| Watch the special
investigation carried out by CNN-IBN
"India's Hidden Wars"...today
onwards in all news bulletins
New Delhi October 3, 2006: CNN IBN will
telecast an exclusive series of news stories called 'India's Hidden Wars' till
October 14. Shot over four weeks in different inaccessible locations in North-East
India, the CNN IBN Special Investigation Team (SIT) travelled and trekked to the
camps of various insurgent groups for a first-hand account the 'Hidden Wars' in
India's North-East. 'Hidden' because the conflict situation in
North-East India hardly finds news-space in mainstream India. The reportage on
ethnic conflicts and insurgency movements in the North-East is minimal. CNN IBN
in an effort to correct this imbalance of marginalization of the problems and
issues facing the North-Eastern states mounted a special investigation of the
conflict issues in the region. The brief was to reflect the ground realities of
the conflict transparently and that is what 'India's Hidden Wars' will attempt
starting tomorrow. 'India's Hidden Wars' is a series of exclusive
news stories showcasing first time visuals of insurgent camps in the North East
and along the India-Myanmar border and exclusive interviews. The series begin
with reportage on the National Socialist Council of Nagalim, Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM).
For the first time since NSCN (IM) began negotiating with the Government of India,
senior NSCN-IM leadership in Nagaland revealed details about its peace talks with
the government. 'India's Hidden Wars' will give out details of NSCN-IM's peace
proposal. The series will also spell out the position of the Nagas in case the
peace talks fail. 'India's Hidden Wars' will also telecast later
in the week Sanayaima's dramatic first ever interview to a TV news channel in
which he spells out the strategies of the United National Liberation Front in
the next five years. Sanayaima, chairman of UNLF, revealed clearly his agenda
for an 'independent' Manipur by disclosing the military and political plans of
the UNLF. These dramatic revelations of Sanayaima to take the war being waged
by UNLF's armed wing, Manipur People's Army (MPA), "out of the jungles and
to the cities", will be aired as part of 'India's Hidden Wars' exclusive
series. The series will also feature reportage on MPA camps along the India-Myanmar
border and how it functions and operates. An exclusive story detailing
the intricacies of Manipur's ethnic wars including exclusive reports on the Kuki
National Army and its political aspirations, the demand for a Kukiland within
the Indian Union, will also be telecast in 'India's Hidden Wars'. The CNN IBN
Special Investigation Team also caught up with the Bodos at Udalgiri in Assam
to report on their activities and their quest for a Bodoland within the Indian
Union. Though the Bodos do not carry arms in their camps, they are constantly
updating their training manuals and guerilla warfare tactics. The CNN IBN Special
Investigation Team found them restless, edgy and frustrated because of the delay
in the commencement of negotiations with the government of India. The National
Democratic Front of Bodoland and the Kuki National Army recently extended the
ceasefires and are waiting to the Government of India to begin talks. But CNN
IBN Special Investigation Team found that the Kukis continue to remain armed to
protect themselves from the NSCN (IM) and UNLF cadres, whereas their ethnic rivals
claim that this is a ploy by the Indian government to keep the embers of ethnic
rivalries simmering. Finally, the series will also have exclusive stories on the
United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). | 
