Manipur economic blockade suspended

A 49-day-old "economic blockade" imposed by Naga students' unions on the national highways in Manipur would be "suspended" from 12 noon tomorrow, sources said today.

In view of appeals by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, the All-Naga Students Association, Manipur, (ANSAM) and the Naga Students Federation (NSF), decided to suspend the blockade, which had severely affected movement of trucks, particularly on the Guwahati-Imphal National Highway No 39, the sources close to the student bodies said.

The decision was taken at a joint meeting of the ANSAM and the NSF in Kohima during the day, sources said. The NSF and the ANSAM consulted NGOs before taking the decision, sources said.

The ANSAM had called the economic blockade since June 22 in protest against a Manipur government decision declaring June 18 a holiday every year to observe "state integrity day."

The ANSAM has said the government decision was against their plan for unification of the Nagas. The blockade, however, did not affect movement of trucks along the Silchar-Imphal National Highway 53, official sources said.

Army was called to stage a flag march in Shillong as curfew was extended to the entire town for an indefinite period from 6 pm today in view of the rally called tomorrow by a women's organisation whose 12-hour general strike paralysed life here for the second today.

Army was called in only for flag march and CRPF platoons, including women, have already arrived, the police chief of East Khasi Hills district AR Mawthoh said.

"The situation is under control," he said. Mawthoh said security personnel dispersed a group of women who attempted to take out a rally at Laban area in the afternoon.

But there was no untoward incident.