National Black Day General strike called on Oct 15
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, October 08 2013 : Like every year, along with announcing observance of National Black Day on October 15, 2013, Co-ordination Committee (CorCom) of KCP, KYKL, PREPAK, PREPAK (Pro), RPF and UNLF of Manipur and National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT) have jointly called a general strike in protest against alleged annexation of Manipur and Twipra by India.

In a joint statement made available to the press, CorCom and NLFT said, "It is a historical fact that many colonized nations regained their freedom and independence, and at the same time, new nations arose in Southeast Asia after World War II as colonial empires collapsed eventually.

However, the newly independent India, after mastering all the art and tactics of expansionism and colonialism during the long 300 years under British occupation, embarked on renewed process of colonizing smaller countries located in its neighbourhood; and it was under this policy that Manipur and Twipra (Tripura) were annexed to the Indian Union" .

It went on to say, "Unlike any other Native States of India, Manipur began very boldly and distinctly to exist as an independent democratic state framing her own Constitution and having her own popular Government formed by the majority of the members elected by the people, which even predates the constitution of Independent India by two years.

But the jingoistic and expansionist Indian rulers with an imperialist agenda in mind cajoled the King of Manipur to Shillong under some pretext only to put him under house arrest when the King refused to sign on the pre-drafted Manipur Merger Agreement.

Thus, on September 21, 1949 the King signed, under duress, the treacherous agreement that came into force from October 15, 1949.The National Convention on Manipur Merger, Imphal under the aegis of a conglomerate of civil society groups attended by many elite personalities and intellectuals had declared the Manipur Merger Agreement did not have any legality and constitutional validity.

Again, on October 14, 1996, a National Peoples Mass Rally was organised in which more than hundred thousand peoples from every nook and corner of Manipur participated.

A public meeting held after the rally, at Mapan Kangjeibung, reaffirmed that this treacherous merger agreement is illegal and void and unanimously took a firm and resolute stand to demand the Right to National Self Determination of the Manipuri Peoples, which is legitimate under the UN Charter of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights" .

Similarly, Borok Kings ruled Twipra, one of the ancient princely states, continuously with sovereign and independent status.

After the tragic death of the last ruling king His Highness Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma in 1947, his minor son took the throne as Queen Kanchan Prava Devi a Regent Queen, ran the administration of the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, in the name of protecting Twipra, India pressured the Queen to sign the Twipra Merger Agreement on September 9, 1949, which also came into effect from October 15, 1949 and tens of thousands of Boroks took to the streets in protest but they were suppressed with brute force.

Indian colonialists imposed martial rule which was in force until 1952.Hundreds of Borok leaders who spearheaded the protest were put behind bars.

This was followed by massive incoming of Hindu Bengali settlers from across the international border that led to demographic catastrophe in the territory.

Today all political unrest centres on this issue.

Therefore, it is a fact that Manipur and Twipra were independent kingdoms; and even during the British rule, these two Kingdoms were not annexed to the British Indian territories.

Only after India forcefully and deceitfully annexed the once sovereign kingdoms, they were pushed to the lowest Class C of Indian states.

However, Article 8 of the Vienna Convention on Laws of Treaties clearly laid down that any treaty signed by nominal head of State having no constitutional power is invalid and carries no legitimacy.

The Article 2(4) of the United Nation's Charter also says, "All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any manner inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations." Therefore, ever since Manipur and Twipra, which were once independent, strong and prosperous Kingdoms in South East Asia, were treacherously annexed, the people of these States have been deprived of their basic rights and are being discriminated by the Indian State to the verge of extinction.

Not only the Western South East Asia Region, there are still millions of Indian people who are yet to enjoy the fruits of political freedom and are engaged in waging people's war against colonialist India for the same.

"So, it is not too late for our politicians and bureaucrats, who could shed tears for Indian freedom fighters but not for their own forefathers, to realize that they themselves are also the victims of the Indian State.

This is the time for one and all to raise the banner of freedom and fight for what rightfully belongs to the people of this Region.

People should neither give a pause nor a let-up in the ongoing freedom struggle to tear out all the genocide terror, oppression, exploitation, social discrimination, colonialism, militarism and all the draconian laws by the root from our society so that our future generations are unknown to these and the age old territorial integrity and sovereignty of the region can be handed over to them.

Therefore, we, CorCom and NLFT appeal to the fraternal peoples of Manipur and Twipra (Tripura) to show solidarity and unity in our struggle for national emancipation against Indian Colonial Occupation", the joint statement exhorted.

"In this regard, we resolved to call a 18 hours General Strike in the entire region of Manipur and Twipra from the mid-night of October 14 to 6 pm of October 15, 2013.During these hours, essential services, such as, medicals, water supply, media and religious activities, etc.

are exempted from the ambit of the general strike", the joint statement added.

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