Meghalaya govt ready to resume peace talks with HNLC: Tynsong

Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home, Prestone Tynsong said that the government is ready to resuming peace talks with the proscribed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC).
The HNLC, a militant group in Meghalaya, withdrew from the tripartite peace talks with the Centre and the state government in January 2024, citing “general demands and general amnesty” to their cadres have not been met.
“Door to talks with the HNLC is still open and the government is ready to talk to them. It is up to them to decide. If they want to contact us, we are ready,” Tynsong told reporters on Wednesday.
On the recent surrender of two HNLC cadres to the Meghalaya Police, he said, “Their decision to surrender was because they realised that being in the outfit would not lead them anywhere.”
The two HNLC cadres – Dibarius Jyrwa (32) and Ridor Lyngdoh Nonglait (30) – who escaped from HNLC’s hideout in Bangladesh, cited frustration over being assigned only menial and cultivation-related tasks for over 15 months.
Appealing to other HNLC members to surrender, Tynsong highlighted the benefits of rejoining the mainstream.
“I appeal to other members also to kindly follow the footsteps of the two persons, who recently surrendered before the police,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Reacting to HNLC’s threat against a pharmacy owner in the Shillong city, Tynsong assured that the government would protect citizens and ensure that the law prevails.
“Nobody can take the law into their own hands. Let the law prevail. Whether HNLC or anybody who just gives that kind of threat, the government is there to protect them,” he said, adding that the authorities are alert to such threats.