Following is the complete text of the Presidential Address of Yung Aung on the occasion of 44th Republic Day.

My beloved Nagas

On this special occasion of the 44th Republic Day, I greet you all in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The NSCN/GPRN commemorate this day by paying rich tribute to the wisdom and foresight of our founding fathers and all the Naga martyrs in envisioning an independent and sovereign country. We honour their leadership and their sacrifices for the Nation. Their war cry continues to resonate the hills and valleys of our beautiful country.

We remember all our national workers who are maimed and all those held in various prisons for freedom cause. Your nation is praying for you.

We also salute all our brave Naga comrades in uniform who serve our nation proudly by putting their lives at risk every day to defend the freedom we inherited from our ancestors. They undertake dangerous missions and endure physical hardship which helps us to move forward. Their bravery is immeasurable.

On this special occasion we sent our revolutionary salute and solidarity to all the freedom loving people of the world who are struggling under foreign domination. Our prayers and best wishes are always with them.

This year also marks the completion of 76 years of illegal occupation by India and Myanmar over the Naga country and despite their best efforts to silence and subdue us the struggle continue to remain strong and keep going.

The international community cannot close its eyes to the illegal occupation by these two countries and they should be held accountable for decades of atrocities and human right violation committed by their brutal armed forces. Their deeds have proven that they are not different from their former colonial masters.

Today we are in the 21st century the era of media and internet and it is no longer possible for our occupiers to commit genocide behind closed doors and mislead the world. We will expose any ruthless policies to the best of our ability.

My dear Countrymen, it is matter of great hope and relief that our voice is slowly being heard in the international arena which is all due to the untiring effort of the conscious Nagas everywhere. Today most Nagas are waking up to the reality that India is a farce democracy.

Ever since the Modi-led BJP government came to power in 2014, Hindu nationalism has gained strength and today the Indian politics is dominated by Hindutva ideology. This has intensified communal and religious tensions in India in recent time. The glaring example is allowing the present communal violence in Manipur, which has displaced 60,000 and claimed more than 200 lives from both Meitei and Kuki community, to continue with impunity.

Despite heavy protest, the controversial and racist Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) became law on 12/12/2019 which was done to forever change the Wesean demography and increase the vote bank for the BJP.

India has never recognised nor respected the unique history and political right of the Nagas. The NSCN/GPRN’s decision to abrogate ceasefire in 2015 was not our weakness but our strength because GOI is not sincere to solve the complex Naga issue.

The recent policy by GOI to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and build separation fence over the impose border is like rubbing salt into the wounds of the Nagas. However, this is just another chapter in the Nagas’ long history under domination. We will not sit idle and watch while GOI blatantly alter the political and geographical landscape of the Naga country.

Might is no longer right but right is. No amount of force can break the will of the Nagas or undermine our legitimate right. We will not back down even an inch.

Some Nagas doubted NSCN/GPRN’s stand on sovereignty. They argue that it is impossible and impractical to achieve our goal. These naysayers speak from behind the curtains because they fear the future and what lies ahead. They lack faith in themselves and in God. Our message to them is clear – Today or tomorrow we will win. We will be a free Nation.

We Nagas are not ashamed to declare that we are a sovereign nation in fact we are proud of who we are and what we are fighting for. Throughout the centuries Nagas are hardworking and naturally self-sufficient people and we do not depend upon anyone for our existence. We are not struggling for triumph and survival but to reclaim our birth right given to us by our sovereign LORD. Nagas have done nothing to hurt the interest of the colonialist British, India or Burmese. We will never harm anyone nor will take from anyone NOTHING except what belongs to us. We do not choose this fight. We were attacked and occupied against our wishes.

Dear Nagas, our revolution is full of dangers and difficulties but our people are not strangers to hardship for they have made great sacrifices for the cause they believe in. Hence the revolution will move forward.

The Naga issue can never be finalized unless India and Myanmar recognised the full sovereign birth right of the Nagas and leave us alone to determine our own future.

May God bless you all and May God continues to bless our Nagaland.

KUKNALIM

Yung Aung

(Minor grammatical edits have been made)