PRESS RELEASE

............A Goodwill and Peace Mission, comprising several Civil Society organizations and prominent individuals went to violence hit areas of Udalguri and Darrang Districts of Assam on 10 th of October 2008 to draw a first hand impression of the humanitarian crisis and to appeal for peace and harmony and early restoration of normalcy among the people of the affected areas. The organizations and persons represented in the group included:-

• Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples North East Zone (ICITP-NEZ), Guwahati;
• All Dimasa Students’ Union (ADSU), Haflong;
• All Koch-Rajbanshi Students’ Union (AKRSU), Bongaigaon;
• Kamrup Chamber of Commerce, Guwahati;
• Nagaland Gandhi Ashram; Panbari Manas National Park Protection and Eco-tourism Society (PMNPPES);
• Churches’ Auxiliary Social Action (CASA), Guwahati;
• Grassroots Option, Shillong;
• North East Diocesan Social Forum, Guwahati;
• Women’s Development Center, Guwahati ;
• Action Aid, Guwahati;
• Panbari Manas national Park Protection and Ecotourism Society, Panbari, Bijni, BTC
• Catholic Relief Service, Guwahati;
• Caritas India, Guwahati;
• Dan Church Aid, South Asia Regional Office, New Delhi.

As a token of the teams concern for the violence hit people a small consignment of relief material was also carried and presented.

The delegations visited six relief camps in the two districts cutting across all communities and interacted with the inmates of the relief camps to understand of the immediate problems and needs. The team also tried to comprehend the concerns with regard to safety and early restoration of normalcy in their lives. The relief camps visited by the team are as follows:-

1. Udalguri College .
2. Udalguri Girls’ Higher Secondary School
3. Bellow Chaobari L. P. School .
4. Karaibari UN Brahma M.E.School
5. Boro Bazar High School and
6. Burigaon Power Sub Station Relief Camp

The mission having visited the affected areas and having absorbed the experience of the violence affected communities clearly understood that extremism of any group and violence is highly detrimental to wellbeing of society. The mission strongly condemned the violence that occurred and appeals to all sections of people to refrain from indulging in acts of violence.

While the mission recognized the relief efforts of all concerned it was felt that basic amenities in the relief camp require immediate improvement. Anxiety, fear and insecurity is prevailing in all sections of the population and people have lost confidence in authority so Confidence Building measures need to be taken up immediately.

The mission would like to suggest the followings:-

1. To enhance security measures in the areas where possibility of violence exist through visible presence and movement of security personnel;
2. As a priority measures should be taken to allow communities to harvest their crops with out fear;
3. Steps for safe and secured return and rehabilitation of affected people should be initiated by creating a congenial atmosphere;
4. Humanitarian aid as per the relief code of the government should be provided to all affected families as deemed necessary by the communities themselves;
5. We appeal to the media to portray a clear and restrained picture of the events to prevent rumours and misinformation which may heighten the prevailing tension;
6. Government and Civil Society should actively come forward to create conditions for peace and harmony across the state so as to prevent such out break of violence in near future;

While concluding this statement the mission was delighted to receive information from the Christian Coordination Committee, Udalguri that people from both sides of the divide are harvesting their crops in some pockets.