(Left) Uddipan Dutta of the Panos, director of Centre for Myanmar Studies, W. Nabakumar, and acting vice-chancellor of Manipur University, H.N.K. Sharma, at the workshop in Imphal on Monday. Telegraph pictureImphal, March 15 : A two-day workshop on militancy in the Northeast, Kashmir and Myanmar termed the government of India and Myanmar insincere in their attempt to resolve conflicts in the countries.
The workshop, organised by the Panos South Asia and Manipur University’s Centre for Myanmar Studies, began at the university today.
The participants, who are mostly academicians, social activists, journalists from India and Myanmar, rights activists and lawyers, said both the government and militant groups were supposed to work for the welfare of the people, but had failed on this count.
Shujat Bukhari, the Srinagar bureau chief of The Hindu, Soe Myint, chief editor of Mizzima, a news group set up by Myanmarese refugees in India and Uddipan Dutta of the Panos were among those who attended the programme today.
The workshop under the theme, Critical Issues of Armed Conflict in Northeast India and Myanmar, focuses on the present trend of insurgency in the region, human rights, national security and conflict resolution.
Some resolutions or recommendations may come up at the end of the workshop tomorrow.
Opening the discussion, acting vice-chancellor of Manipur University, H.N.K. Sharma, said the situation in the Northeast was alarming as human rights were being violated, rendering the future of the younger generation rudderless.
He urged intellectuals to guide the younger generation.
The real business was during the technical sessions, where both the militant groups and the government came under severe criticism.
“The government and the militants are for the people, but they are now not working for the people now. People have lost faith in them,” said professor W. Nabakumar, the director of the Centre for Myanmar Studies.
The delegates were unanimous that the governments of India and Myanmar were not sincere in their efforts to resolve the armed conflict.
“Unless New Delhi makes the right political move, a worse phase of militancy will come in Jammu and Kashmir. The alienation of the younger generation is complete. Delhi wants to use only military might, aggravating the situation further,” Bukhari said.
Some participants said militancy had become a cottage industry and they failed to present a road map and vision to the common people.
Observing that New Delhi was dishonest, the participants said several peace talks in the Northeast went on for more than a decade and nothing tangible happened.
The participants called for honesty and change in the approach by New Delhi.
Some of the participants like, O. Nobokishore, the member of an NGO, questioned whether the peace being advocated by New Delhi was corporate driven for investment.
Ch. Priyoranjan of the economics department of Manipur University, who was the moderator in one of the sessions, said though money was being pumped into the Northeast, there was no equal distribution.