Root cause is SoO: FoH
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 28 2023:
India Government's Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement is the root cause of the present violent conflict between the Meiteis and the Kukis, said Federation of Haomee.
The signing of the SoO agreement had given foreign based Kuki militants a safe haven in Manipur and it encouraged the militants and foreigners to cross borders illegally, asserted the federation in a statement today.
While Union Home Minister Amit Shah is likely to visit Manipur tomorrow, there is no need for submitting more memoranda as the Centre has never acted on any of the representations submitted before, it said.
Since 2018, the Federation of Haomee has repeatedly appealed to the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Chief Minister to scrap SoO and check the influx of illegal immigrants to properly fence and plug the porous border.
The federation had also repeatedly appealed to the Government against erection of "Anglo-Kuki war" monuments.
The Centre and the State Government have never acted on these appeals and as such, submitting such memoranda to the Union Home Minister again will serve no purpose, said FoH.
While the SoO agreement served as the foundation, the conflict emerged against war on poppy and eviction of new settlements in the Reserved and Protected Forests, it added.
The federation further stressed that it would be best for the Centre to protect and safeguard the State's integrity against illegal Kuki immigrants.