By Ariana Zarleen / Burma Link

Shapwon is a leader of the Naga, a forgotten people who have fought a desperate struggle against the Indian and Burmese governments as well as Naga socialists. In a land where all who speak out the truth are brutally murdered, how did this outspoken leader survive? This is part 2 of his story.

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[/fusion_fontawesome]They reconstructed my face again in India

Bear attacked me in 1995 August. I went to the jungle… That bear was eating rotten meat. The villagers had shot a jungle boar, and it was wounded and ran away and died in the jungle. It was being eaten by the bear.

When I came to that place, in defence of his food, it comes and attacks me. The skin on my face falls down, all this face falls down. I was thinking that maybe I am finished today. So I should pray to God that oh God forgive my sins and take my soul. I said these two things. Then the bear left me alone and went away.

I was alone, so I came up to the village. It took three hours to reach the village. It was a long way. I could walk as normal, I think God gave me strength to walk. When I reached the village, all the villagers were away at their fields. Only two or three were staying in the village. I had stitching materials, and my wife told the villagers to stitch my wound. But the wound was so big, no one dared to touch my wound. So they couldn’t stitch, they did not stitch. I told the villagers: You carry me up to the hospital.

The nearest hospital was in Noklak. That is a small town in Nagaland on the Indo-Burma border. From that village it takes four days to reach Noklak. Four days they carried me up to the hospital, and we slept in the jungle. Slowly they carried me and finally we reached the Noklak hospital. I was there for more than two months.

I could not go to a good hospital like Kohima or Dimapur, because to pass Tuensang Town was a grave danger for my life. In Tuensang Town, the Isak-Muivah group*** who were after my life, had a strong hold and they checked vehicles. They knew I was in Noklak Hospital and I may go to Kohima or Dimapur for better medical treatment.

It was lucky for me; a prayer group came to Noklak with three vehicles in the last week of October 1995. One of Naga national leaders Mr. Lhouvitsü came along with the prayer group to bring me to Kohima Hospital. We started the journey early in the morning before dawn, so that we could cross Tuensang before sunrise. As we travelled we were praying we could pass Tuensang without any checking by either Indian Army or NSCN