CM accused of money laundering

Source: Nagaland Post. > Eleven days into the tussle for power between rival NPF group led by G Kaito Aye and backed by Nagaland MP (Lok Sabha) Neiphiu Rio and chief minister T R Zeliang backed by NPF president Dr. Shürhozelie, the political fight has become more personal with the NPF(Kaito group) making serious allegations of money laundering against the chief minister through “illegal international money transfers” to the tune of Rs. 78.66 crore and Dr. Shürhozelie supporting the “exchange of enormous amounts of black money”.This startling revelation was made in a joint statement issued NPF president (Kaito group) Noke Wangnao and the legislature party leader Kaito Aye which handed to the media by secretary general(Kaito group) Abu Metha, Thursday here at Sovima villa. The members of the group however, refused to take any questions from the media. The documents given to media, revealed that an amount of 70, 00, 000 (Singapore Dollars) was transferred to the recipient - T R Zeliang on August 16, 2014 in Royal Bank of Canada (Hong Kong) by a sender, named Ramasamy Veeran. Also another amount of 1, 00, 08,500 (Singapore dollars) was shown as transferred to the account of T.R. Zeliang’s wife, Kevizenuo Rangkau, on September 26, 2014, on account or IBAN number 7200078652341677 in RHB Bank BHD. The sender’s name as mentioned was Raguvaran Murali, having account number 307682342516 and the sender’s contact person named as Ramasamy Veeran, with contact number 00622183793105.  Noke Wangnao (president) and G. Kaito Aye (legislature party leader) claimed that the first transaction in Indian currency (as per current exchange rate) amounted to Rs. 32, 37, 50, 000 while the second transaction amounted to Rs. 46, 28, 93, 125. The second transaction was purportedly verified and signed by one Chang Leo, said to be the present assistant vice president of the bank. In another document, the details of “discussions and conversations” were done through an international roaming number 90068916 (service provider Star Hub, a Singapore based telecommunication company) registered in the name of T.R. Zeliang. In the document, T.R.Zeliang’s address in Singapore was mentioned as- Loffi Apartment, 1st Floor, No. 3 Dickson Road, Singapore-209530. The itemized call details with the time and dates of the phone calls made were also mentioned. Noke and Kaito claimed that the “illegal money” were used to “lure MLAs and party workers” to favour Zeliang . They also accused a “syndicate of few ministers and politicians” of secretly running the affairs of the state and “making unbelievable amounts of money for their personal gains”. The two accused the syndicate of “selling the state and the rights of the Naga people” and carrying out international money transfers and “moving black money which is being kept in foreign bank accounts”. They said transfer and movement of black money was not only illegal but also a direct admission of corruption besides a threat on national security of the nation. The two leaders also said the matter should be investigated by competent authorities of the country so that those responsible werr punished as per the law of the land. They have demanded the immediate removal of T.R.Zeliang as chief minister since the “ shocking revelations” and his involvement in “corruption and transferring of black money” has been made public. The two also claimed that the exposure was over and above the fact that Zeliang has lost the majority of NPF and DAN MLAs. Further, they asked legislators “under confinement” and not involved in these illegal kickbacks” to judge such actions for themselves and “denounce this sell-out vehemently”. Taking a dig at Zeliang, the signatories maintained that he was not only a “minority chief minister” but also a chief minister who has been “selling Nagaland and the rights of the Naga people for his own personal gains”. Both Noke and Kaito also claimed they still have “several more revelations” to be brought on public domain on how Zeliang was involved in “high corruption” and how he has been releasing hundreds of crores as payments to selected contractors for his self gain. They said while Zeliang has been harping of the state’s deficit and financial crisis, he continued to release funds wherever he benefitted. They alleged, that within just a few months, the chief minister accumulated hundreds of crores and was solely concentrated on making money, as he knew from the first day he became chief minister, that his days were numbered. The two also alleged that Zeliang had been clearing dozens of files everyday and making “crores and crores” of payments under “illegal circumstances” while “keeping all his few MLAs and ministers under forced confinement” at de Oriental Grand Hotel, Kohima. They also pointed out that ministers, parliamentary secretaries, advisers and chairmen supporting Kaito Aye had tendered their resignations against the “illegal, unconstitutional and dictatorial orders of the erstwhile NPF president Dr. Shurhozelie” and because T.R.Zeliang was “now in the clear minority”. However, they said though Zeliang had not accepted the resignations, he was “misusing his position” to clear files of the departments held by the former ministers and parliamentary secretaries. The two leaders assured the people of Nagaland that they will fix responsibility and punish Zeliang as per the law of the land once a “popular government” was installed in the state. Further, they warned that any bureaucrat or politician who obeyed the “illegal instructions of the minority chief minister” would be held responsible for their actions. On the chief minister’s recent meeting with government officers and bureaucrats, the duo said the meeting was to “justify his embarrassing loss of confidence by the elected members” and a “clear sign” of Zeliang’s inability and present minority position. They accused Zeliang of not only demeaning the office of the chief minister but also bringing disrepute to the entire establishment by carrying out an “immature and childish action”. The brief press meet was also attended by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs -Neiphiu Rio and Khekiho Zhimomi-respectively.

