Memorandum to Union Minister of Home Affairs regarding Border Township at Haolenphai, Moreh

February 8, 2016

TSA/GHQ/2016/MEMO/03 08-02-2016
Memorandum submitted to
Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon’ble Minister, Home Affairs, Government of India
By
The Thadou Students’ Association, General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ)

On Monday, the 8th February, 2016

For registering objection to the submission of willingness to proceed with Government project at Haolenphai for International Border Township, Moreh, for stern action against the armed Suspension of Operation (SoO) signatory group, the Kuki National Organisation/Kuki National Army (KNO/KNA), for engaging in unlawful acts of deception, intimidation, duress and coercion in blatant violation of the ground rules of SoO agreement and for necessary action into the suspected land scam believed to be involving Manipur Government, the KNO/KNA, Meitei insurgent groups and some other vested interests to grab tribal land at Haolenphai under the pretext of development of “International Border Township” at Haolenphai/Moreh against the wishes and interests of the tribal community.

Hon’ble Sir,

With due respect, we the undersigned, on behalf of the Thadou Students’ Association-General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ) and all concerned members within the community, submit this memorandum to draw your kind attention to serious concerns held by Thadou tribal community, including the chief and villagers of Haolenphai village and its surrounds on the issue of a “Submission of Willingness” to proceed with government project at Haolenphai for International Border Township, Moreh by Mr Jangmang Haokip, President of Hill Tribal Council (HTC), Moreh, Mr Jamkholen Mate, President of Kuki Chief Association, Moreh and the two so-called representatives namely, Mr Dr Gary T. Haokip, who is unknown in the community, and Mr S. Haopao Haokip on January 15, 2016.

It is pertinent to note that while the “submission of willingness”, a copy of which is enclosed herewith, bore the signatures of the four unauthorised individuals, the spot for the signature of Mr Lalkholun Haokip, Chief of Haolenphai village drew a blank.

This memorandum, by which we enunciate in unequivocal terms that we do not want nor need a new township in our area, is to state that we strongly object to the fake resolutions laid down in the orchestrated letter of submission of willingness, dated the 15th January, 2016, that was addressed to Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur through Shri K. Govindas Konthoujam, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of Manipur.

Background of Haolenphai village and attempts to grab the land:

Haolenphai is a tribal village situated about 3 kilometres south of Moreh, the state’s commercial town along the Indo-Myanmar border, 116 kms east of Imphal, the capital city of Manipur, India. It is predominantly inhabited by Thadou community which is the single largest scheduled tribe of Manipur. The village is inhabited by about 100 households/families and neighboured by other tribal villages. The villagers are dependent on the land and forest for their livelihood and the meaning of their life is embedded in their land, culture and the environment.

Haolenphai has been in the media since 2013 in relation to the State Government’s plan to acquire the land for the purpose of the previously proposed ‘New Commercial Township’, and ‘Smart City’ by the State Government since the announcement of 100 smart cities project by Government of India. The controversy regarding the plan to acquire the land ended after a long community protest spearheaded by TSA, including 48 hrs national highway bandh in Manipur and a protest rally at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in late 2014.

The TSA-GHQ, during the course of the community protest, had also submitted numerous memoranda to the Central government, including the prime minister, and your Hon’ble self in protest against the plan to acquire the land. After the announcement of the final list of 100 smart cities across India, wherein Haolenphai was excluded and Imphal, as it was to be as the state’s capital city, included instead, TSA-GHQ issued a press release in August 2015 thanking the Central Government, particularly the prime minister, for heeding to the demand of TSA and the community, while cautioning the state government not to reattempt to grab the land under the pretext of a development project or the other.

Current situation:

We would like to clarify that the meeting held at HTC Office, Moreh regarding the issue was without the knowledge and support of the community and Moreh public and also without the knowledge and support of the Chief of Haolenphai village and the villagers.

A press release dated the 20th January 2016 and signed by the Chief of Haolenphai village and its Secretary (copy attached herewith) in this regard raising a strong objection to the infamous “submission of willingness” and seeking community support to safeguard the village was issued and the same appeared in a vernacular Thadou daily, Eimi Times, on the 21st January 2016.

Further, a letter to TSA-GHQ (copy attached herewith), dated the 20th January 2016 and signed by the Chief and Secretary of Haolenphai village on behalf of the village, stated that the entire village was totally shocked and pained at learning about the “submission of willingness” to give away the village land to the Government of Manipur. While declaring their staunch opposition, as previously in the case of smart city project, to any plan to take away the land in the name of a development project, the letter vehemently condemned the “submission of willingness” and sought the support of Thadou youth and student organisations to help protect the land at Haolenphai and fight for justice to the villagers and the community.

It is also worthy of note that Mr Letsi Lupho, Chief of Phaimol village near Moreh raised a strong objection to the forced signature campaign in a press release (written in Thadou) published in the local daily “Eimi Times” dated the 16th January, 2016 (enclosed herewith).

