Call to disintegrate Manipur should never be raised, asserts SEACO
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 22 2023:
The South East Asia Cultural Organisation (SEACO) has asserted that no group or community must raise a demand to establish a separate administration, homeland, Greater Mizoram, a separate Union Territory or a State by disintegrating Manipur.
In a statement, SEACO said that there is no restriction whatsoever on a particular community deciding to live in Israel, Myanmar, Mizoram or any other places outside Manipur but a call to disintegrate the State should never be raised.
Saying that people living in both the hills and valley districts must help each other instead of provoking one another for the sake of unity and integrity of Manipur, SEACO maintained that there will be no peace and development in the State as long as there is no unity among the people.
No good will be brought to the Manipur society by violence, the Organisation said and added that this chain of arson, gunfight and other forms of violence taking place in Manipur must be stopped immediately.
SEACO also appealed to all people to exercise restraint and not get carried away by rumours.
For how many days are the Centre and the State Government going to watch the law and order crisis in Manipur which resemble a design of illegal immigrants and Kuki militant groups which signed Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the Government before taking concrete actions , SEACO claimed.
The Organisation went on to claim that no community must be a barrier to the matter which seeks protection or wellbeing of the Meiteis.
Claiming that peace will be hard to restore if a community or a group of people take advantage of the generosity of Meiteis, SEACO asked why the majority of the MLAs are remaining silent when Manipur is burning.
Saying that the situation in Manipur is volatile till now since the eruption of the ethnic conflict on May 3, the Organisation appealed to the public to not elect any leaders who couldn't control violence, save lives and properties to represent them furthermore.
It is rather embarrassing to know that ethnic conflict takes place in a small State like Manipur which is home to different communities, it added.
The Organisation also asked why the 50 MLAs in Manipur are unable to take actions against the 10 Chin-Kuki MLAs who demanded a separate administration.
Did these 10 MLAs take an oath to disintegrate Manipur during the swearing in ceremony after the elections, SEACO asked.
The Organisation, nonetheless, said that initiatives taken up by the Government to protect reserved and protected forest areas and launching War on Drugs campaign are appreciable.
SEACO then suggested a formulation of a policy to prevent ethnic clashes in future.
Asking where have all the Army and paramilitary personnel sent to Manipur to control the law and situation gone, SEACO questioned the benefit of deploying a large number of security forces in Manipur.
The Organisation also asked why the Central and State Government are unable to control the Kuki militant groups.
Has the Government given a free hand to the Kuki militants, SEACO asked and claimed that it won't be difficult for the Central and State security forces to suppress the Kuki militants if they are committed to save lives and properties.
It seems like the security forces have a hidden agenda as they don't take serious actions against the Kuki militants, SEACO claimed.
What is the point of sending a large number of Army and paramilitary forces to Manipur if they couldn't control the Kuki militants, SEACO asked.
There will be peace and development in Manipur only when the Kuki militant groups are subdued, SEACO claimed.
Saying that the Government must also unearth the root cause of the ethnic conflict in Manipur to prevent similar clashes from happening again, SEACO urged the Government to make public the location of all designated camps of Kuki militant groups set up in Manipur.
The Organisation further asked the Government to take hold of all the arms and ammunition of Kuki militant groups.
SEACO easily sees all the lies and fabricated narrations mentioned in the different memoranda submitted to Central leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah by Kuki leaders to depict Kuki as the sole victim of the conflict, it claimed.
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