Open letter to Th Muivah for peace

T Lunkim *

Dear Mr Th Muivah,

Taking report of the local news paper that your proposed visit to your village Somdal, Ukhrul District in Manipur State is "still on the Card." Many human right activists will endorse your birth right to return and visit your village Somdal, wherein beloved family members, all alike who have not seen you for the last 47 years would be very much happy to see you face to face.

However, you have forgotten the past history where so many innocent Kukis, not criminals, who have the same rights like you returning towards their villages, longing to see the faces of their parents, brothers, sisters and loved ones, who were pulled down from Buses at Mao Gate and butchered by your NSCN (l-M) men in hundreds. Those who escaped from Mao Gate were slaughtered at "Senapati Gate."

Kuki Inpi wanted to settle amicably the heinous crimes committed by you, had contacted the then Deputy Chief Minister, who directed the Kuki Inpi to talk with United Naga Council Manipur. UNC and KIM have had two meetings led by the then Ex. Deputy Chief Minister himself. According to UNC declaration in the last meeting on April 4, 1994, it was told that you had ordered UNC not to talk about peace or any amicable settlement of the massacre or else they would face the dire consequences.

Shockingly the Vice President of KIM Pu Lalkhohen Thangeo who had attended one of the peace meetings at Manipur Baptist Convention Centre, was pulled down from the Bus at Dewlahland Bus station lmphal on his way back home. Inspite of KIM's appeal to UNC to release Pu Lalkhohen alive, he was found dead after three days. His body was put in a sack and dumped in a pond close to War cemetery, lmphal.

Later on UNC President Paul was abducted by Kuki Defence Force, and UNC appealed for his safe release. The Kuki Defence Force released him safe and sound. Here you will recall how your fellow Kuki tribal people have been patiently waiting for restoration of peace and social:harmony as it was since we have been living peacefully together from time immemorial.

Without a slightest notice of your past inhuman activities you have proposed to visit your village. The Kuki people in general and those bereaved families in particular, will give you a double red carpet welcome more than how the UNC wished, from Mao Gate through Senapati Gate and up to your village Somdal if you come along with the company of all those innocent Kukis pulled down and killed at Mao Gate, Senapati Gate, and other places by your men. Please note that so many parents, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters and loved ones have still waited their beloved ones to reach their home and see their faces.

In conclusion your slogans for integration of what you said, "Naga inhabited area," is a slogan to create enmity between different tribal people living together in the so-called North East India. The recent consciousness of one's own identity and enmity is seen only after you have come into the Naga Politics. Secondly in the present so-called North East India, especially in the hills, many tribal groups living together.

Some groups may be more in number in one place and another tribal groups may be more in other places. There is not an area totally occupied by a single tribal group. All live together for hundreds of centuries, no water tight compartment can ever be made in the region.

Thirdly it is not much of a difference whether some areas of Manipur state, which is an Indian state, are integrated to Nagaland state which is also another state of India. Both the states are Indian states. Simply prefixing the title 'Naga' to an Indian state does not make the state is exclusively for the Nagas only.

It is to be noted that there are many non-Nagas in Nagaland and many non-Manipuris in Manipur, which are both Indian states. If the integration of a state for prefixing Naga is still on the agenda by disintegrating of three neighbouring states namely Assam, Arunachal and Manipur, which are already states of India, there must be some things concealed which is to be made known to all concern. The talks must be transparent to all affected indigenous people living in the area.

For kind information to all concern in general and Indians in particular, the present Manipur Government has done the right thing to Mr Th Muivah. And for those who are not informed the crimes committed by NSCN (l-M) led by Mr Th Muivah, a few are listed in UN websites amongst hundreds of others, the Government of Manipur must have rightly, apprehended for the proposed visit of Mr Th Muivah to Manipur State wherein he committed such crimes, would not be a wise thing for him to come at the present time, before his unlawful acts are first settled in a proper court of law in the country. So the Government of Manipur has done the right thing at the right time.

We all mourn for those two killed and many wounded at Mao Gate on May 06, 2010 and we condemned any short of violence against humanity. The security personnel did what ought to be done calculating the limit of the law of the country for such action or else the worse might happen during Muivah's visit of the state.

The same action could have been done by the Government of India to save those hundreds of Kukis murdered at Mao Gate and Senapati Gate. Kukis are Indians and therefore, the Government of India is bound morally and legally to settle first over 900 Kukis murdered, 360 Kuki villages uprooted and 100,000 Kukis displaced by NSCN (I-M) led by Mr. Th. Muivah in a proper court of law in the country to demonstrate that the Kukis are not under alien rule.

Then peace will prevail in the land.