PM has no plans to hold talks with Naga leaders

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said he has no plans to hold talks with Naga leaders during his visit to Bangkok.

The Centre's interlocutor for the Naga peace process, K Padmanabhaiah, is holding talks with National Socialist Council of Nagalim (I-M) in Bangkok for the second time since the Manmohan Singh government took over.

"I have no plans," Singh told reporters on board the special Air-India flight to Bangkok when asked if he planned to meet NSCN (I-M) leaders.

Accompanied by a senior official from the Intelligence Bureau, Padmanabhaiah has met NSCN (I-M) Chairman Isak Swu and General Secretary T Muivah.

In January last year, Swu and Muivah had come to New Delhi and  met the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his deputy Lal Kishenchand Advani.

During the two-day parleys between Padmanabhaiah and the Naga leaders, issues like extension of the ceasefire between security forces and NSCN (I-M) cadres in Nagaland and another visit to India by Swu and Muivah are expected to be discussed.

NSCN (I-M) has been seeking creation of 'Greater Nagaland' -- comprising Naga-dominated areas in the North-East, a demand that had sparked violent incidents in Manipur two years back.

The Centre and the insurgent group entered into a ceasefire accord in 1997 and have continued with the peace process since then.