Budella Market, Vikaspuri, New Delhi, May 20, 2007 : The Kuki Peoples’ Congress, the Kuki Students’ Democratic Front and the Kuki Women’s Human Rights Organisation at Budella, New Delhi, today jointly organized the 88th Anniversary of the Kuki Rising Day Celebration.

The programme moderated by Miss Veikhoneng (Kuki Women’s Human Rights Organisation) began at 11:30 am (IST). The presidium members of the programme included Dr. Tinswe (MP from Pear Constituency, Burma), U Tha Noe (M.P from Arakan League for Democracy, Burma), U Oh Maung (Vice Chairman, National League for Democracy-Liberated Area), U Thein Pe (Arakan National Council) and Daw Molly (Presidium member, Women’s League of Burma).

At the very outset, the moderator invited the functional presidents to take their respective seats and then the programme was declared open. Then there was salute of the past Kuki warriors in front of Pu Tintong’s big poster followed by briefing about the reason of celebrating the Kuki Rising.

Pu Luntinsat, Secretary of the Kuki Students’ Democratic Front was called upon to brief about the Kuki Rising celebration. His text of briefing is as follow.

The motive behind the celebration was:

1) To commemorate and honour the 1917-19 Kuki Rising warriors.
2) To invoke the spirit of fighting for self-determination among the youths in line with the past Kuki national heroes.
3) To promote nationalism to effect national reconciliation for unity by imparting the history of past unity.
4) To make other ethnic nationalities of Burma understand our history.
5) To make history of our past glory available to the new generation for comparative study with the present stand.

After this Pu Letlam, president of the Kuki Peoples’ Congress was called upon to narrate the warfare during the Anglo-Kuki War (1917-19) popularly known as Kuki Rising. The text of his speech is as follow.

Though a history graduate from Mong Yua College, Burma, never in the history of Burma did I learn any thing about the Kuki history. It must have been due to no freedom of expression there. But, unfortunately, I feel fortunate to learn our own history here in India where we are political dissidents.

As an independent people, the Kukis did not tolerate any infringement of their freedom. It was during the WW-II that the British, who took it for granted the Kukis were already their subject by then, began to forcibly recruit Labour Corps in the Kuki territory or Zalengam.

But to their amazement, they were retorted with force as the Kukis unanimously resolved to resist with all possible means available to them. Their decision was based on the logic that they were independent and had no obligation to obey the order of the British whatsoever as such.

While in the meeting for consultation as to whether the Kukis should go for war against the British imperialism, Pu Tintong, chief of Laijang who sensed opposition by some of the chiefs made a blank fire from his riffle and shouted that the meeting was not meant for women and the coward men and added that he would fight till his last ammunition and gun powder.

The District Chiefs promulgated the resolution to the regional chiefs who in turn did it to their inferiors through Thingkhuo le Malcha (A stick of half burnt firewood tied together with a hot chilly which meant be prepare, for war is inevitably ahead). In fact what the British could have done to avoid the conflict was raising Labour Corps from ethnic nationalities other than the Kukis. But, this they did not do so because the British understood well that a Kuki man on emergency could be deployed as army without necessarily giving military training.

The two year long war ended when the Kukis surrendered to the militarily superior armed British army. So, the chiefs had to suffer imprisonment at Sadya (Assam, India) and Tongyi (Shan State capital, Burma) jails.

Ever since this Anglo-Kuki war, the Kukis only witness oppressions after oppressions under the successive governments of both India and Burma. Historic events that the Kuki people cannot forget generation after generation are; Anglo-Kuki war or Kuki Rising, The Janpanese War (WW-II), the Khadawme Operation against the Kukis by Newin’s regime of Burma (1967) and the Naga-Kuki Ethnic Crisis (1993-95). We feel the injustice we have witnessed so far is no less a severe thing than any race or nation on earth could face. So it is time friends from different ethnic nationalities of Burma understand us. Thank you.

Then, Pu Lulun, president, the Kuki Students Democratic Front thanked all the participants who represent political organizations as well as those participated as individuals for laying aside their valuable time to show support for the Kuki peoples’ just cause.

The political Grand Programme was then declared over by the moderator. There was coffee, tea, cold drink and snack time as peoples smile and chat joyously.

Check out the phot Gallery on this event here.