Forum points out suspicious coincidences, warns Govts against masterminding conflicts in the region
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, July 07 2018:
Youth's Forum for Protection of Human Rights (YFPHR) has pointed out various 'coincidences' in many past and present major issues of the State and has warned the State Government and the Central Government against masterminding conflicts for political gains.
A press release issued by the president of YFPHR, Kh Phajaton today claimed that the forum has been observing the ongoing trend of conflict prevailing in Manipur wherein the ultimate victims are always the innocent civilians.
It claimed that the forum fear that the conflict and the violence prevailing in the State are strategically planned by the State or the Central Governments to distract the people from certain matters against public interest.
Explaining some of the eerie coincidences, it mentioned that the forum has observed that the Framework Agreement which was signed between the Central Government and NSCN-IM on the August 3, 2015, was during the peak movement for implementation of ILP, which got intensified after the death of Sapamcha Robinhood, while on the other hand people settling near the border town to Myanmar erupted in violence as well.
In November 2016, a 139 days long economic blockade was called by the UNC against the creation of new districts.
It can be noted that the economic blockade was called off after the new BJP State Government came to power in March 2017 .
On November 21 and 22, 2017, North East Development Summit was organized wherein 39 MoUs were signed which are yet to be made public by the State Government.
It was further learned that the MoUs included extraction of mineral resources from Manipur which has been opposed by various civil societies since 2012 .
The MoUs were silently signed without the consent of the people while the people were busy celebrating and enjoying Sangai Festival and while they were busy protesting against the extraction of oil and natural resources and physically intervening to stop the 3D seismic survey being conducted by the Asian Oilfield, it claimed.
It further claimed that this month, during the peak of 2019 election campaign various problems are cropping up again like boundary dispute between Myanmar and Manipur, the ongoing protest at Manipur University and the recent eviction drive.
The forum explained that various civil societies are so focused on the eviction drive that it has resulted in lack of collective concentration on the boundary issue.
Students are being kept busy by the ongoing protest at MU and as a result they are not able to concentrate on the border dispute, it informed and added that it may be noted that none of the social movements have been successful without the contribution of the students Claiming that there are suspicions that the State Government and the Central Government are tailoring the conflicts in the State including the eviction drive, MU issue and the cross border conflict, the forum alleged that such fear of creation of conflict by the Government is not the first time as the people have been experiencing such situations since the last many decades.
Questioning why the State and the Central Governments want the conflicts to prevail instead of resolving them, the forum asked if the Governments are secretly planning to achieve a sinister goal by igniting conflict.
The forum further requested the State and Central Government to stop fooling the people of Manipur and stop such sinister political game immediately.