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Kohima, Jan. 10: When the top guns of the NSCN (I-M) — Thuingaleng Muivah and Isak Chisi Swu — paid homage to the memorial of the apostle of non-violence at Rajghat, it hardly surprised anyone in Nagaland. The Mahatma has been a household name here since 1946 and is considered a “friend of the Nagas”. In contrast to the “lukewarm response” to the visit of the two leaders a day earlier, when TV channels beamed pictures of the two NSCN (I-M) leaders at Rajghat yesterday, Naga old-timers said “the gesture of the collective leadership was a reflection of the esteem in which the Nagas held Gandhi”...

Agartala, Jan. 10: The latest round of Naga talks in New Delhi has already led to demands for similar parleys with outfits in Tripura, but these are mostly from poll-bound political parties rather than the militants themselves. While the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) has blamed the ruling Left Front for lacking a will to end insurgency, the party in power said there was little it could do, given the fact that the banned outfits had spurned past offers.

The Opposition INPT, which reportedly has links with the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), has demanded...

Imphal, Jan. 10: The gunbattle between guerrillas of the Manipur People’s Liberation Front (MPLF) and jawans of the Border Security Force continued for the third day today in Sajik Tampak area of Manipur’s Chandel district, bordering Myanmar. In yet another show of firepower, the MPLF last night launched simultaneous attacks on security forces at eight separate places in Manipur. Though the attacks did not result in any casualty, they did trigger confusion among law-enforcing agencies.

The rebels attacked Assam Rifles outposts at three places — Keirak, Kongjom and Wabagai — in Thoubal...

New Delhi, Jan. 10: The first meeting between deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and the NSCN (I-M) brass was warm and cordial, with the visitors again complimenting the sincerity of the Centre’s efforts to understand and resolve the Naga problem. “We were warmly welcomed by the deputy Prime Minister,” NSCN (I-M) chairman Isak Chisi Swu said after calling on Advani in North Blo ck along with secretary-general Thuingaleng Muivah.

Although both sides were tight-lipped on the issues discussed, the NSCN (I-M) leaders clearly indicated the broad framework on which the substantive talks would revolve...

The suspense: Where are the Naga leaders staying? Several stories specially are doing the rounds with a prying media brigade haunting all possible leads. While some reports indicated that they were being hosted in a five star hotel others suggested guesthouses of para-military forces that are located in different parts of Delhi and farm houses located on the outskirts of the city. However, it appears that the Naga leaders have been settled in secret IB safe house, which is a Type-Six Government quarter located in a post government colony in South Delhi.

Hosting the NSCN (I-M) leaders in a...