Debate over SPO in Heirok
Public says yes to guns but no to CI-Ops
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 03: To discuss whether guns to be issued to the proposed SPOs by the State Government should be accepted or not, a joint meeting of the villagers of Heirok was held today afternoon at the ground of Umang Laikon, Heirok Part-II.

After a serious deliberation on the issue, the meeting unanimously resolved to urge the Govt to provide guns for the protection of Heirok people either through setting up of SPOs or a Heirok Protection Force.

A public meeting underway at Heirok to discuss, debate over the SPO proposal

The meeting, however, decided to return the guns, if the proposed SPOs or Heirok Protection Force are to be forced into counter insurgency operations by the Government.

The meeting assumes significance in the sense that the villagers have not consulted the JAC which had, in the first place, raised the demand for providing guns to the people for self protection, in the backdrop of reported summoning of some JAC members to Myanmar by UG groups and the mounting resentment of the villagers against the activities of the JAC.

Nevertheless, some of the JAC representatives turned up to participate in the meeting and took the opportunity of clarifying on the misunderstanding between the people and the JAC.

Expressing their opinions on the issue, the villagers observed that the demand for providing guns to the people of Heirok had come about for the simple purpose of self protection and there should be no hesitation in accepting the offer of guns as it does not necessarily imply fighting against the UGs but against terrorism.

In fact, it would help in speeding up developmental activities in Heirok area, they said, suggesting that if not through SPOs, guns can be provided to the people through setting up of a Heirok Protection Force, they suggested.

They also demanded the JAC members to enlighten the people on the confusion in the minds of the people after meeting with leaders of UG groups at Myanmar.

To this, the JAC vice president L Thamoi explained that they gone to Myanmar as the UG groups in question wanted to know the detail report of the matter related to Heirok issue. At first, Thamoi said, they decided against going but gave in finally to the threats.

The possession of the telephone numbers of the JAC members with the said UG groups and interception of the JAC members on the way to Myanmar by security personnel at Tengnoupal, showed that there are some informers within the JAC, Thamoi said.

Asking whether the Prime Minister of India should be arrested for having gone to Bangkok to talk with Muivah, Thamoi maintained that there was nothing wrong in their visit to Myanmar.

In fact as the UG group in question had told them to state the matter explicitly, the JAC had called upon for unification of all the UG groups, setting up of a trial court of the UG groups to redress the grievances of the people and before waging war against the Government of India, let the people to live in freedom.

After deliberation on the issue, the meeting decided to urge the Government for providing guns to the people for self protection and return back the same if the Government force them in the counter insurgency operation.