Is The West Mulling Support To Nagas’ Movement For Sovereignty?
A Netherlands-based content creator in association with Naga rights groups has put out on YouTube a video on the Nagas’ demand for freedom and an article in the US Homeland Security website has asked Washington to support the Naga struggle.
A long-standing movement of the Nagas of India to secure freedom from the Indian Union appears to be acquiring some support in the West. The Nagas, who are a group of tribes in North Eastern India, have been seeking independence since 1947 through both peaceful and violent means.
A Netherland-based content creator, Fred Kolman, in association with some Naga rights groups, has put out on YouTube a longish video on the Nagas’ demands.
Earlier, in 2023, an article in the US Homeland Security website www.hstoday.us suggested to the US government that it would be beneficial to the US to support the Naga struggle for autonomy.
These developments raise the question as to whether the West’s meddling in India’s domestic affairs will exacerbate Indo-US relations, already afflicted by friction due to New Delhi’s independent foreign policy.
The video entitled “With Nagas” was produced by the Naga International Support Center (NISC) and the International Council of Naga Affairs (ICNA) with the collaboration of a Netherlands-based content creator Kolman’s Cube was screened on April 29, 2024 at the prestigious deBalie—the Netherland’s foremost area for political, cultural, theatrical, and debate– in Amsterdam.
The screening was attended by top Naga influencers from the US, and across Europe as well from Nagaland itself, including “Dame” Grace Collins—the self-styled president of Naga American Council. Collins, a Taiwanese -origin US citizen, is also acknowledged as the “Honorary President of Nagalim”, no less than by the US State Department.
In 2023, The White House had reportedly sent Grace Collins a Christmas Greetings card: addressing her as Dame Grace Collins, “Honorary President of Nagalim.”
The one-hour and 13-minute-long documentary is believed to have been filmed over several months in late 2023. According to Fred Kolman’s LinkedIn post, he had travelled to Nagaland to make a documentary about the Nagas. He further says that he had been in touch with Naga leaders since the end of the 1990s and thought that it was about time that he told the Naga story to the world.
“Most footage was shot flatfoot with a Sony FX30 cinema camera and drone. I also took my 360-stereorig (8x4K with fisheye),” Kolman wrote in his LinkedIn message board.
But what is intriguing is that a Dutch national managed to shoot a lengthy documentary without the knowledge of the Indian security agencies in the state where movement of foreign national is restricted.
Background
The British rulers left India on August 15, 1947 handing over the lands populated by the Nagas to the successor Indian government without consulting the Nagas. Denouncing the British decision, the then leaders of the Nagas declared independence on August 14, 1947, a day before India got its independence.
Successive Indian governments tried to cajole the Nagas to accept Indian suzerainty, but when this failed, as was the case often, they would resort to brutal suppression using the military.
The main and unfulfilled demands of the Nagas have been: the unification of “Nagalim”, that is, all areas populated by the various Naga tribes which span several States in North East India and also Myanmar; preservation of the Nagas’ village-based democracy; autonomy for villages and for Nagalim; and a separate Nagalim flag.
AFSPA
Successive governments have used the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to suppress the Nagas. AFSPA allows arrests without warrant and also shoot-at-sight. Naga insurgents and civil society groups would highlight the atrocities committed by Indian troops including killings, torture and rape, but to no effect.
Naga intellectuals who spoke to the Netherlands-based group in the video, said that civil society and human rights groups would visit to New Delhi to create awareness among intellectuals. But the standard response would be that the Indian army has an impeccable reputation throughout the world and that it can do no wrong.
The intellectuals blamed the Indian government’s capitalist and “Look East” polices for the lack of sympathy for the Nagas’ plight. According to these intellectuals the powers-that-be in New Delhi want to exploit Nagaland’s natural resources, and use Nagaland as a bridge to Myanmar and South Asia to further its “Look East” policy.
If Nagaland is free and maintains its system of autonomous villages, India will find it hard to ride roughshod over the Nagas and pursue its exploitative economic and “Look East” policies, the interviewees said.
They further said that New Delhi uses funds meant for the development of Nagaland for its counter-insurgency programme. And Naga leaders get inveigled into cooperating with New Delhi in this scheme.
At present, Nagaland has only one seat in the 543-member Indian parliament. This, the Nagas consider, wholly inadequate to get their grievances heard. Full autonomy is the only just solution, they assert.
