14th foundation day of WCAL: UCM explains deal with Govt
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 13 2018: Saying that the people of Manipur may question the nature of agreement made between UCM and State Government yesterday regarding the border pillar issue, UCM president Sunil Karam today explained the details of the agreement.

He asserted that the two parties involved in the meeting held yesterday minutely discussed the matter/issue.

Sunil Karam was speaking as a special invitee in the 14th Foundation Day of Working Committee of the Apunba Lup (WCAL) at Keishampat Yumjao Lairembi Community Hall, Imphal.

The UCM president further maintained that experts from the GoM were also involved in the meeting with the CM which lasted for two hours and a half where various aspects of the issue were discussed at length.

He informed that a headman/chief of Kwatha Khunou (expired years ago) first came across the BP number 81 in 1985 which was erected inside the territory of the village in 1967.The chief at the time also enquired the security personnel who were present there about the pillar and contended that the pillar was erected in a wrong position.

The security personnel replied (to the chief) that the pillar was not BP, but just a pillar to signify existence of Line of Control (LoC) so that Indian army would not cross the real border while carrying out patrolling exercises near the Indo-Myanmar border.

Stating that the LoC is usually maintained some distance away from the actual boundary or border pillars between two countries, Sunil Karam further explained that anyone who crosses a country's LoC can be arrested on the charge of intruding into the country's territory.

However, GoI has accepted the pillar erected as LoC as the actual main BP.

The villagers of Kwatha Khunou too claimed that the BP that has been projected now as BP number 81 after the Survey of India and Burmese officials had conducted a survey to study if it is the real BP number 81 and whether it was said to have been erected in 1967 or later.

Hence, it is 100 percent true that the present BP number 81 has been erected within the territory of Manipur, Sunil said.

One may question why the villagers did not raise the matter in the past and why they raised it only now, Sunil said while adding that the said spot/area where the controversial BP is erected was not entered by villagers of Kwatha Khunou in the past and it lies within a dense forest.

It was without knowledge of the people of Manipur that the BP was erected, the UCM president said.

He asked whether the State Government will remain as a mute spectator or simply give away land to Myanmar even when they have come to know about the dispute and GoI representatives had settled the matter without any knowledge of the people of Kwatha Khunou and Manipur.

He then asked the Governments of the past and the present if they did/do not have any idea about the State's boundary and how did/do they run the State affairs without knowing the State's boundary.

Decrying that the Government of India is not serious when it comes to the territory of Manipur while they do everything when an inch of land in Kashmir is encroached by neighbouring country, Sunil alleged that the Union Government does not mind giving away the territory of Manipur in their efforts to win goodwill of Myanmar Government and control underground outfits in the State.

All these points were discussed minutely in the meeting with the Chief Minister, and both the sides agreed that a joint re-survey should be carried out at Kwatha Khunou involving all stakeholders, he conveyed.

The function was graced by Phulindro Konsam, coordinator, Apunba Lup, Yumnam Ratan, coordinator, Apunba Lup, Joy Chingakham, coordinator, Apunba Lup, Joychandra Konthoujam, assistant coordinator, Apunba Lup, Ph Sakhi Leima, president, AMKIL, Poirei Leimarol president L Memchoubi, Y Leirik Leima, president, Kangla Mei and Kumu Leima, vice president, KWWA as the presidium members.

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