Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 31
As the disease that spread among the Naga people living in Burma (Myanmar) still remains to be contained, two Naga initiatives have made sure that medical aid of some kind has reached their Naga brethren beyond the border.
It may be recalled that a measles-like disease has been spreading through several Naga villages in Myanmar resulting in the death of 82 persons, with the probability of the toll rising. The disease has predominantly affected the Lahe and Nanyun townships in the Naga Self Administered Zones.
Times such as these signify how international boundaries have become barriers to be scaled with special will and the ability to organize.
Angami Baptist Churches
Council (ABCC)
In early August, the ABCC became the first organization to attempt to reach out with antibiotics and fever medicines. A few ABCC workers were sent to Noklak with the medicines in order to transport them to Lahe, but they were stopped by the Myanmar police. “We were asked not to move in and out of the border areas at the moment,” said Atsie Dolie, General Secretary of the ABCC.
Finally, the ABCC workers arranged for the medicines to be picked up from Ponyu, the first village in the Lahe Township of the Naga Self Administered Zone after crossing the Indo-Burma border from Noklak in Tuensang district. “Some NGOs had talked about sending help, so we waited, but since nothing was happening we hurriedly put forward our efforts,” said Dolie. He was later contacted by one other group, as mentioned below, of people who had been on stand-by with their efforts ever since the news spread.
Tangkhuls for Nagas in Myanmar
On August 23, a group of young journalists, activists and missionaries from Ukhrul set out with several cartons full of medicines and nutrition packs to the affected people in Myanmar.
Put together as an emergency response to the epidemic, the ‘Tangkhuls for Nagas in Myanmar’ reached Longwa in Nagaland’s Mon district on August 25. They acted in response to a call for help from the Council of Naga Affairs (Myanmar) and Naga Students and Youth Federation (Myanmar).
Due to the omnipresent “law and order” situation at the border areas, the medicines were received by members of the Naga Cultural Committee (Yuya) at Longwa who came on bikes to collect the medicines across the border to be delivered to a dispensary in Lahe. This was arranged by the CNA—the whole operation was carried out with advice from the Eastern Naga People’s Organisation and extensive support of the Konyak Union as well as the Eastern Naga Students’ Association, making it a unique collaboration.
We can go only if GoM invites
us officially: Nagaland Govt
Meanwhile, the Government of Nagaland said that it is prepared to tackle the disease—only if it crosses the border. “Our department is fully prepared to tackle the situation if it comes to our side of the border,” said P Longon, Nagaland State Minister for Health and Family Welfare. “We can go only if the Government of Myanmar invites us officially,” he noted, however, acknowledging the lack of both medical facilities and roads would have made it difficult to reach the affected areas in Myanmar anyway.
‘Frustrated’ by NLD govt response to Naga crisis: CNA
The Council of Naga Affairs (CNA) that has been at the helm of organizing relief for the disease hit people in Myanmar has stated that it is “frustrated” by the attitude of the elected NLD government in Myanmar towards the Naga areas.
CNA Spokesperson, Ke Jung, informed The Morung Express that despite the outbreak of the epidemic as early as in April, authorities in Myanmar responded only by the first week of August. The Health Department confirmed on August 28 that Lahe Township has been affected by Measles but the disease in Nanyun is yet to be diagnosed.
“There is no medical staff or clinics in the Naga villages. The new government is weak in management. They can’t even form an emergency committee to combat this situation. Either that or they are neglecting the Nagas,” he maintained.
It may be noted that during a sharing session with the visiting team to Longwa, members from the Naga Yuya mentioned that different types of diseases break out during the monsoon season in the Naga areas every year. The lack of hygiene and sanitation was stated to be one of the main reasons for the spread of such diseases, coupled with malnutrition.
“For now people need urgent humanitarian assistance in terms of medical care and effective treatment, but in the long run a separate budget for rural healthcare. A food crisis has also hit the region since March. It is difficult for us to reach the people on time due to the condition of the roads—these conditions can only be resolved by the government,” asserted Ke Jung.
The CNA stated that it had also appealed to the Government of Nagaland for help but did not receive a response on the matter. “It is very unfortunate that our brothers and sisters from west cannot come inside to help our people due to the complexity of diplomatic process and unwanted feeling from the elected government,” noted the CNA Spokesperson, acknowledging the initiative of the Tangkhuls for Nagas in Myanmar. To make it easier, “We asked Sagaing Region Government to allow our people from west to provide medical aid. But it has been so difficult for them consider this option. Besides, the fighting between NSCN-K and para commandos inside Burma had made things more difficult.”
Asking also for the Myanmar army to be “airlifted” out of the region as they were a “hindrance to relief work,” the CNA advocated for the government to allow international aid organizations to work in the Naga areas.
