NE organisations to celebrate World Indigenous Peoples' Day

Itanagar, Aug 4 (UNI) As a follow-up to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), six organisations from Northeast have decided to celebrate World Indigenous Peoples' Day (WIPD) here on August 9.

The organisations- All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU), All Nyishi Students' Union (ANSU), Arunachal Citizens' Right (ACR), Galo Welfare Society (GWS), North East Students' Organisation (NESO) and Nefa Indigenous Human Rights Organisation (NIHRO) would host various programmes to mark the occasion, organisational sources informed.

These organisations have appealed to the civil societies in the State to participate in the celebration in order to promote and protect the indigenous rights as recognised and declared by the United Nations.

The UN declaration was inked on the basic principle of right to self determination. In the context of Arunachal Pradesh the declaration in a way validates and strengthens the Bengal Eastern frontier Regulation 1873, the Chini Hills Act of 1896 and Verrier Elwin's model of developing the erstwhile NEFA, the sources said.

While demanding the Centre to upgrade the Guwahati International Airport and link it directly with the South East Asian countries in the true spirit of the Centre's Look East Policy, the organisations also suggested the respective State governments of the NE states to take initiative for setting up a foreign language institute in the region to benefit the people.

They appealed the Arunachal Pradesh government for early completion of proposed Green Field Airport here which would connect the State with the rest of the world, the sources added.

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