The bodies keep piling up: From Kenya to Iraq shocking new images show how a wave of Islamist carnage has signalled a new era of barbaric terror across the world

• Images of Iraqi men being shot dead in a ditc h by ISIS militants shock world
• Taliban insurgents hack off fingers of 11 men for voting in general election
• Search continues for three Israeli teens kidnapped by Hamas in Palestine
• Kenya attack happened as residents watched World Cup matches last night
• Authorities have blamed al-Shabab, Somalia's al-Qaida-linked terror group
• Assault happened in Mpeketoni which is 60 miles from Somali border

Somali militants have shot dead at least 48 people after attacking two hotels and a police station in a small Kenyan coastal resort as locals were watching the World Cup. 

The attack in Mpeketoni, which is about 30-miles southwest of the tourist centre of Lamu, came at the end of a weekend of bloodshed that has exposed the world to the shocking depravity of terrorists who appear emboldened by each other's acts. 

The string of bloodthirsty atrocities, spanning two continents from Kenya to Iraq, has raised the spectre of a new era of barbaric terror sweeping the globe.

Kenya: Residents look at slain bodies of people killed when unidentified gunmen attacked the coastal Kenyan town of Mpeketoni - the latest in a string of Islamic militant attacks across two continents that have shocked the world

    Iraq: Images of Iraqi men being rounded up at gunpoint, beaten, herded into lorries and shot dead in a ditch in
    the desert by a row of masked ISIS fanatics sent shockwaves across the world.

Afghanistan: Taliban insurgents sliced off the fingers of 11 people as punishment for voting in Afghanistan¿s democratic presidential election while 60 people were killed in a series of rocket barrages and scattered attacks.

Palestine: Israeli soldiers arrest Abdel Aziz Dweik (left) - speaker of the Palestinian parliament and a senior Hamas figure - at his home during a huge military operation to search for three missing Israeli teenagers.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the space of just three days:

• Images of Iraqi men being rounded up at gunpoint, beaten, herded into lorries and shot dead in a ditch in the desert by a row of masked ISIS fanatics sent shockwaves across the world.
• Taliban insurgents sliced off the fingers of 11 people as punishment for voting in Afghanistan’s democratic presidential election while 60 people were killed in a series of rocket barrages and scattered attacks
• The desperate search continued for three Israeli teenagers allegedly kidnapped by Hamas militants as more than 150 suspects were arrested in relation to the abduction.

Over the past month, the world's media has been awash with gruesome images depicting insurgent barbarism whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kenya, Palestine or Syria.

The terror groups behind these acts appear to relish their growing publicity, increasingly courting online platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to promote their hate-filled agendas of murder and oppression.

In Kenya, authorities have blamed al-Shabab, Somalia's al-Qaida-linked terror group, for last night's atrocity.

Death toll rising: Authorities have blamed al-Shabab, Somalia's al-Qaida-linked terror group, for last night's atrocity in Kenya.

