ITANAGAR, Sep 18: NEFA era Political Interpreter Ang Wangnyum  also known as 'Chota Raja' and  father of former minister James L Wanglat passed away at the age of 101 years today, family members said today.
The youngest son of Chowpha Wanglin the III, Ang Wangnyum was inducted by the NEFA administration into its service as Village Level Worker in 1954 along with late Wangdong Medam & late Jaliam Medam of Borduria village.
They were sent to Pasighat for basic training before being deployed into Wancho area.  It was a 20 minutes flight by India Air force Dakota, an II world war vintage aircraft.   After three months of training, he was sent to Chanu village to be the agent of the government of India to bring the aborigines of Wancho villages to assimilate into the Indian system. 
Although he was posted at Chanu village, he was given responsibility to look after Longsom village, Chatong village, Ngusa and Ngunu under the overall supervision of late K.D Menon the Agriculture Inspector of the NEFA administration.
By 1956, he decided to quit the job on the ground that the place of posting was too far from Borduria. Officially the approved journey was a 6 days foot march, he used to cover within two days.  
The NEFA administration did not want to lose the service of a powerful Ang’s son so they offered him a paid post known as “Political Interpreter” in 1956 and allowed him to work from Borduria but had to report to Khela the Head quarter of Tirap Frontier Tract for six months.
After Tirap headquarters was shifted to Khonsa, he continued to serve the NEFA administration as Zamadar.  He voluntarily retired from active service after the 1962 war.
During World War II, two Platoons of US GI camped at a place known as “Ho-Dong-Ho” (North –east of Borduria village) and Ang Wangnyum was a regular visitor to their camp. They trained him to shoot Tommy gun and light machine gun. He would act as interpreter to the US army. When the war ended, the US Army Officer was so impressed by the aggressive leadership of Ang Wangnyum they wanted to take him to America. The officer therefore approached Chowpha Wanglin the III for permission to take Ang Wangnyum to the USA for education.  Ang Wanglin the III refused to part since he had only two sons.
Luck and destiny did not grace him and landed being employed by NEFA administration as a VLW (Village Level Worker) followed by Zamadar in Tirap Frontier Tract Political Office.  

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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