Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 17 2009:
Refuting the statement of Maj Gen Shakti Gurung, GOC, 57 Mountain Division, who spoke to media persons on February 15 last at Leimakhong, the proscribed United National Liberation Front (UNLF) has rebutted the remarks of the Major General.
In a statement, the UNLF said that the present 'Manipur-India conflict' has its genesis when Manipur was 'forcibly' merged within the Indian Union on October 15, 1949 while asking Mr Gurung to know this though he might have been blind about this before.
It said that from that day when the political rights of the people was suppressed under duress; the people have been rendered to subjugation on every front so as to fuse them into India.
Several people's movements against the Indian authority have been launched since the day Manipur was merged into India.
Now, the movements have its influence to conceive a movement that represents the armed movement, the statement said.
It said that numerous 'Indian Occupation Forces (IOF)' have been deployed in the state to suppress the armed movement while adding that the IOF have been armed with oppressive provisions like the AFSPA which empower them to kill anyone at will.
It said that the statement of Maj Gen Gurung, who said that the Indian Army personnel have been deployed here to bring in peace, is contemptuous to the people of the state.
It said that had it not been Leimakhong, where the Major general addressed the media persons, there is no reason that the Army Officer will not see shoes flying toward him.
It further let Mr Gurung knows that even if there are a number of security forces in Manipur, the movement of the public here would not be suppressed.
The fact that the public movement of Manipur cannot be concealed with the strength of the soldiers has been already stated verbally by several army generals, Governors who came here before him.