Leave Manipur/India at the earliest

Gajendra Naorem *

Reasons why I want to leave Manipur/India at the earliest are as follows:

1. Imposition of AFSPA [Armed Forces Special Power Act] 1958, a draconian act passed by Indian Parliament in September 1958 and imposed in Manipur/NE since then, giving unlimited power to the Armed Forces to interrogate, search, arrest, torture & kill any person, anytime, anywhere in Manipur/NE in the name of counter insurgency operations that is in direct violation of human rights, is still in force in this region of India, for the past fifty[50] years, in this so called democratic country called India!

There had been innumerable cases of innocent civilians tortured and killed with false charges and in fake encounters. There had been and still having many public protests, strikes, rallies, discussions, seminars and individual fast unto death protests to revoke this outdated/inhuman act from Manipur/NE for the past so many years but the colonial Indian rulers are not listening even when the issue has come up to the international human rights forums.

People are denied human rights, dignity and security to live peacefully in this region of India. To verify these facts, kindly google 'AFSPA in Manipur, India' on the internet and also visit WWW.e-pao.net for the the past & present situation in Manipur.

2. Foreigners Entry Restriction system that restricts the free travel of the foreign tourists to Manipur/NE again violates the human rights of not only the people of this region but also the people from around the world who want to visit this region freely.

Another global human rights violation! Right to income from foreign tourists for the people in this region is curtailed. This is done with false security reasons and to suppress/hamper the development of the region. Personally, many of my foreign friends are intimidated/restricted by this barbaric system to visit me in Manipur/NE freely.

3. Prejudices of the majority of the people in India toward the people in Manipur/NE is racial and unjustified. Being mostly of mongoloid origin, the people of Manipur/NE, when they travel to the rest of India find themselves isolated as Chinese, Japanese, Koreans or worst as Nepalese, Bhutanese or Tibetans!

The strange feeling of a foreigner in the country of one's birth! Personally, I had travelled all over India and in many places of India I am labeled either as Japanese or Korean or sometimes as Nepalese, thus a feeling of alienation, not belonging to India, separates me emotionally from this country of my birth.

This could be due to the backwardness of the majority of the people in India, but this emotional distance perceived by the people of Manipur/NE from the rest of the Indians is a concrete reality.

4. Unjustified discrimination to the people of Manipur/NE in admissions to educational institutes, in selection for jobs, in social intercourse in both government and private institutes/companies, isolates and violates the human rights to equality, given by the Indian constituency.

Personally, during my ten[10] years of service at various places in India at many institutes/companies, I found myself suppressed, bossed over and restricted with no chance of promotion to higher positions of the job hierarchy, in spite of my talents and experiences to avail so, just because I am from Manipur/NE!

5. Stark underdevelopment/backwardness of Manipur/NE due to the lack of development initiatives by the Indian Government for the past fifty-eight/sixty [58/60] years since joining India, have converted the people of this region severely poor and impotent.

Lack of important infrastructures for development like power [electricity]; transportation [roads, railways, airways]; communication [broadband internet, TV & radio] and the lack of basic facilities like water supply, healthcare, education etc, are hampering the overall progress of the region.

This situation badly handicaps the people here who want to join the global race of development. It seems, of late, by now, Indian Government is awakening to their mistakes, trying to make up their negligence & misdeeds, but it is already too late!

6. Corruption is rampant in every government department with the highest authorities like Ministers/Directors/Managers topping the list down to the Clerks and Peons. Bribery, Injustice and Nepotism are the usual practices in all kinds of job selection, public distribution, contracts etc.

There is no hope for sincere, honest and poor people in this society ruled by corrupted leaders. Due to faulty education systems, unemployed undergraduates, graduates and masters have crowded the unemployed list. Merited students are deprived of job without bribery. People are unhappy due to these injustices.

7. Killings, kidnapping, extortion, general strikes, blockades, communal hatred, separatism, factional fighting, threatening to media people, public insecurity, unemployment, lack of earning scope, human rights violations from both the insurgents and the government forces etc, have become a daily affair in Manipur/NE, affecting the ordinary citizens.

Indian government, instead of finding a lasting solution to these problems in Manipur/NE, they are instigating the people to kill each other, ignoring the hardships, the people of this region are facing.

If Indian government thinks that Manipur/NE is a part of the country, affecting the family children of the same country, then surely such kind of outdated divide & rule policy should be given up immediately and try their best to bring a lasting solution fairly. Due to misrules, the situation worsens day by day and people are suffering more and more in Manipur/NE!

8. Because of the aforementioned reasons, enmity to Indian rule and thereby insurgency/separatist movement among the youths, is on the rise in Manipur/NE. There are only three bad options available to choose, if one opts to continue staying in Manipur/NE under India:
[1] Continue to live with loss of human rights & dignity with poverty and sufferings like slaves
[2] To be a corrupted person, have influenced links, earn lots of black money through bribes [or drug deals?] and live under the substandard Indian Bosses or
[3] To become insurgents.

9. The general mindset (not everyone) of Indians is blind-following, idolatry, hero-worshipping, superstitious, slavery & self contradictory and these outdated social customs/traditions have made Indians poor, unhealthy, sub-standard and over-populated. Beggars [idlers] are appreciated and Sannyasis [people without family/social responsibilities] are adored in the Indian society, thus wasting human resources and affecting the national economy.

Gurus are enslaving/misguiding the disciples in the name of religion/spirituality. Female feticide & infanticide are common among people who worship female idols as goddesses! Beggars and slums are found dirtying all the cities in India, living like cats and dogs, on the foot-paths, railway platforms or near the gutters/garbage dumps! Where is human dignity in India?

10. I am a supporter of human rights and people's welfare all over the world. With this objective of making a happy world on this planet and beyond, I have humbly started a social/spiritual group called HAPPY WORLD on the internet under Google.

Since reformations and changes are required to create a new happy world, I do send messages to the people around the world, criticizing the outdated/useless customs/ traditions/ habits/ systems of India/World from time to time. My criticism at their defects, especially the defects of Indian social/ administrative/ religious/ political systems irritate many people in India [when I expose them to the world].

So, I am afraid if I continue to live in Manipur/NE under India, I may end up a social/political outcast and they may endanger my life. For your scrutiny, kindly visit my Google group website at:
http://groups.google.com/group/Happy-World and
http://groups.google.com/group/happyworldplus/about

11. While being in this over-populated country of illusion and self-contradiction, I had already wasted more than a third of my precious life span in utter confusion & suppression unable to live a dignified life. Now, at last, I woke up to my conscience not to live in the fool's paradise and continue wasting my remaining life any longer.

So, I have decided to come out of this dirt by leaving this country and settle down in a new country with a new life, new hope and new undertakings while continuing my efforts to make a happy world on earth and beyond.

12. I am enemy to none, not to Indians nor India nor anybody nor any country. But, I am unhappy with the wrong systems: social, religious, political or administrative. I know, everywhere, this world is imperfect and so I am not looking for a perfect place to live but a place where at least human rights are recognized and human dignity is upheld.

Because of the above humanitarian points, personally I prefer to leave Manipur/India at the earliest.

Considering my conflict situation in Manipur/India, on humanitarian grounds, I wish some help from some understanding people/country will come to my rescue.