2002
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January
20
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The
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief K. S Sudershan in a speech
in Guwahati accuses the Church in North East, especially the Baptist
Church, of providing arms and other logistic support to insurgent
outfits in the region.
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January
21
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Senior
church leaders of Meghalaya challenge the RSS chief’s allegation
and ask him to provide evidence with regard to the claims.
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January
22
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The
Khasi Jaintia Church Leaders’ Forum (KJCLF) urges Meghalaya Government
to initiate talks with the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council
(HNLC) and Achik National
Volunteer Council (ANVC).
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February
23
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KJCLF
appeals to the State Government to announce a cease-fire with
the terrorists and create a conducive atmosphere for a peace process.
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March
21
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KJCLF
leaders meet Chief Minister F.A. Khonglam, Home Minister Lotsing
A. Sangma and other senior officials in Shillong:
The
forum proposes:
- The
State Government should declare KJCLF as the official negotiator;
- Announce
a cease-fire to create conditions for dialogue and safe passage
for the terrorists; and
- Spell
out a concrete rehabilitation plan for terrorists eschewing
violence.
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April
21
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KJCLF
President Purely Lyngdoh informs the media of the State Government’s
acceptance of the forum as the official negotiator.
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May
22
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Meghalaya
Government decides to seek the help of Church leaders of Garo
Hills to bring ANVC to the negotiating table.
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May
24
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KJCLF
President Purely Lyngdoh states in Shillong that his organization
would persuade HNLC to come to the negotiating table despite the
latter’s claim that it would never surrender before the Government.
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May
28
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The
Garo Baptist Church (A’chik Baptist Dalgipa Kaina-ABDK) welcomes
the State Government’s move to initiate talks with the ANVC though
mediation by the Church elders and senior citizens of Tura.
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August
21
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In
a statement issued to a section of the press in Shillong, HNLC
‘Chairman’ Julius K. Dorphlang refuses to be a party to the peace
process initiated by the KJCLF and says that “the church body
has not contributed anything to the save the society from the
increasing social menace in the state.”
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August
22
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The
KJCLF President Purely Lyngdoh expresses unhappiness about HNLC’s
allegations and states that “it is not correct to say that the
Church has not done anything.”
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November
26
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KJCLF
renews its appeal to the HNLC to come to the negotiating table.
The Forum criticizes the Government for not taking the peace process
seriously.
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2003
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January
10
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The
KJCLF President Bishop Purely Lyngdoh urges the Government and
the HNLC to hold unconditional talks for a lasting solution to
the problem of insurgency in Meghalaya.
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March
27
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KJCLF
chairman expresses the willingness of the Church for a face-to-face
meeting with the HNLC to discuss the peace issue and appeals to
the outfit to reconsider its stand and come to the negotiating
table with the Government.
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April
14
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Meghalaya
Chief Minister D D Lapang rules out the induction of the army
to fight militancy in the State calls upon the Church to preach
against insurgency.
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June
6
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Meghalaya
Government declares that except for KJCLF no other organization
or individual has consulted the State Government for acting as
facilitators with the terrorist outfits.
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June
11
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Priest
of Cathedral Parish of Laitumkhrah, Father Hilarius Lamare, refutes
charges that a receipt of Rs. 10,000 signed by him was recovered
from four arrested HNLC cadres.
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June
24
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Meghalaya
Home Minister R G Lyngdoh informs the State Legislative Assembly
that the KJCLF has been authorized by the Government to facilitate
talks with the terrorist groups in the State.
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July
6
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The
RSS during its Kanyakumari conclave accuses the Church and Christian
missionaries in the Northeast of having a nexus with the terrorists
in Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Meghalaya.
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July
16
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Meghalaya
Chief Minister, in a meeting with KJCLF, states the Government’s
readiness to allow the Church leaders to go to a foreign country
if situation so warrants to talk to the militants.
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July
30
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Home
Minister R G Lyngdoh accepts the offer of the Garo Baptist Church
(GBC) as the negotiator with the ANVC.
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September
29
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ANVC
chief Jerome Momin, in a press release, turns down the offer for
talks with the GBC following the September 26 incident, where
eight ANVC cadres were killed by the police in Tura.
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October
1
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Archbishop
of Shillong, Dominic Jala, refutes allegations of Church-militant
nexus as ‘baseless’ and attributes the cause of militancy to unemployment.
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October
29
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GBC
President Grover C Marak states that the ANVC is still positive
about negotiations in spite of its anti-talks public posture.
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