Rio takes charge of issues in Parliament

Nagaland’s lone Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, Neiphiu Rio took oath as an MP on June 5. According to a press note issued by PRO, Nagaland House, New Delhi, Rio has been meeting a number of leaders and ministers in New Delhi after taking oath. He met Union Home Minister and National BJP President Rajnath Singh, in a meeting with whom he highlighted the need for early resolution of the Naga political issue. He also met and impressed upon Union Minister of State (Home) Kiren Rijuju to expedite the peace process and work towards early resolution of the political problem.

Later Rio met Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Sarbananda Sonowal and highlighted the need to promote sports and youth activities, create employment and entrepreneur opportunities and promote youth empowerment. Rio stressed on the urgent need to promote youth of the North Eastern region and address the problems being faced by the people of the North East in the rest of the country, especially in metropolitan cities. 

Urges support for 
resolution to Naga issue 
Participating in the ongoing parliament session immediately after the election of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Rio congratulated the newly elected Speaker, Sumitra Mahajan. Rio extended felicitations on behalf of Nagaland, the Naga People’s Front and the North East Regional Parties Front to the Speaker.

He assured cooperation to the Chair while urging upon her support in bringing about peace and resolution of the Naga political problem. He stressed that Nagaland is fifty years old, that he was the lone MP in the House and that the Naga political problem needed to be seriously discussed and addressed.

It was also informed that senior leaders, including both the MPs from Sikkim, Rajya Sabha MP, S. Reddy, senior officers and representatives of NGOs and civil societies have called on Rio. 

Highlights poor air connectivity 
The Lok Sabha MP has taken up the issue of poor air connectivity in Nagaland with the Prime Minister and the Union Civil Aviation Minister. In a letter addressed to the PM, Rio stated, “at present, only Air India is operating in Dimapur with five flights a week to Kolkata via Dibrugarh. In this regard there is an urgent need to increase air services to Dimapur and also introduce new flights in this sector in the greater interest of the people.”

The letter further informed that the Dimapur Airport is in very poor condition and its facilities need to be immediately improved and upgraded. At present the aircraft that is operating in the Dimapur sector is very old and regularly faces technical problems and therefore this concern also needs to be addressed urgently, the letter stated.

Rio suggested some immediate actions to be taken up by the Government of India like introduction of direct flights from Delhi to Dimapur and Dimapur to Delhi via Kolkata, introduction of Dimapur – Guwahati – Kolkata flights and improvement of Dimapur Airport facilities.

Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and Neiphiu Rio together met the Civil Aviation Minister, Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, in New Delhi today to highlight the connectivity problems of the State. They also met Union DONER Minister Gen. VK Singh. 

ACAUT asks Excise Commissioner to shut down liquor shops in 24 hours

The Against Corruption And Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland has requested Commissioner of Excise, Maongwati Aier, to “kindly shut down within 24 hours the major places selling liquor illegally in town.” These have been noted by the ACAUT to be all the wine-shops near Axis Bank, Faith Hospital junction, Khermahal Junction, Super Market area, Signal Angami area, etc., masquerading either as mineral water outlets or restaurants; all the wine-shops at Deluxe Point/Bata Charali area, Eros line area, etc., masquerading as family restaurants, and all the so-called bars and pubs, hotels, restaurants in town, including those located opposite SP office and Popular Bakery area.

“Unless the Commissioner takes action within 24 hours under Clauses 35, 36, 37, Chapter-4 of The Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989 where the department is EMPOWERED to ENTER, SEARCH, make SEIZURE and ARREST, it would be an open admission before the Naga people that selling/serving of IMFL/beer in a prohibited state is possible simply because the connivance of the department at the highest level with the mafia elements trading in IMFL/beer,” noted the ACAUT in a press release from its media cell today. Failure to implement the above, it maintained, shall be construed as “abdicating responsibility” and the Commissioner Excise should resign.

Further, on the issuing of a show-cause notice to a sub-ordinate officer of the Department by the Excise Commissioner, the ACAUT stated that this was a case of “the pot calling the kettle black” since the “whole Excise department is awash with corruption and the Commissioner himself is responsible.” Instead of suspending a few low-level erring officers, the ACAUT urged the Government of Nagaland to “take a tough stance and initiate action against all erring officers.”

