Staff Reporter

Shillong, May 23: Vice Chairman of the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) Manbhalang Jyrwa has stated that it will 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 asked while addressing the outfit’s first news conference today after the government’s announcement that the formal peace talks would start from the first week of June.

Jyrwa, was accompanied by the HNLC political secretary Aristerwell Thongni and two PSOs – Storgy Lyngdoh and Raymond Lapang, also informed that the issue of amnesty and summon notices issued by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) were also raised during a meeting held with State’s deputy chief minister in-charge Home (Police) Prestone Tynsong recently.

“…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 (against the HNLC leaders and cadres),” 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 added.

Stating that the HNLC is very much positive to take forward the cause, the vice chairman of the outfit said, “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, then only we will be able to deliberate (on the issues).”

He informed that more leaders of the outfit will be coming to the state for the peace talks even as he indicated that the Chairman of the HNLC Bobby Marwein will be joining the talks at a later stage.

Jyrwa also maintained that the question of HNLC surrendering will not arise.

HNLC representative and president of the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) Sadon K Blah 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 of the state 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…(as) we cannot straight away go to the political demands of the organization. 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 disclosed.

Asserting the importance of amnesty, Blah 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 organization 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 added.

When asked, Blah said, “Until and unless this waving of legal action is in place, waving 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 organization feels it is okay to go ahead with it.”

According to him, the subject matter 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 stated.

Reiterating the stand of the outfit, Blah said that peace talk is a ‘ceasefire arrangement’ not a ‘surrender arrangement’.

“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 added.

Referring to the statement made by the outfit’s general secretary cum publicity secretary Sainkupar Nongtraw 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.”

Meanwhile, the HNLC representative said through the peace process, the outfit wants to rectify the “political mistake” committed on the Hynniewtrep people.

“From inception of the organization, 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, if we talk development all are based on that because organization since its inception have looked at this violation of the IOA and AA as a big violation on the Hynniewtrep people,” he said while adding “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 imposed and maybe review the constitution itself to fit the historical stand of the indigenous people.”

According to him, the indigenous people are affected by issues of influx, ILP, CAA uranium mining, coal mining because of certain Constitutional imposition and violation of the IOA and AA by the Union government.

Whether the outfit will put any conditions for the peace talks, Blah however said, “And about that condition on the IOA and AA everything will be revealed after the first formal meeting then you will get a clear picture whether the organization is still talking about that or not. Because right now is a process and from the leaders who are staying here in Shillong they are having a conference meeting day in and day out to sort out these things.”

He further asserted that no negotiation can take place without conditions and said, “All negotiation is based on certain conditions. If there will be no condition, there will be no negotiation. It will be surrendered.”

Asked on the stand of the outfit with regards to the rehabilitation package, Blah said that the HNLC is more concerned about the issues and how to get the political agenda solved.

“So if it is the duty of the government to consider that rehabilitation package, we have no comment,” he stated.