The team of senior state government officials was headed by home secretary Lalmalsawma while the HPC (D) was led by its President Lalhmingthanga.
The home secretary said over phone from Aizawl last night that the Mizoram government had agreed to hold peace talks with the Hmar militant outfit after closely examining the “feelers” sent by it.
He said the HPC(D) leaders reached Aizawl last night from two places in a fleet of cars — from Sakardawi, the headquarters of Hmar Development Council in northeast Mizoram, and Hmarkhawlien, a Hmar colony in Lalkhipur subdivision under south Assam’s Cachar district, bordering Manipur. Mizoram, a hub of the Hmars, is a stronghold of the rebel group.
The HPC(D) came into being about three years after the main Hmar insurgent group, Hmar People’s Conference (HPC), surrender arms in Aizawl in January 1994. The HPC, led by Hmingchhungnung, had masterminded a series of attacks on government-owned targets in Mizoram, Assam’s Cachar and North Cachar Hills (now Dima Hasao) districts and Manipur’s Tippaimukh and Churachandpur areas. They also carried out a series of bank robberies and extortion drives for seven years since 1988.
As part of its surrender package, the HPC had watered down its original demand for a Hmar Autonomous Council under the Sixth Schedule, and agreed to a Hmar development Council, with its headquarters at Sakardawi. But soon after this much-publicised surrender ceremony, a few disgruntled HPC cadres floated the HPC(D) to carry forward the armed struggle and demanded a Hmar autonomous district council. The HPC(D) has been carrying out ambushes, extortions and abductions for nearly 13 years now, since its formation in 1997.
Home department officials said after today’s talks, the HPC(D)’s demands and conditions would be submitted to chief minister Lalthanhawla and home minister R. Lalzirliana for arriving at a decision on their surrender.
The HPC(D)’s main demand is a separate Hmar area, comprising the Hmar-inhabited areas of Mizoram, Manipur and Assam’s Cachar and Dima Hasao districts, to be administered through their proposed autonomous district council.
Home department officials said there was no possibility of the Mizoram government agreeing to this demand. Instead, the proposal of a revamped development council for ensuring the development of the Hmar areas may be put forward to the rebels. _ Sinlung