With regards to the Excise Commissioner’s statement that “ACAUT Nagaland members did not seek permission from the Excise department for counting the IMFL bottles,” the ACAUT wondered if “the Commissioner takes permission from illegal wine-shop owners and bootleggers before conducting surprise checking and raids, if at all such takes place.” It asked the Excise Department to clarify what it has done to “curb this mockery” wherein spurious IMFL/beer are sold at prominent places in town right under the nose of the department. 

Nagaland is rich in gold, says geologist

"There's gold in them thar hills" was a promotional campaign that ran in Georgia in the US for almost a century from the 1830s and this could well apply to the Naga Hills straddling India and Myanmar, which are a promising place to prospect for the yellow metal, according to a geologist who has worked extensively there.The discovery that can potentially put Nagaland on the gold map has been reported by Naresh Ghose, a retired geology professor of Patna University in the journal Current Science. His conclusion has emerged from an intensive study of rocks called "ophiolites" found in that region.Ophiolites are slices of what were once the ocean floor but were thrust on to the continental crust more than 65 million years ago by the action of what geologists call plate tectonics, a mechanism that gave rise to the Himalayas.The hill ranges of Nagaland and Manipur bordering Myanmar are one such place on earth where an ancient oceanic crust had emerged on the land as a result of collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate.The Naga Hills Ophiolite (NHO), as this region is called, consists of a variety of sedimentary rocks. Though the NHO was discovered in the 1970s its potential as a source of minerals was not realised till the 1980s when Ghose launched the study.According to Ghose, the inaccessible nature of the terrain and lack of infrastructure are among the major constraints for undertaking a systematic study and exploitation of the NHO. Ghose says his preliminary study has brought to light the occurrence of gold in NHO in the native as well as in alloy form.Ghose's study dealt with rocks exposed as ophiolite at the northern and eastern margin of India along the suture zone where India and Eurasia collided to form the Himalayan mountain range. About 1,200 thin sections of rocks collected from across the NHO by his students were analyzed using instruments at the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in Bangalore and were found to contain grains of both native gold and gold-silver alloy, the report said.Gold mineralization in layered sections of Ophiolites "opens a new avenue for searching for primary gold in NHO," Ghose told IANS.According to the report, gold in pure form and also as gold-silver alloy, is found to occur near Sutsu, a village in Phek district about 60 kilometres from Nagaland capital Kohima. Small, detached lenses or larger bodies of "gabbros" (igneous rocks) are encountered between Tizu River gorge and Lacham Lake in the central part of ophiolite belt. The largest body of ophiolite - three km in length, 2.5 km in width and 300 metres thick - is present east of Moki, the report said.Ghose said that sediments in the northern and central parts of the ophiolite belt are favourable sites for exploration and prospecting of noble metals. Similarly, a search for placer deposits in the Tizu River and its tributaries flowing across the northern part of the ophiolite belt "is also favoured as an alternative prospect of secondary gold".According to GSI, India now produces gold from Hutti, Uti and Hirabuddni mines in Karnataka and as by product from sulphide deposits of Khetri in Rajasthan and Mosabani, Singhbhum and Kundrekocha in Jharkhand. The Puga geothermal system is a "hot spring type" epithermal gold deposit in the making in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.Ghose said that the ophiolitic rocks of mantle and oceanic crust parentage at the continental plate margin in northeast India "have vast potential for intensive research and economic growth".However, the extent of gold reserves in Nagaland cannot be predicted on the basis of his preliminary study. "It calls for a more detailed geophysical and geochemical studies," Ghosh added.

NCP Nagaland chief declines to become MARCOFED chairman

Kohima: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Nagaland unit president Imtilemba Sangtam has declined chief minister T R Zeling's offer to become the chairman of MARCOFED, a state government undertaking. Conveying "gratefulness" that two of his party members were inducted as parliamentary secretaries with various portfolios, he, however, said "it is very unfortunate that the Naga People's Front (NFP) leadership did not consult with the NCP authorities while selecting the NCP members to be inducted under the DAN 3 ministry."