Public movement to continue ; JCILPS sets 3 riders for talks with Govt
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal,July 23 2015: As resolved in the public meeting held today at Iboyaima Shumang Leela Shanglen, Palace Compound here, the JCILPS has set three conditions for to hold a dialogue with the Government.

First, the Government should take up substantial steps towards passing a new Bill within one month (by August 15 counting from July 15) .

The Government should give a concrete assurance that all the five points submitted earlier to the Government by JCILPS would be incorporated in the new Bill.

All the police personnel involved in the killing of Sapam Robinhood should be placed under suspension before initiating any judicial enquiry.

Regarding the ongoing movement for enforcement of ILPS or similar mechanism in Manipur, the public meeting resolved to carry on the mass movement in a democratic manner until a new, effective Bill is passed.

Participants of the public meeting observing silence to pay respect to the soul of S Robinhood

The public meeting was presided by JCILPS convenor-in-charge Khomdram Ratan and senior journalist Irengbam Arun was seated on the dais as the moderator.

Giving the key-notes address of the meeting, JCILPS co-convenor BK Moirangcha asserted that enforcement of ILPS or enactment of a similar legislation is a long standing common demand of all the indigenous people of Manipur.

To orchestrate the ILPS movement, JCILPS was set up on June 4, 2012 .

Since then the joint committee has been organising a series of mass awareness programmes.

A five-point memorandum was submitted to the Chief Minister in July 2014 ahead of a session of the Manipur Legislative Assembly but there was no response to the memorandum.

Then JCILPS launched mass protest movements starting from the opening day of the Assembly session.

A reminder was submitted to the Government ahead of the Assembly session of March this year.

It was at the end of this session that the Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers (MRVTMW) Bill 2015 was passed by the State Assembly.

However, the five points suggested by JCILPS were kept out of the MRVTMW Bill.

Moreover, most of the recommendations made by the all political party committee were also not reflected in the Bill.

Immediately, JCILPS raised strong objections against the Bill passed by the State Assembly, BK Moirangcha recalled.

The Bill turned out to be a new mechanism for ensuring safety and security of non-local people at the cost of the indigenous people.

Following massive and sustained protest movements, the Government resolved to withdraw the Bill and a drafting committee for a new Bill has been constituted.

Today's meeting was convened to deliberate on these new developments as well as the larger issue of enacting a Constitutional safeguard for the indigenous people of Manipur, BK Moirangcha said.

The gathering observed two minutes' silence in honour of the departed soul of Sapam Robinhood and in solidarity to the bereaved family.

The meeting was telecast live on two local cable TV networks.

Issuance of permit/pass to non-local people which gives the exact period of their stay in Manipur was one of the five points submitted by JCILPS to the Government.

Non-locals who came to Manipur after 1951 should be either given permits or repatriated.

Enactment of an appropriate law which prohibits non-locals from owning land in Manipur, registration of all non-local labourers at Labour Department and issuance of passes with specified time limits were some other points submitted by JCILPS.