Reports

It was heartening to see mediapersons being the panelists at a forum on the role of the media. In a random survey of various seminars held on the issue in New Delhi in recent times, one found that among the speakers jurists accounted for 35 per cent, bureaucrats accounted for 35 per cent, politicians were 20 per cent, and mediapersons only 10 per cent. The mediapersons who usually speak at such fora usually belong to the management cadre in media establishments. The hackneyed "role of the media"...

The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN) has finally come out with the reasons that "necessitated the awarding of capital punishment" to Dally Mungro and two of his associates on 18 August 1999 at Jotsoma village near Kohima in Nagaland. An official statement made available to "Northeast Vigil" said many people from Khaplang's group had approached the NSCN leadership for talks and the latter responded positively. But late Dally and SC Jamir had stopped them and torpedoed the entire...

WHAT EXPERTS/ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY THE QUESTIONS: (1) Does the Northeast really need a separate "forest policy"? What can be so special about the Northeast that would merit a separate "forest policy"? (2) If such a policy comes into being, will it actually augur well for the Northeast? what should be the key features of such a policy? (3) The rich biodiversity of the Northeast is well-known. But can a separate forest policy make much of a difference in a situation where the prospects of a...

The moment Swaraj Kaushal's resignation drama came out in the open, political circles have been full of rumours about how much it would harm the ongoing peace talks between the Indian government and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN). After all, Kaushal had been in constant touch with the NSCN leaders Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah over the past one year and more. Just because no political breakthrough has yet been achieved does not necessarily mean Kaushal had made no...

With the stage set for the February 15 Assembly polls in the Northeast, a surfeit of names crop up that extend from the ordinary to the bizarre. There are namesakes and names for names' sake. Adolf Hitler, for once, is not a member of the German National Socialist Party. He is not a protagonist of Nazism either for anybody to be alarmed of but just the Congress(I) nominee for the Rangsakona (ST) seat in Meghalaya. Adolf Hitler R Marak is his full name. The Great Dictator of the Third Reich is...