TSA-GHQ, in its press release issued on January 18, 2016 (copy enclosed herewith) and that appeared in various state dailies, condemned in the strongest term the staged-managed resolutions claimed by the unauthorised signatories to the letter of submission of willingness for allotment of 2000 (two thousand) acres of land for International Border Township and the manner in which the whole drama was orchestrated to deceive the people.

As a result of strong widespread public disapproval and condemnation to the letter of “submission of willingness” to allot 2000 acres of land to the government, a copy of which was leaked out to the public within the community, the four signatories to the document - that was apparently meant to be kept top secret - issued a press release in Thadou language trying to justify and clarify the fake resolutions contained in the letter.

In their press release dated Moreh, the 25th January 2016 (copy enclosed herewith), the four signatories while admitting that they did not have the authority or the right to sell the land clarified that they were merely carrying out the instructions of the armed Kuki National Organisation/Kuki National Army (KNO/KNA), which is a signatory group to the Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the Government of Indi and the Government of Manipur.

Someone trying to sell or give away somebody else’s land or property without the knowledge and consent of the owner, that too knowing full well that they have no authority to sell it, is tantamount to a criminal act of theft and robbery, and as such the four signatories and their accomplices should be brought to justice for having committed a crime.

It has also been alleged widespread in social media groups within the community that not long after the infamous 15th January “Submission of Willingness” in which the spot for the signature of Haolenphai village chief drew a blank, one PS Haokip, self-styled president of the KNO/KNA called the chief of Haolenphai village to an undisclosed location in Churachandpur, and in gross violation of the ground rules of SoO agreement forced him, his relatives who accompanied him and (maybe later on) a few other people at gun point to append their signatures on a piece of paper believed to be a letter of consent to allot the entire village land for the purpose of development of a township at Haolenphai/Moreh.

The apparent involvement of the said SoO signatory group in the issue has caused to suspect that the Government of Manipur is using the group, and taking undue advantage of its influence and thereby abusing its power, to further discriminate the already disadvantaged tribal community by dispossessing them of their land and resources and denying them their rights to live in their ancestral land.

Further, the general public within and outside the community is left to wonder at the claim of the signatories that there is a government project to develop an “International Border Township” at Haolenphai, Moreh even though no such project in the state has been known or heard of.

This warrants a high level inquiry by an appropriate authority, such as the Central Bureau of Investigation, into the apparent nexus between Manipur Government and the said SoO signatory group and also into the highly suspected land scam believed to be worth multiple crores of rupees and involving government ministers, Meitei insurgent groups, some leaders of the KNO/KNA and some other vested interests from within and outside the community.

At a time when Haolenphai residents and all concerned members of the community were breathing a sigh of relief with the exclusion of Haolenphai from the final list of 100 smart cities that was announced in August 2015, thanks to the endurance of the community against the hardships caused by the state government’s repeated attempts to grab the land in collusion with some vested interests within the community, sadly, the issue cropped up again all of a sudden on January 15, 2016 following the leakage of the concealed document of the submission of willingness that sparked public outrage.

The fact that this issue cropped up again at a time when the tribal protest against the passing of the infamous 3 anti-tribal bills –
i) the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015;
ii) The Manipur land Revenue and land Reform (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015 and
iii) The Shops and Establishment (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015.
passed by Manipur Assembly on August 31, 2015 is still going on as a result of which dead bodies of the nine Tribal Martyrs still lying in the Churachandpur district hospital morgue remain unburied and unclaimed by their families is only a salt added to an injury. This, in fact, is just another testimony that the state government is tirelessly attempting through one way or the other to grab the land of the tribals and deny them their rights to their land, culture and identity. The legitimate demand for separate administration by the tribals is only bound to be more intense in the absence of tribal autonomy – nothing less than the provisions of the 6th schedule in hill areas of Manipur, implementation of which the state government is still adamant about despite Centre’s instructions for implementation.

It is due to this continuing communal attitude of the state government and its systematic discriminations that the indigenous tribal people of the state – increasingly feeling politically, culturally, socially and economically disempowered and marginalised - have felt necessary and compelled to live under an administration separate from Manipur government. Enough is enough!

In response to the ardent appeal from the community and Haolephai Village Chief, its Secretary and the entire villagers to again lead the fight as previously to safeguard and protect the community’s interests in regard to the land at Haolenphai, TSA-GHQ, owning the moral responsibility, has taken up the case for protection of the land in the best interests of the community.

Reasons for objection:

This memorandum is also to remind the Central Government of the community’s unwavering opposition to grab our land previously under the guise of ‘Smart City’ and now of an unheard of development project named ‘International Border Township’ or whatever it is named or renamed. It is against our culture and traditional land laws to sell land to others outside of the community and at the cost of the community. The tribal community deserves respect to their culture and wishes and sentiments already spoken out loud and clear.

Imposition of any development project on the already marginalised indigenous community against their interests and wishes endangers their traditional livelihoods, culture and inalienable rights as indigenous people. The land, which is the main source of the poor tribal villagers’ livelihood and the meaning of their lives, will be lost to the town development. The indigenous Thadou people will then become landless and homeless in their own homeland and eventually be permanently pushed out of their homeland, let alone other untold miseries to be brought in by the immediate, short and long-term impacts of forced population displacement, migration and cultural assimilation. Such imposed development directly threatens the safety, culture, identity, security and all-round development of the already marginalised local indigenous people and the environment.

