By Ariana Zarleen / Burma Link

Shapwon is a leader of the Naga. He joined the nationalist movement in 1975 and is now the Joint Secretary of Naga National Council. He is a leader who is still miraculously alive after all his colleagues have been wiped out by Indian and Burmese forces as well as Naga socialists. For decades, numerous groups have tried to assassinate Shapwon in this present day head hunt. His love for his people has caused him great suffering, but there is no other way this brave leader could have chosen to live. This is part 1 of Shapwon’s story – Nothing short of a Hollywood thriller.

 

[/fusion_fontawesome]Those who are doing wrong, they want to eliminate me

I’m from the Eastern part of Nagaland, Sagaing Division on the Burmese political map. I was born on December 21, 1949.

I joined the Naga National Council (NNC) because I love my people, and I don’t want our country to be dominated by other nations. I want to fight against other nations who come to dominate our people. I decided already when I was a student that when I get my education I will give back to my people. That was my decision.

Since 1967 many of our Naga soldiers went to China. That is when we came to know that our soldiers are there to defend our country. I was interested to work with them and to work for my people so I joined the nationalist movement.I started working as a civil officer for the NNC. Now I am the Joint Secretary of Naga National Council.***

I have faced a lot of danger, a lot of problems, and a lot of difficulty. I have been speaking out what is the truth. So those who are doing wrong, they want to eliminate me.

 

[/fusion_fontawesome]There was heavy rainfall, so they couldn’t see my footprints

In 1977, the Burmese Army carried out heavy operation in my Heimi Region to kill me or capture me alive. They made three operation groups from east, west and north to give me no escape route. They tried to kill me.

They even offered the village leaders a handsome reward to nab me and hand over to them. In Gaye village, the village leaders attempted to capture me and my two soldiers at midnight. At first in the beginning these villagers also did not know what I’m working for. So obeying this Burmese army, they attempted to capture me.

Before these village leaders had been very friendly with me. But the next time I went there they were speaking very differently from the other day. And I knew that in that area the Burmese were attempting to arrest me dead or alive. I was thinking that these people, their mood was very different from the other day, so something must have happened that day. I thought the villagers might bring the Burmese army in to capture us.

I told my boys: We should be careful tonight. Both of the village leaders are no good now. We have to sleep vigilantly. We should not take off our equipment and our guns should be loaded. And your rucksack should be kept as a pillow without opening it. They think that we are tired and maybe sleeping like dead.

At night they came to arrest us. I heard a sound crock crock crock crock, boots, like people going around in the resident. The enemy surrounded us so I woke my boys up. I looked in front of the house, where I saw two men squatted down. I thought they were Burmese Army soldiers and opened fired upon them, and jumped out from the house and took a position to fire more at them before I retreat. But then, unexpectedly, a village leader shouted villagers, villagers! After that I told the boys let’s go!

We took some rice and we ran away from that village. It took about one hour from that village to Haman village. We prepared food and again left the village before dawn. We told the village headman, we will go to Kaishan village. But if Burmese army asks you, you shouldn’t tell directly that we ran away to Kaishan side, but you should lie to them that we went to Hakhum side, right side. Don’t tell exactly where we are going, I told this headman.

After we left, like one mile after, we didn’t go right or left side, but straight to the jungle. The headman maybe told them that I went to either side, so the enemy also went there. That day there was heavy rainfall, so they couldn’t see my footprints. So I could escape from them.

But then when I approached another village, they told me: Hi! My younger brother, how did you reach here again? The Burmese army is here, in the field! Go away at once, just now! You cannot sleep in the village. So I ran away to the jungle again, at night.

 

[/fusion_fontawesome]The blood of Naga will run like a river

In 1978, Muivah, the General Secretary of Naga National Council at the time, wanted to form a socialist government. And he wanted to overthrow the leadership of Phizo. At that time our leader Phizo was the president of Naga National Council, and he was in London.

Muivah went to China in October 1976, after he had formed a new government on the pattern of socialism in August 1976. He called it one party, one government. Or centralized government, he said. Yet, it was still under the aegis of Naga National Council. In China, in 1977, he openly advocated to adopt socialism and to overthrow Phizo’s leadership. But most of the Naga army officers did not support Muivah’s policy to form socialist government and to overthrow the leadership of Phizo. So from there, they were divided into two; those who supported Muivah’s policy and those who did not support it.

After they came back in 1978, Muivah again openly advocated to form socialist government and to overthrow Phizo’s leadership. We said no, you are a leader, you have to think twice. If we form socialist government then there will be division among the Naga people and maybe they will fight each other. Then the blood of Naga will run like a river. So, you should consider all these things, we told Muivah openly in the meeting. But Muivah did not take our advice.

 

[/fusion_fontawesome]I am one of the top people on their lists to be killed

In August 1978, Muivah adopted a resolution to overthrow Phizo’s leadership. After that the army officers who didn’t support Muivah’s policy declared martial law and they put Muivah and Isak under house arrest. After Muivah and Isak were released in May 1979, they came to our headquarters. After that Muivah and Isak convinced some Naga army officers to join them, in the last part of 1979, they started killing all those who did not support socialism.

At that time I was lucky because I was sent to go to Kohima in Western Nagaland to meet with veteran Naga national leaders. In August 1979, when I was on my way to Kohima, the Indian police arrested me. I was in the lockup when my friends were killed by Muivah and Isak in Eastern Nagaland.