SHILLONG, JUNE 25: Former chief minister and State Planning Board (SPB) chairman Salseng C Marak is upset that chief minister Mukul Sangma has not convene a single meeting to discuss the Garo hills violent situation and felt that deploying additional security forces is not the answer but engaging the militant groups in a dialogue might be the best option to bring back normalcy in the region.
Marak left for Garo hills Tuesday and will be visiting all the violence affected areas.
Marak told this website on Tuesday after the law and order situation in Garo hills got worse as Friday killing of one person and the Tura carnage followed by the massacre of eight labourers in South Garo hills, “ We must do something to bring back normalcy in Garo hills.”
Marak- who was the first chief minister to complete his five years term as chief minister after late Capt WA Sangma said, “Situation in Garo Hills is not good and the government will have to act to bring back normalcy in the hills”.
Marak is in favour of calling all the militant groups for talk and try to understand what they want. He said, “Holding dialogue is the best mean to understand the problem and then try to solve it.” He was the opinion that bringing back peace in Garo hill will have to be a combine effort of the government and the people.
When Marak was chief minister he brought the militant outfit styled as ALMA to the negotiating table and paving the way for their surrender. But he still seems to be little disappointed by that fact that two of the ALMA leaders escape from the jail just when they were about to release as the Assam government had asked for their custody as they had criminal case pending in that state. But Marak informed that he had spoken to late Hiteshwar Saikia, who was then Assam chief minister, who had agreed not to press for handing them over to Assam government.
However even as Marak negotiating with Saikia, the two led by Zoram fled and later formed the ANVC.-By Our Reporter
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