General strike by All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM)
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 10 2013:
Making various demands including bringing effective governance in hill areas, All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) has announced a 24-hour State-wide general strike with effect from the midnight of January 18 .
The stir was announced by ATSUM speaker Majabung Gangmei during a press conference held here tonight.
He said that ATSUM had clearly conveyed the demands to Chief Minister O Ibobi through a memorandum submitted on November 27 last year.
Maintaining that no positive response has been given by the Chief Minister yet, Majabung said that the students' body has also submitted a general strike ultimatum today.
If the State Government fails to reply within January 18, the general strike would be put into force from midnight of the same day, he asserted.
Majabung further said that future course of agitation would be announced in another press conference to be held on January 20 .
Emergency services and religious activities would be exempted from the strike purview, he added.
Regarding the demands mentioned in the ultimatum, ATSUM President Muan Tombing said, bringing effective governance in the hill areas and constitution of the Manipur State Commission for Scheduled Tribes are the major demands of ATSUM.
The other demands included opening of TET Centres in hill districts, setting up of BEd institute and providing adequate infrastructure to the Regional Campus of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University.
Adequate staff, teachers and infrastructure in the schools of hill areas, streamlining of SC and ST reservation, protection of indigenous people's lands and arbitrary village authorities election are other demands of ATSUM.