DIMAPUR, April 6 – Drawing attention of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram towards the presence of Naga militants in Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union termed it as a serious problem not only for this strategic frontier State but also for the entire nation.

The NSCN’s ‘extra-territorial activities’ can only be contained and their anti-national activities can be stopped if the Central and State Governments come together and take concerted action against them, the AAPSU said in a memorandum to Chidambaram during his recent visit to the State.

Considering the seriousness of the issue, the memorandum signed by AAPSU president Takam Tatung, vice president Nabam Tamar and general secretary Tujum Poyum has urged the Centre to take Arunachal Pradesh Government into confidence and evolve a strategy to flush out themilitants from these two districts so that peace and normalcy could be restored amongst the people.

The apex students body of Arunachal Pradesh suggested that it could be possible only if the government adopts a human approach as military operations are not the solution to the issue while committing to extend all out support on the matter.

Lamenting that people living in these two districts are being ‘ruled’ and ‘subjugated’ by ‘these elements’, it informed that taxes are being levied on them at the rate of 5-10 per cent from any government schemes, 2 per cent from government employees and Rs 2 each from every house.

The AAPSU further urged the Centre to take necessary steps to seal Arunachal’s border with Nagaland and Myanmar to solve the menace of militancy at the earliest.

On the greater Nagaland issue, the AAPSU reiterated that it would oppose any move of the Centre to concede the demand of NSCN-IM to include any part of its territory for creation of “GreaterNagaland” to solve the vexed Naga issue.

While welcoming the talks between the Centre and the NSCN-IM to find a permanent solution to the Naga problem, the students body, however, made it clear that it will vehemently oppose the talks if it touches the issue of parting with any territory of Arunachal Pradesh as the State had already lost Tuensang, included in erstwhile NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh), toNagaland. It added “we don’t want to part with any more territory or districts.”

Pointing out that the then Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Mukut Mithi had earlier communicated the same view to the Centre in 1999 and also the State Assembly had reiterated it in 2006 during the tenure of Gegong Apang Government, the AAPSU reminded that it had already submitted several memoranda to the Government of India in this regard.

It further urged Chidambaram to take the people of Arunachal Pradesh and the democratically elected State Government into confidence when the question of conceding any part of the Arunachal’s territory to be part of GreaterNagaland comes up during the course of talks between New Delhi and NSCN-IM.