Two days National seminar begins
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 08 2015 :
A two-day national seminar on 'Roots of conflict resolution in Manipur: Claims and Counter claims' organised by Department of Social Work, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU), Regional Campus, Manipur was inaugurated today at Amity Hall, IGNTU-RCM.
The inaugural session of the seminar was attended by Prof E Bijoykumar, Dean, School of Social Science, Manipur University, Dr RK Nimai Singh, Consultant, Government of Manipur and Sunita L Varte, Director, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Regional Campus, Manipur as the chief guest, guest of honour and president respectively.
The seminar is being organised under the sponsorship of ICSSR, New Delhi.
Dr Kamei Beeju, co-coordinator of the seminar in her welcome address observed that conflict is an ever-present process in human relation and affects everybody in one way or the other.
Even after more than 68 years of armed conflict, the Government and the armed opposition groups are moving in parallel directions in terms of defining the situation or identifying the root cause.
The Government has not accepted the opposition of the armed opposition groups.
Similarly, in spite of engaging with international cooperation like Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan to suppress the armed movement in the State, the Government continues to claim that it is a law and order problem and most recently, terrorism.
There has been no meeting point for the conflict situation of Manipur.
Mere appeals for peace talks without any strategy from time to time along with military engagement cannot bring about any tangible solution or in addressing the problem, she said.
Dr RK Nimai Singh said that is important that the topic is systematically and academically discussed so that a solution can be found.
So far what the world has witnessed is the majoritarian view.
Manipur has diverse armed opposition groups so it is difficult to bring them on the negotiation table.
"If we look into the history of Manipur we have accepted migrants from various parts of the world, it was only in the process of building nationhood, the Meiteis allowed the migrants to be part of the Meitei society," he said.
In the 11th century Loyumba Shinglen was adopted laying the rules of running the State and it attempted to include migrants so that Manipur has a larger number of people.
Prof E Bijoykumar Singh, shared that conflict is the sign of life.
It represents the articulation of different sections of the society.
As needs keeps rising, problems also do get transformed but there is no definite solution to all the problems.
In this part of the globe, complex problems have marred.
Solution to these issues, some hold that the issues are non-negotiable.
On the other hand policy makers have given more importance to management of the issue rather than finding a solution akin to fire fighting.
Quality of debate has been improving.
He strongly hopes that there is convergence of views in the near future so that the issues can be solved.
Look East Policy has generated lots of debates.
Benefit of LEP should not be confined to goods and services but one has to register that it will also help build self-confidence.
Horizon of our imagination has to be widened; LEP will certainly do that.
We should have positive attitude towards emerging opportunities, Prof Bijoykumar said.
Sunita LVarte asserted that conflict arises out of differences.
She believes that whatever be the magnitude of the conflict it should not be left unattended.
The seminar is important keeping in mind the decades of armed conflict in Manipur which has affected everyone for a very long time.
Okram Joy Singh, former Minister of Manipur, Prof Ksh Bimola Devi, Brozendra Ningombam, editor-in-chief, ISTV News, Retd Col T Hemo Singh, Jiten Yumnam, Centre for Research and Advocacy, Imphal, A Mobi, president, Editors' Guild Manipur, Dr B Deben Sharma, Dr Homen Thangjam delivered insightful and illuminating lectures as the resource persons of the technical session.
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