Activists, journalists call for review of Center's peace policies

Activists and journalists taking part in a two-day seminar titled "Peace Audit Northeast", on Tuesday called for a review of the Indian Government's peace policies for the region.

A two-day seminar was organised by a think tank.

Participants discussed the government's policies for dealing with militancy as also the demand for a separate state.

"We have seen insurgency in the northeast for the last sixty years or more but now the things have become much more complex because of newer dimensions emerging everyday, because the government of India and the state governments are in favour of talking peace or engaging in peace dialogue with each and every militant group and to my mind, personally, I feel this is encouraging militancy to a great extent because you are not only talking to the larger groups you are also willing to talk or saying your doors are open even to the factional groups and that I think is a flawed policy," said noted journalist Wasbir Hussain.

More than 200 ethnic and tribal communities live in India's strategic northeast of eight mountainous states and encircled by Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and Myanmar.

The participants also discussed freedom of the press, which has often been targeted by militant and separatist groups.

"If you see in Manipur, right now there are a lot of protest rallies happening with regard to, say the violence that is happening. And with regard to the media, all that the media can do is either write strongly against what is happening, which we do,"said Chitra Ahanthem, another journalist.

More than a dozen insurgent groups have been fighting the government for decades in the states of northeastern India, killing thousands in attacks on civilians and security forces.

The groups blame the federal government of plundering the region's significant mineral and agricultural resources and forest produce while ignoring demands for greater autonomy and greater economic opportunities to the locals.