Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 18:
Paying tribute to late Chingsubam Akaba, the NSCN, in a statement, observed that although Akaba was born and brought up in Meitei community, he had strong attachment to all the hill people from his childhood.
He helped build churches at Hongman, Phungyar and Khonjel villages as head mason.
The outfit said that Akaba's home in Imphal was a home to the hill people, specially Nagas.
During the heyday of the NNC/FGN, Akaba came to Chedema Peace Camp with Pabung Tomba of Keibi and exchanged views with Naga leaders like Kughato Sukhai, Imkongmeren Ao, R Suisa, Z Ramyo and others.
He was a man of plain living and high thinking and was above 'Meitei chauvinism', remarked NSCN.
Before his death, Akaba reportedly said that Nagas have every right to be independent and Meiteis need to respect that right.
At the same time, Nagas should also respect political right of the Meiteis.
He further said that it was high time for both Nagas and Meiteis to think seriously of the nature of future relationship between the two, it conveyed.
He had been seeking a chance to interact with the collective leadership of the NSCN even in a foreign land to discuss future ties of Nagas and Meiteis and the meeting was also tentatively scheduled.
However, the meeting did not materialised as Akaba suddenly fell victim to an assassin's bullet, recalled NSCN.
Asserting that late Akaba was the most advanced political thinker among the Meitei community, the outfit strongly condemned the dastardly killing of Akaba.
The burial of his mortal remains according to the will of the deceased leader, at Nongmaiching as per rites and rituals of Meitei tradition with the epitaph Keiren Keijaoba shall ever stand as the living testimony of his farsighted political dream, remarked NSCN.