Rev. L. Suohie Mhasi
Some Church leaders who had most suffered and sacrificed for the cause of peace in Nagaland are unremembered and unsung. I joined church ministry in 1966 only and was a member of Peace Consultative Body of NBCC in 1968 only. But I had been in close contact with some of the Church leaders since the very beginning of peace movement. The Church was the only neutral body which can mediate the situation when the fate of the people was horrible and indescribable. During that time Church leaders such as Rev. Longri Ao, Rev. Kjung, Rev. Kevizelie, Rev. K. Lungalang, Rev. Turi, Rev. Ahamo Patton, Rev. Ayu Temjen, Rev. Litsase, Rev. Shihoto, Kenneth Kerhuo, Rev. Thepfulhour Livi and others traveled through out the length and breadth of Nagaland to bring about peace and normalcy in Nagaland. Baptist Convention had formed a Peace Mission and when Peace Mission Members such as Rev. Scott, B.P. Chaliha and Jaya Prakash Narayan had arrived at Kohima, the Church leaders took them to various places to meet with underground leaders and some times they were subjected to threat on suspicion of being the agents of the GoI. Ultimately, a historic cease-fire between the GoI and the FGN was signed as a fruition of their ardent labour.The talk ended in failure and the ceasefire was abrogated by the GoI as a result the situation became abnormal and killings, tortures and indescribable sufferings of the people were going on. So Church leaders were compelled to help the people at the expense of their normal assignments in the Church.
After the lapse of 9 years the FGN was put into its knee when the Shillong Accord was signed under an extraordinary military pressure. But it was beyond the control of the Church leaders and they cannot be blamed. They had their job nobly done on their part. The younger Church leaders such as Rev. V.K. Nuh and others had played important role in peace movement from the very beginning. Rev. Deo Vihienuo’s family took tremendous pain in hoisting and entertaining the Peace Mission especially Rev. Scott for years together. Rev. Longri was looked upon by all in N.E as fatherly. He was a man of clean heart and outspoken. When we were together with some of the Associate Evangelists of Dr. Billy Graham in Ritz Continental Hotel, Calcutta, he prayed, “O Lord, when the people at Kohima are hungry, your servants are afraid to go to Kohima”. When once we met with Governor B.K. Nehru in connection with Liquor Prohibition, he said to the Governor, “The Government wants to destroy the Nagas in collusion with communist China”. The Governor said “Why?” then Rev. Longri said, “The Government is going to destroy the Nagas with liquor. The Governor replied, “Liquor is not Central List, it is State List. It is up to your Ministers whether to open wine shop all over Nagaland or to ban opening even a single shop, our talk ended there. After our departure he was said to have told some one, “Church leaders do not know the Constitution”. Rev. Longri Ao was all for peace and most of his message touched peace.
I repeatedly urged Kenneth Kerhuo to write a book on the accounts of their peace movement but he failed to do it. To me, they were Church leaders who had most suffered and sacrificed for the Nagas in the aspect of peace.
