life if it decides to take Nagalim by force.Subsequently, NNC announced its decision to declare Nagalim independent on 14 August 1947 and communicated it to the United Nations, Britain, the Dominion /Interim Government of India, and the Commonwealth Relations Office.India disregarded the announcement for independence calling the NNC, "the voice of the misguided few". India turned down Naga's invitation to hold referendum; and also refused to respect the out come of the Plebiscite [99.9% voted for independence] organized by the Nagas themselves on 16 May 1951. Instead, India sent its armed forces to destroy, by any means, the material and spiritual basis of Naga peoples' independence.NNC set up the Federal Government of Nagaland in March 1956 with a military wing to drive out Indian forces. In the next three months, the Naga army drove out Indian forces from Nagalim barring a few points. India brought in more than a hundred thousand troops in re-enforcement and occupied Nagalim. Between 1958 and 1959, the occupation army rounded up tens of thousands of Nagas and forced them into concentration camps built across the Naga Hills. Many perished in these concentration camps from water contamination and lack of food.In 1964, at the intervention of Bertrand Russell and Rev. Michael Scott [an old friend of Gandhi] India agreed to a cease-fire for peaceful settlement. However, the talks broke off, in 1967, without an agreement.In 1975 India imposed a surrender pact, called the Shillong Accord, on some of the Federal Government leaders who had grown alienated from the people. However, the resistances forces regrouped again under the NNC General Secretary, Th.Muivah and Isak Chishi, Foreign Secretary in the Federal Government of Nagaland. They subsequently formed NSCN (the National Socialist Council of Nagalim) in 1980.Until the arrival of the Independent India, Burmese leaders did not show interest in Nagalim. However, in 1953, the Indian Prime Minister, Nehru brought Burmese Prime Minister, U Nu to Kohima, a Naga centre, and began the process of dividing Nagalim between the two nations.In recent times, the Military Regime in Burma has been active in several parts of Eastern Nagalim pillaging the villages, laying land mines in and around the village after setting fire to the houses, setting up military bases and imposing ban on Christianity and destroying churches, forcibly convert young Nagas to Buddhism.With NSCN in the leadership, the Naga national movement quickly gained tremendous strength. By the middle of 1980s India's forces, both military and political, began to suffer set backs, one after the other. It brought India's leaders to the realization that the military actions could not solve the problem. India began to consider non-military options and in 1995 invited NSCN to begin political negotiations at the highest level without conditions at a mutually agreed third country. After two years of behind the scene preparations, they announced on 25 July 1997 their decision to enter a cease-fire agreement effective from 1st August 1997.The Government of India and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland entered a cease-fire agreement on 1st August 1997 to begin political negotiations at the highest level without conditions at a mutually agreed third country. The talks encountered innumerable difficulties. However, both sides have showed increasing confidence in the peace-process. In a joint communiqué with the NSCN (Amsterdam, 11 July 2002), India recognized the unique history and situation of the Nagas. Further more, the Government of India renewed the invitation of the Prime Minister to the leaders of the NSCN to come to India to expedite the peace dialogue.
assam mailing list
assam@assamnet.org
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Umesh Sharma
5121 Lackawanna ST
College Park, MD 20740
1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]
Ed.M. - International Education Policy
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
Harvard University,
Class of 2005
How much mail storage do you get for free? Yahoo! Mail gives you 1GB!
Get Yahoo! Mail
_______________________________________________ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