Looking to West
The interviewees pointed out that in the early phases of the Naga movement, the insurgents got help from China, but the Nagas now view China with suspicion, pointing out to China’s dubious role in Myanmar where it seems to be running with the hares and hunting with the hounds.
Naga civil society leaders said that it is the West, particularly the US and UK, which should lend a helping hand. Responsibility rests with the UK particularly because it was the UK which had left the Nagas in the lurch in 1947.
With the Naga political parleys making hardly any headway for the last 26 years, the Nagas have become restless and are seeking international intervention.
US Homeland Security website
Writing in www.hstoday.us the website of the US Homeland Security, under the title “PERSPECTIVE: Reasons for the United States to Be More Invested in Nagalim Self-Determination,” Grace Collins, Nora Manjaa and Tom Cellucci say that ” from the perspective of federal agencies including the State Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there are several reasons why supporting the Nagalim Freedom Movement could be beneficial.”
The article dated April 5, 2023, says that the US is taking a much closer look at the Nagalim freedom struggle and its global security of the region. Nagalim is strategically important as it is situated in the middle and shares borders with China, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.
“Economic development in this region promises many positive implications for U.S. relations with India, China, and Myanmar related to mutual security and economic interests,” the article says.
“The Nagalim conflict dates back to the British colonial period in India when the Nagas were denied their right to self-determination. After India gained independence in 1947, the Nagas refused to merge with India and declared themselves an independent state one day before India was admitted to the UN. The main preposition of the people of Nagalim (often referred to as Nagaland) is they “never joined the Indian union by conquest or concession.”
“This led to a series of armed conflicts with the Indian government, which continues to this day. For more than 75 years the Nagas have been fighting for their right to self-determination and autonomy, arguing that they are the original inhabitants of the land and should be able to govern themselves.”
“This struggle for independence has been marked by violence and unrest, as the Indian government has repeatedly used antiquated oppressive laws that suppress the Nagas’ daily lives. The Indian government has been accused of many human rights violations.”
“From an economic point of view, the Nagalim region is also strategically located at the intersection of China and India called the Chindia Economy, two of the world’s fastest-growing economies. This location makes it a vital area for trade and commerce, as well as a potential flashpoint for conflict between the two nations. As the United States seeks to maintain its global economic and strategic interests, it is important to pay attention to the dynamics of this region and ensure that it remains stable and secured to a humanitarian crisis, with thousands of people being displaced and living in refugee camps,” the article says.
“The Nagalim conflict has several implications for regional and global security, and therefore it is important for the United States to take a closer look at the issue. The Nagalim conflict has potential to impact international relations, particularly between India and its neighbours, China and Myanmar. Moreover, the conflict could affect India’s Look East policy, which aims to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar.”
“Given the above implications of the Nagalim conflict, it is important for the US to take a more active role in resolving the issue. The US should encourage the Indian government and the NSCN (National Socialist Council of Nagaland) to engage in a dialogue to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. The U.S. could offer to facilitate talks between the two sides.”
“From the perspective of federal agencies including the State Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there are several reasons why supporting the Nagalim Freedom Movement could be beneficial.”
“First, it is important to uphold the principles of self-determination and human rights, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter and other international agreements. The Nagas have a legitimate claim to autonomy and should be able to pursue it peacefully and without fear of retribution.”
“Second, supporting the Nagas could help to prevent conflict and instability in the region. As China and India continue to compete for resources and influence, there is a risk that the Nagalim region could become a proxy battleground for their rivalry. By working with the Nagas to promote stability and security, the United States can help to prevent this outcome and ensure that the region remains peaceful and prosperous. Also, it’s important to take note that they have fought side-by-side as our U.S. allies in WWI and WWII.””
“Also, supporting the Nagas could help to promote democracy and human rights in India, which has faced criticism for its treatment of ethnic and religious minorities,” the article says.
Pointing out the obstacles to this project, the article says that the Indian government has long viewed the Nagas as a threat to national unity and has used force to suppress their movement and therefore the US must be careful not to be seen as interfering in India’s internal affairs.
“However, if the Naga-American Council is recognized by the government of India, it could be very beneficial to breaking the deadlock of the region and foster win-win-win solutions for India, Nagalim and the United States.”
However, any such change in US policy could exacerbate Indo-US relations which are already under strain because of New Delhi’s policies on issues of vital interest to the US.
