Church Leaders,  Social Activists Call for  Concerted Peace Action in Guwahati

 

GUWAHATI: 16th December -- A three-day consultation on peace in  Northeast India held in Guwahati, December 9-11, has called for a concerted effort to end ethnic violence and promote peace in the region.

 

The consultation attended by over 100 delegates from the seven states of the region, was held against the backdrop of a series of ethnic conflicts which claimed hundreds of lives in the region  in recent weeks. Northeast India is home to more than 300 ethnic communities and has an extensive international border. It is plagued by  insurgency, unemployment, economic backwardness and youth unrest.

 

The consultation, convention and a  peace procession, christened, Peace Initiative,  was organised by Don Bosco Youth and Education Services, Guwahati,  in collaboration with Amity Foundation.  The consultation ended with a daylong convention attended by nearly 1000 participants and a candlelight peace march  in the city attended by some 3000 people.

 

In his address during the convention Salesian Father V. M. Thomas, the chief organiser of the Peace Initiative,  said the situation demands a response from adults and saner sections of society. “We have an obligation  to  think together, to suggest strategies and plans that can take us closer to the reality of peace.  We need to  think of the forces that unite us, that bind us as brothers and sisters of this beautiful landscape that the Northeast is. We need to be agents of peace and reconciliation. We can help people  to say  ‘no’ to violence. Speakers included  parliamentarians, student leaders, writers, journalists, social activists, army  and defense officers, civil servants, academicians, religious leaders etc.

 

Salesian Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil of Guwahati who has led  peace efforts among several warring  ethnic groups in the region,  said peace is possible and it is in our power to effect it. Human history consists not only of conflicts and wars, but of collaborative efforts  to build great civilisations.  He stressed the need to contain individual and collective anger and adopt non-violence to resolve problems. Every life is precious for someone or other and the lose is irreplaceable. We need to adopt non-violence if we are to survive, said the archbishop.

 

Summing up the ideas of the consultation, Salesian Father Jerry Thomas, Director of  youth commission of the regional bishops’ conference, said, certain public places like schools, churches and public places should be declared ‘peace zones’. Life is God’s precious gift, and unabated violence and ethic clashes can wipe out an entire ethnic communities as many ethnic communities in the region are very small, he cautioned.

 

It may be noted that more than 14% of the region’s 38 million people are Christians,  and Peace Initiative was church’s  response to build a strong network of community leaders and thinkers to show a way towards peace, ethnic harmony and conflict resolution. The programme was financed by the Catholic Relief Service (CRS), which has been in the forefront of promoting peace in the region.

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