Veteran Naga national leader and president of the Naga National Council (NNC), Lt Gen (Retd) Thinoselie Medom Keyho, died at the Naga Hospital Authority Kohima on Friday morning. He was 96.
Born on May 11, 1930, at Chedema village in Kohima district, Keyho joined the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) on June 11, 1956, as secretary to the Director of Intelligence, Naga Army.
According to his biography, his decision to join the movement followed an incident in which the bodies of two Nagas, allegedly killed by Indian armed forces, were publicly displayed at Kohima Market.
He was promoted to Brigadier in the Naga Army in 1957 and became a Lieutenant General in 1968. In 1963, he accompanied a Naga Army contingent led by Gen Mowu to East Pakistan as command writer.
On October 24, 1966, Keyho led a contingent of 132 Naga Army personnel towards China as military commander, accompanied by civilian leaders, including Th Muivah, then general secretary of the NNC. The group reached the China frontier on January 27, 1967.
In 1968, he led another group of Naga Army personnel to the People’s Republic of China for further training, accompanied by Brigadier Neidilie Kuotsu. While returning, the group travelled to Dhaka for diplomatic reasons. Following the outbreak of the Indo-Pakistan war in 1971 and the surrender of East Pakistan, Keyho was handed over to the Indian Army by the Red Cross.
He was taken to Delhi and detained at Tihar Jail before being transferred to Shillong Jail. He was released in 1976.
Keyho later served as president of the Angami Public Organisation from 1980 to 1984. He was also unanimously elected president of the Naga National Workers’ Conference in 1981, a position he held until 1990, with the stated objective of promoting unity among Naga political groups.
On May 11, 2016, he was elected president of NNC Nagaland at a general meeting held at Yoruba village in Phek district, following a consensus nomination by the organisation’s Central Executive Council. He continued in the position until his death.
NSF condoles
The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF), in a condolence message, described his passing as the end of an era and said his life and leadership would remain part of the historical memory of the Naga national movement.
The federation said his association with the movement served as a reminder to younger generations of the importance of understanding Naga history, preserving identity and engaging with the political future of the people. It conveyed condolences to his family, relatives, friends and comrades, and said his contributions and sacrifices would remain etched in Naga history.
The funeral service will be held on October 31 at 12 noon at Rüvetsiezou, Chedema. The mortal remains will be laid to rest at Tsiepou, Chedema.