Points of Demand:

In view of the above points and the increasing community concerns, TSA-GHQ would like to place before your Hon’ble self the following points of demand to ensure justice to the tribal community:

i. That, if the project “International Border Township” at Haolenphai, Moreh as claimed by the four signatories is true, the Government of Manipur provides detailed information on the project and on the process of land acquisition and whether all guidelines and rules of tribal land acquisition have been complied with.

ii. That, the “Submission of willingness (dated the 15th January 2016) to proceed Government project at Haolenphai for International Border Township, Moreh” be disregarded as the signatories, as also stated by the signatories themselves in their press release dated the 25th January 2016, have no authority over the land and therefore their signatures bear no validity or legitimacy. Thus, the submission stands null and void.

iii. That, your ministry takes up necessary stern action into apparent nexus or connections between the Government of Manipur and the armed SoO signatory group alleged to be involved in the submission of willingness to allot 2000 acres of tribal land at Haolenphai in the name of development of “International Border Township” at Moreh against the wishes and interests of the tribal community in the area.

iv. That, the Government of India, on the basis of the confession of the four signatories in their press release, immediately takes up stern action against the SoO signatory group, KNO/KNA, that is involved in the orchestrated “submission of willingness” for engaging in unlawful activities of deception and intimidating or forcing, or coercing members of the community into entering a deal or unduly interfering in the affairs of individuals, organisations or the general public in blatant violation of the ground rules of SoO agreement.

v. That, there be an appropriate high level criminal investigation into the alleged case of deception, theft, intimidation, or coercion or duress for obtaining signatures for allotment of land at Haolenphai for International Border Township and also into the highly suspected (Haolenphai) land scam believed to be involving some government ministers, Meitei insurgent groups, the KNO/KNA and some other vested interests from within and outside the community, and that all the culprits be brought to justice according to the law of the land.

vi. That, any document indicating the land owners as consenting to allot tribal land in and around Haolenphai village for a township project or any other project be treated as fake, illegitimate and null and void as their signatures have allegedly been obtained under duress or intimidation or deception, or may have been forged.

Conclusion:

We wish to emphasise that any attempt or process to transfer ownership of tribal land at Haolenphai village to the government or any other party under the guise of any kind of development project will only invite public anger and it be steadfastly withstood. It will also be considered an abuse of power by the authority and a direct assault upon tribal rights and the people, and together with like-minded organisations and the public, the TSA will vigorously and resolutely pursue justice to remedy the assault in defence of our fundamental human rights to our land, resources, culture and identity. In this connection TSA-GHQ have raised tribal concerns and reservations on the issue in a memorandum to the Chief Minister submitted on the 6th February, 2016,

TSA-GHQ wishes to reiterate its position and that of the community that neither do we want nor need a city or a new township in and around Haolenphai and that even an inch of the land will not be negotiated for any reason unless it will absolutely benefit the community without a compromise on our land and resource ownership and culture, given that this is a non-negotiable issue and against our culture and traditional land laws. We want development that we need, but not imposed development that we do not need.

What is most needed for our true development is autonomy – at least implementation of 6th schedule in the hill areas of Manipur -, justice and fairness, protection of our land and ethnic identity and respect for, and due recognition of, our history, customary laws, culture and our basic (human) rights as citizens of India.

We trust and hope that the Government of India will deliver justice in relation to the above stated points of demand to address the whole issue in a timely manner, and that tribal concerns and interests may be taken into account by your government and thus the plan or process of acquisition of land at Haolenphai, if any, for whatever purpose it may be, be immediately revoked.

To conclude, we wish to caution the authorities concerned against proceeding with acquisition of the tribal land for whatever purpose or else there will be intense agitation with possible public uprising and the authorities concerned will be held to account for failing to deliver justice to, and protect the interests of, Manipur’s tribal community.

Yours faithfully,
(LAMMINLUN SINGSIT) (JAMES HAOKIP)
President Secretary General
Thadou Students’ Association-GHQ Thadou Students Association-GHQ
Dated: Imphal/Monday, the 8th February, 2016
Copy to the below for kind information and/or necessary action:-
1. Shri Okram Ibobi Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur.
2. Chief and Secretary of Haolenphai village, Chandel district, Manipur.
3. Media for kind publication as news item.
4. Guard file.

Enclosure:
1. Copy of submission of willingness to proceed Government project at Haolenphai for International Border Township, Moreh dated the 15th January, 2016.
2. Copy of Haolenphai village chief’s letter (in Thadou language) to TSA-GHQ regarding clarification on the “submission of willingness” and appeal for support to safeguard the village – dated the 20th January 2016.
3. Copy of press release (in Thadou language along with English translation) by the four signatories - clarification on the submission of willingness to proceed with Government project at Haolenphai for International Border Township, Moreh dated the 25th January, 2016.