Activity Report (April 1999 to March 2000)

April 18-20, 1999 : Ms. Maria Mangte, the Secretary General of ICITP-NEZ, New Delhi came to visit the Zonal office at Bijni and held meetings with local Indigenous leaders on peace and development.

May 2-4, 1999 : The Secretary of the zone visited Ranchi to meet Dr. Ram Dayal Munda and held discussion on future strategies of ICITP.

July 24-26, 1999 : Zonal Orientation programme of PSP was held at CASA, Guwahati facilitated by Mr. A.R. Khan, EZE, Germany. About 20 indigenous leaders of different ethnic group participated in the orientation programme.

July 24-- August 4, 1999 : 10 Indigenous leaders of different ethnic groups from this zone including the Secretary of the zone participated in the 17 th session of United Nation Working Group of Indigenous Populations(UNWGIP) in Geneva, Switzerland. The participants were: Sri S.K. Bwiswmuthiary, MP, Kokrajhar, Assam, Sri Urkhaw Gwra Basumatary, President of ABSU, Kokrajhar, Assam, Sri Kanakeswar Narzary, Chief of Bodoland Autonous Council (BAC), Kokrajhar, Assam Sri Derhagra Muchahary, MLA, Tamulpur, Assam, Sri Prithibi Majhi, MLA, Dibrugarh, Assam, Sri Debokanta Ramchiary, MLA, Assam, Sri Rabilal Basumatary, Tribal Welfare Society, Assam, Mr. Thangmoya, President of ZORO, Aizawl, Mizoram, Mr. S.T. Parte, Secretary, ZORO, Aizawl, Mizoram Sri Jebra Ram Muchahary, Secretary, ICITP-NEZ, Bijni, Assam. All of them presented statements in the said session of UNWGIP.

August 9,1999 : The first ever Indigenous day celebration was held at St. John's Mission Bijni along with school children's Peace rallies. The peace rally was coincided with the Anti-terrorist day observation organized by the Sub-divisional authority in the town.

August 26- September 9, 1999 : J.R. Muchahary, the Secretary of the zone assisted the head office substituting Ms. Maria Mangte, the Secretary General of ICITP who went to the Netherlands to attend the first course of Indigenous Dialogue Project at Narowal Language Institute along with Dr. S. Solanki and Dr. Dhanbir Laisaram (Thingoi), the senior members of ICITP.

October 28-31, 1999 : The Secretary of the Zone along with Mr. R.K. Alex visited Agartala, Tripura to meet the MOs to facilitate the process of "Workshop on Panchayati Raj and other relevant programmes" for the development of the Tribal People in Tripura.

November 2, 1999: Dr. Ram Dayal Munda, the chief President and Ms. Maria Mangte, the Secretary General of ICITP came to visit Bijni and held meeting with Tribal leaders of the area. About 200 Tribal intellectuals and the leaders attended the meeting. The meeting focussed on the role of the NGOs in local developmental activities, the significance of the Panchayati Raj and the need of solidarity move of the IPs in India.

November 5, 1999 : Zonal executive meeting was held at Guwahati to discuss about the strengthening of the ICITP-NEZ and about the deputation of one representative in the 2 nd Course of ID-Project at Narowal, the Netherlands.

November 7-8, 1999 : ICITP-NEZ organized a peace meeting facilitated by Mr. Paul Vantongeren, European Centre for Conflict Prevention at Bodo-Sahitya Sobha's Joy Bhadra Hagjer Bhawan, Guwahati. The meeting was attended by Dr. R.D. Munda, the Chief President, ICITP, Ms. Maria Mangte, the Secretary General, ICITP, Mr. Bineswar Brahma, the President of Bodo Sahitya Sobha, Mr. Mohini Basumatary, MLA, Mr. Debokanta Ramchiary, MLA, Mr. Pritvi Mazi, MLA and some Members of ABSU and AASA attended the same to find peace amongst Bodo and the Santhals.

November 17-December 14, 1999 : ICITP-NEZ, deputed the Secretary of the Zone to participate the 2 nd course of ID-Project at Narowal, the Netherlands. ID-Project is to train the contact persons of Indigenous Organizations around the world for free-flow communication-which includes the tools of e-mail and a common language "ESPERANTO".

February 11-16, 2000 : This Zone has organised-first regional course of ID-Project at St. John's Mission, Bijni in collaboration with ID-Project, the Netherlands for the Indigenous contact persons of the Zone including the teachers’ staff of St. John's School. 31 participants took part in the 1 st course of the Project. Apart from Ms. Maria Mangte, New Delhi, Dr. Dhanbir Laisaram (Thingoi), Manipur, Advocate Umakanta Meithei (Manipur), Damayanti Sinku, Ranchi, Mr. Bigendra Sing Tamang, Kathmandu, Nepal, Mr. Atlio Orellana Rojas, The Netherlands 25 local IPs participated in the course.

March 2, 2000 : The Secretary of the zone participated in the unification move of the Bodo political parties at Sampabati High school, Bigenpara, Guwahati in order to cooperate and strengthen the Bodoland movement of the Boro Indigenous People of Assam.

March 16, 2000 : The secretary and some of the active ICITP volunteers attended the valedictory session of Pork Processing training at Assam Agriculture University, Khanapara, organised by jointly by Tribal Welfare Society (TWS), New Delhi and ICITP-NEZ which was sponsored by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India.