Politics / Manipur

Imphal, January 02: PLA 101 Bn commandant Dilip Leishemba has stated that people of the State do not want to live under the ?Indian colonial rule? as a survey conducted by the party shows that 80 percent of the people wants separation from India. Talking to reporters during the burning of two kgs of heroin powder, the biggest seizure of the Bn this year before villagers somewhere on the Indo-Myanmar border yesterday, he said that the RPF/PLA has been expanding ?liberated zones? day by day. Stating that the freedom struggle will certainly succeed one day, he said that nobody could stop them...

SUGNU, April 30: Nothing can be more ironic. Nothing can also illustrate the dilemma of a people caught in the crossfire between insurgency and those countering it. For the obvious fear of being reduced to mere numbers in the ever-lengthening list of innocent victims in crossfire, the people of Sugnu, a nondescript township 40 km from Imphal, are literally digging trenches inside their homes. And the irony is all this began happening after a BSF contingent set up camp at the local Public Health Centre, PHC, precisely for the reason of giving them protection. Rather than a sense of security...

IMPHAL, April 30: In accordance with an order issued by the Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam, static house guards posted at the quarters and official residences of several ministers, MLAs and high ranking officials located at Babupara have been withdrawn from this morning. According to official sources, the withdrawal order does not cover the house guards of VIPs listed in the Z category. Escort details of all VIPs have also been left untouched. Top security officials said that as alternative security arrangements, three checkpoints, to be manned by Manipur Rifles personnel have been set up at...

IMPHAL, April 30: The barely three month old People's Front Government led by the Samata Party appears to be driven by internal differences between the BJP and the Samata Party as the latter has accused the former of trying to topple the Samata led regime. The differences between the two parties have been highlighted to the Samata Party central leadership in a message sent to the Samata president KK Krishna Rao by the State unit president O Lohrii today. The message was made available to the press by a well-placed source. The message said that even though the Central BJP leadership had decided...

IMPHAL, April 29: Close on the heels of Chief Minister sounding a stern warning against the agitating MSF members, police started cracking down on the student body today and arrested its publicity secretary, Y Nando this morning. The police also arrested four others including Nando's elder sister and two brothers. MSF general secretary, H Ashirjit's father H Ito Singh (55) was also picked up by the police from his residence at Khurai Chingangbam Leikai. Sources said the MSF publicity secretary was arrested from his house at Ucheckon Takhok Mapan today at about 8 am by a police team. The police...

IMPHAL, April 29: BJP national general secretary PB Acharya today asserted that his party was ready to withdraw from the People's Front led by Radhabinod Koijam if the Government fails to redress the problems of the people. Speaking during a reception accorded to MLAs W Thoiba and K Raina who had joined the BJP recently at the residence of BJP president Meinam Bhorot at Nagamapal Meinam Leikai today, Acharya, however, said the party will continue its full support to the Government for the present. Acharya who is also the Northeast border State's in-charge criticized the People's Front...

IMPHAL, April 28: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary (organisation) and in-charge of the Northeast border area States, P B Acharya is conducting certain political development programmes since his arrival on Thursday here, after inspecting the Indo-Bangla border conflicts recently. The visiting BJP leader is also likely to sort out the problems that have apparently cropped up between the Samata Party and the BJP. It may be mentioned here that the BJP Manipur Pradesh, had recently come out with a scathing criticism of Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam for his "high-handedness in...

IMPHAL, April 27: Chief Minster Radhabinod Koijam today informed the press that the Home Department has convened a high level meeting tomorrow at 4 pm to discuss the closure of Mission Schools in the valley following monetary demands from a militant group. The Chief Minister said that the meeting will discuss in detail the course of action that may be taken up by the Government. He also expressed confidence that the mater would be sorted out soon and the schools would resume normal classes. Meanwhile the All Manipur Catholic Schools (Valley) Teachers' Association has taken strong exception...

IMPHAL, April 27: The 4-Kshetrigao Assembly byelections scheduled to be held on May 11 next, will now be a straight contest between Vivek Raj Wangkhem, Samata Party candidate, and the Congress nominee Irengbam Sanatomba, with the other two candidates withdrawing their candidatures today. The returning officer for the 4- Kshetrigao Assembly constituency, the SDO Porompat today accepted the withdrawal of candidature of Independent candidates Md Muhamuddin Shah, and Wahengbam Hemanta Singh, official sources said. Today was the last day for withdrawal of nominations. Md Muhamuddin Shah, to a press...

IMPHAL, April 26: The former Chief Minister, Wahengbam Nipamacha Singh, has strongly denied that he has ever paid any money to any underground outfit in Manipur. The former Chief Minister was reacting to reports in a section of the media that the Union defence minister Jaswant Singh had told Parliament that the Army has recovered a counterfoil indicating that he had paid a sum of Rs 1 lakh to an underground group. Issuing a statement in this connection, the former Chief Minister said the counterfoil said to have been recovered by the Army may have been fabricated by vested interests with the...