Thadou identity; appeals for community understanding
- 24th April 2025 :: Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) -

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While it is encouraging to see the gradual return of normalcy and peace in Manipur, Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) would like to reiterate the need to rebuild and strengthen confidence and community understanding between the Meitei and Thadou communities, and also among all other communities in the multi-ethnic state of Manipur.

All responsible leaders and stakeholders must appreciate the crucial, courageous roles played by the genuine Thadou leaders for community understanding, respectful dialogues and non-violent resolutions, which are essential for lasting peace and development in the state. The resilient Thadou community and the leaders have been regularly facing many challenges and all kinds of threats and intimidation from anti-peace vested interest groups often involving armed militant groups, selfish politicians and individuals for narrow political and selfish gains.

As we represent the voice and interest of the silenced and most persecuted Thadou community, we continue to stand up for what is right and good for the people. We renew our condemnation and reiterate our serious concerns about the historical and ongoing rampant and widespread human rights violation and persecution against the Thadou community by Kuki terrorist and supremacist groups, whose actions threaten to annihilate Thadou identity and disturb peace, security and public safety in the society. We are committed to combating such forces through non-violent and democratic means. Further persecution of the Thadou community and Thadou leaders must be resisted by the Central and State governments, civil societies and all right-thinking people.

As a champion of the cause of the protection of the identity and rights of Thadou people, TIM would like to emphasise the importance for all to recognise and respect the 10-point declaration of the Thadou Convention 2024, which, among other points, affirms that Thadou is a distinct ethnic group of people, neither is it Kuki nor subordinate to Kuki, but a separate, independent ethnic entity from Kuki, and that any individual, or elected member/representative, or organisation that uses the name ‘Thadou’ but promotes Kuki is illegitimate and does not represent the Thadou people and their interest.

Thadou is one of the Indigenous communities of Manipur having been recorded as only Thadou without any prefix or suffix in the official Scheduled Tribes gazette or orders and all censuses of Manipur since the first Indian census in 1881 till the latest census in 2011 with a population of 2.16 lakhs. There should be no confusion between Thadou and Kuki as they are neither the same nor one being under or above the other.

The fact is that Kuki is not an ethnicity nor the name of an ethnic or cultural group, but a politically-motivated vested interest group, with extremist ideology, designed and created for supremacy and control, particularly over the local indigenous communities. There is no Kuki other than the controversial “Any Kuki tribes” (AKT) – listed in 2003 (entry # 33 in the ST list of Manipur). The first and only time Kuki has an official population record is the 2011 census with a population of 28,342. There is a real need to understand what is Kuki and who are Kukis when none of the original 29 recognised tribes of Manipur identify as Kuki, but all firmly reject Kuki identity.

It is most concerning that Kuki supremacist groups, including all the Kuki civil organisations, such as Kuki Inpi, KSO etc., and almost all of the more than 40-armed Kuki militant groups, particularly the KNO, are determined and actively campaigning to make Kuki (AKT) the largest population group in Manipur in the next census by any means. The campaign for this has been underway in many ways, for example at the seminar cum conference of the Any Kuki tribes / ‘Any Kuki Tribes’ Recognition Celebration Conclave held at Churachandpur’s M. Songgel Community Hall, Tuibong on April 22, 2023, at which many Kuki supremacists and activists, like Hejang Misao who spoke provocatively in a violence-inciting manner against Thadou community.

Also, tribe certificates have been issued only under Any Kuki tribes in many offices by coercion and other tactics, while illegally banning issuance of tribe certificates in Thadou against all rules and laws.

Today, the Thadou population live in fear of Kuki terrorist and supremacist forces, who have persecuted, suppressed and silenced the Thadou people for a long time under the barrel of gun and terrorism. The Thadou tribe is in fact the most enduring and the longest victim survivor of Kuki terrorism and supremacy.

Should people, particularly the leaders, authorities and media, be willing to listen and understand Thadou perspectives and assertion of our identity, the misidentification or confusion between Thadou and Kuki among the general population and media due to ignorance and disinformation or misinformation will be rectified in all manners. The wrongful, unacceptable imposition of Kuki on Thadou and other indigenous communities of Manipur has to stop once and for all for the sake of fairness, justice and peace.

We believe in peaceful-coexistence and respect the identity of all communities. We fervently call upon all indigenous people to work collaboratively for the protection of the rights and interests of the Indigenous peoples of Manipur, ensuring the identity and cultural heritage of each community is preserved and protected.

The AKT was fraudulently and unnecessarily added to the list of scheduled tribes of Manipur in 2003 for control and political reasons, paving the way for (mass) influx and legalization of illegal immigrants from any group of people from any place in the world. In fact, the existence of the AKT is a direct encouragement and support of illegal immigration at the cost of the national and state interests.

There was no need for creation of a fake tribe after all the genuine tribes of Manipur have been recognised under the 1956 Presidential Order. We call upon all concerned to realise the urgent need for and join us in demanding the deletion of the fake tribe ‘Any Kuki tribes’ (AKT) from the list of Scheduled Tribes of Manipur to protect India’s national interest and the interest of all the Indigenous people of Manipur, and to address the issue of illegal immigration and other related issues.

We wish to set the record straight that whereas Kuki has no historical record and is not a recognised ethnic group of people in Myanmar, Thadou is and has its own ethnic group / census code (Number 427 - Thadou) as a recognised native ethnic people in Myanmar. In Myanmar, there is a separate population / census code called ‘Other’ for non-native, or non-recognised people, or illegal immigrants.

So-called Kukis, like the Rohingya, are one such group that are simply listed as ‘other’ under the ‘Other’ code because Kuki is not recognised. The Chin group of native ethnic people of Myanmar consists of 53 sub-groups including Thadou and others, but Kuki is not one of them.

To its credit, the Manipur State government has recommended to the Central government for the second time in February 2023 for the deletion of the "Any Kuki tribes" from the Scheduled Tribes list of Manipur. This is so important for the protection of Manipur Indigenous communities and to address the longstanding concerns regarding illegal immigration and India's national and border security issues.

While we acknowledge the importance of NRC in Manipur, we would like to point out that the NRC or any other similar exercise will not solve the problem until and unless Kuki ("Any Kuki tribes") is completely deleted. In fact, Thadous have opposed and forewarned the consequences of Kuki tribe or any Kuki tribes since the 1980s. This should not be the burden of Thadous alone, but all citizens and communities of Manipur and India. Therefore, deletion of the "Any Kuki tribes" must be completed before the commencement of NRC update for its successful implementation for national security and lasting peace and stability in the state.

Statement: “Thadou is a distinct ethnic group of people. Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki, but a separate, independent entity from Kuki. Any organization that incorporates “Thadou” but espouses Kuki and mis-portrays Thadou as Kuki or a part of Kuki is illegitimate and does not represent Thadou people and interest” – Thadou Convention, 2024.

(Joint General Secretary)
Thadou Inpi Manipur