SHILLONG, APR 29: Worried over the complete breakdown of law and order and presence of many militant groups in Garo hills districts, church and ngos leaders met Governor KK Paul and urge him to impress upon the state government to initiate peace talks with all the militant groups to once again usher in peace in the region.
Under the umbrella of the Unified Peace Movement for Garo Hills (UPMGH), the church and ngos leaders also submitted a memorandum to Paul on the need to initiate peace talks with all the underground outfits.
UPMGH general secretary Rev Fr Januarius S Sangma told reporters after their meeting with Paul on Tuesday, “We request the government to invite all the militant groups for negotiation. The best option (for peace) is through dialogue and not by hunting them down.”
Rev Fr Sangma said militancy have had adverse affect on the common man, especially rural folks.
The memorandum observed that with the mushrooming of armed outfits and splinter groups in Garo hills there appears to be a complete breakdown of law and order creating a sense of insecurity among the general public.
The memorandum said, “Extortions, demand notes, illegal collections, kidnappings, robbery seem to be the order of the day.”
Rev Fr Sangma also repeated that the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) is keen to join the peace process after the appeal of Paul during his Republic Day address.
The memorandum said, “The GNLA has expressed its willingness for a peaceful settlement. We would like to appeal to the government to seize this opportunity and bring them to the negotiating table to examine their demands. This will be a big step forward in bringing back normalcy in Garo Hills.”
UPMGH also urged the state government to allot designated camps to the breakaway faction of the Achik National Volunteer Council (B). The organisation said the ANVC (B) had agreed for peace talks but have not been assigned any designated camps so that their cadres do not scatter and thereby resort to anti-social activities.- By Our Reporter
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