The HNYF said that the killing of former HNLC general secretary Cherishterfield Thangkhiew by police showed that the State government was not interested in peace talks with the HNLC.
In a statement issued today, HNYF said that Thangkhiew had always wanted to bring the HNLC for peace talks with the government.
“He wanted peace talks to happen between the government and HNLC and he used to tell us that he had mooted this idea to officials of the Special Branch and Intelligence Bureau when they met him. By killing him the Meghalaya government is clearly showing that it does not want peace talks with HNLC,” the HNYF said.
Demanding an independent inquiry into the alleged cold blooded murder of the former underground leader, HNYF said, “The government in our State is elected by the people and so we cannot accept any attempt to convert it into a police state. Therefore, an independent inquiry is needed to find out the truth in this matter.”
The HNYF also said that Thangkhiew after quitting the HNLC had engaged himself in his own livelihood and was no longer connected with the underground outfit.
“During our meetings with him, he never talked about his past life. What he used to tell us was the need to boost the economy of our State through trade with Bangladesh through the Look East Policy of the Central government,” the HNYF said.
