Shillong, Feb 9: Following the pull-out from the tripartite peace talks, the banned militant outfit Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) is willing to meet Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong, but under the terms and conditions of the Council.

On Facebook, HNLC General Secretary and publicity secretary Saiñkupar Nongtraw wrote that the HNLC accepted the proposal of the Deputy Chief Minister to meet, but the venue will be set up by the Council.

In a Facebook post, Nongtraw wrote, “We have sent communication with Deputy CM Prestone that we are accepting his proposal to meet with the leaders of the HNLC in any place. The place we will meet will be fixed by the HNLC, even if it is in another country. We will give him a safe passage; we will provide him with good food and proper lodging. This is why he should not feel scared or have any second thoughts,” said Nongtraw’s Facebook post.

The banned rebel organisation, HNLC, withdrew from peace talks with the government on December 20, 2023. In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Chairman-Cum C-in-C, Bobby Marweiñ, and General Secretary, Saiñkupar Nongtraw, expressed reluctance to withdraw from the peace talks with the government.

The HNLC stated that the decision was prompted by the unfortunate circumstance that their general demands have not been met. They voiced concerns that if these fundamental issues remain unaddressed, their political demands would also be dismissed.

However, Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong has urged the HNLC to reconsider its decision to pull out of the tripartite peace talks with the Centre and State governments.

In a statement on January 20, 2024, the Deputy CM said, “Golden opportunity may happen once or twice, but it will not happen every now and then. So my humble request to the leaders of the HNLC is to rethink and revisit the decision that you have taken and communicated to the government. I  als want to request that its top leaders, if they are afraid that they might get arrested, I urge them to choose a location. We (the government) are ready to meet you there and discuss because we want to ensure the peace talks are successful and come to a positive conclusion.”