Mylliem MDC Ronnie Lyngdoh today said that the state government should immediately invite the outlawed Hynñiewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) for peace talks.
“If the HNLC has realised that it has taken the wrong path and, with good intentions, wants to return to the mainstream and is willing to talk, it should be encouraged and immediately be invited for talks,” Lyngdoh told Highland Post.
Yesterday, the HNLC reversed course and said it would be open to negotiations without preconditions. The militant group carried out its most recent attack on January 30 with an improvised explosive device blast in Khyndailad here. The device was reportedly planted by a teenager.
Stating that those who have gone astray should not be looked down upon as they will have had reasons for choosing their ill- advised path, Lyngdoh said, How can a juvenile, who cannot even reason properly, pick up such things?”
The authorities have the responsibility to understand the root of the issue and not only the symptoms, he added. “Deep inside no individual is bad but sometimes it’s the circumstances and the environment that force people to do what they do and the society should come together to restore peace in the state,” the MDC said. KHNAM MLA, Adelbert Nongrum too echoed the same view. He said the government should take quick initiatives to identify an interlocutor and restore peace.
