SFs continuing ops in border areas: RRF
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, November 30 2021: In the wake of Assam Rifles missive to conduct search operation in districts of Manipur sharing boundary with Myanmar and as precautionary measures after the November 13 Churachandpur incident, intense combing operations are underway in interior border villages of Manipur since November 20, said the proscribed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF).

Following the Assam Rifles missive, intense search operations are being conducted in Kamjong district as well as in other interior areas lying along the Manipur-Myanmar border.

Searches in already identified border areas are being conducted during the operations while movement of people across border are being strictly prohibited with enhanced security apart from monitoring activities of villagers settling in border areas as per the missive.

Villagers settling in border areas are also informed to take the missive seriously and even threatened of awarding punishment, an RPF statement issued by its deputy secretary of publicity Roben Khuman said.

Though India is very much vocal in favouring 'true multilateralism', the Assam Rifles order was quite contradictory and goes beyond 'true multilateralism'.

The AR order also violates the Right to Participate in the Cultural Activities of the Community as approved by the Article 22 and Article 27 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Right to Livelihood of Article 25 (l) of UDHR as well as Article 27 of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 15 (l) of International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the RPF said.

According to the statement, the Right to Life is not merely for right of a person to live but it also includes the Right to Livelihood.

All the requirements of a person to live like daily activities for survival and movement related to it, collection of food and delivery, hunting and other activities for survival all come under the Right to Life.

The Assam Rifles order was not only against all these rights and putting hardship to innocent civilians but also go beyond Article 4 and 7 of ICCPR by prohibiting movement of people settling along the border, the RPF statement said and alleged that military code generally used in conflict zone is being adopted in Manipur.

This shows that India is being ruled by the military though claimed to be a big democratic country and civil administration in its states are being converted into 'puppet administration' whether the states agree or not.

Hence, the globally accepted International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be implemented by both sides of the armed/political conflict between India and Manipur, the RPF statement said.

As per IHL, both High Contracting Party India and freedom fighters of Manipur should take utmost precautions to prevent civilian casualty.

However, India is yet to accept IHL and intentionally violates human rights in Manipur in the form of killings, torture and rape, this shows that India is a 'terrorist country' and its armed force 'Indian Occupational Force (IOF)' is 'terrorist', the RPF alleged.

Further, the RPF statement said that the armed movement being initiated by the out fit is for the entire people of Manipur and the outfit will never remain silent when IOF torture innocent civilians in the hills.

It then appealed to people of Manipur to condemn excessive acts of India and collectively save and administer the land.

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