Muivah

Dec. 20: On a day that NSCN (I-M) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah arrived in India, the faction feud between the militant groups in Nagaland came into sharp focus with the Khaplang faction threatening to assassinate Muivah if he entered the state.

Muivah arrived in New Delhi from Amsterdam late tonight and is expected to spend Christmas in Nagaland.

NSCN (K) spokesman Kughalu Mulatonu told The Telegraph this afternoon that his “boys” were ready to attack Muivah if he tried to enter the state.

He said around 60 activists had been deployed in and around Dimapur, the state’s commercial capital and a stronghold of the rival faction, to carry out the assassination.

The Hebron camp of the NSCN (I-M), where Muivah is likely to head for, is located near Dimapur.

Warning Muivah not to visit Nagaland, the NSCN (K) leaders said they would continue to slap “quit notices” on the Tangkhuls — the tribe to which Muivah belongs.

Mulatonu claimed that 10 years of talks between the Centre and the NSCN (I-M) have yielded “nothing” and blamed Isak Chisi Swu and Muivah for trying to “hoodwink” the Naga people.

He said his organisation would not allow “anti-Naga” elements to sell out the Nagas’ right to self-determination.

The Naga leader’s proposed visit to the state amid tight security by both the state government and the NSCN (I-M) has, however, raised fresh hopes of an end to fratricidal killings.

“He is a statesman and will definitely guide us. We are looking forward to a meeting with him,” said a senior church leader in Dimapur.

Delhi’s negotiator, K. Padmanabhaiah, was at the airport to receive Muivah.

The NSCN (I-M) has also made elaborate arrangements to welcome its leader.

Nine NSCN (I-M) leaders, including Tongmeth Wangnao, Phunthing Shimrang and Kraibo Chawang, were in New Delhi to receive Muivah.

They are likely to camp with their leader in the capital, at least till Christmas.

One of them brushed aside the threat from the NSCN (K), saying they knew how to protect their leader.

“They should realise that such posturing will not go down well with the people of the state,” he warned.

A 500-strong Naga students’ contingent in traditional attire received Muivah at the international airport in New Delhi late tonight, greeting him with Christmas carols.

A documentary, Cry for Freedom, was screened this evening to motivate the youngsters.

While the mood at Nagaland House in RK Puram in New Delhi was celebratory, the Manipur government and the Nagaland Congress are down in the dumps.

The Centre, too, has been rather wary of the rebel leader’s visit.