Genocide in Manipur
- MISC (Manipur International Support Centre) -

UK: 7 June 2010

Bureau of Publicity and Media
Manipur International Support Centre
United Kingdom

R/N: PR/MISC/ A-June 2010.


Genocide in Manipur
MISC press statement

The ongoing two months passed economic blockade (sic embargo) on Manipur in the Northeastern part of India imposed by the militant organisation National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isaac Muivah faction (NSCN-IM), although apparently initiated by its overground fronts such as the All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) and later on reinforced by the Naga Students' Federation (NSF), has genocidal implication upon the entire population of Manipur. Lakhs of marginal sections of the population are starving for want of adequate food supply, lakhs of population are being reduced into poverty in buying essential goods at exorbitant price and thousands of patients are suffering and dying on the hospital beds for want of essential medical supply as a result of the blockade. Peoples are being gradually killed physically and psychologically terrorised as a result of the general secretary Muivah's bid to create a conflict situation where he could use communal banner in order to speed up reactionary bargaining vis-à-vis the Government of India, i.e., Manipur government inclusive.

It is not the first time that Muivah had confused Naga question with his narrow minded communal fascism. Ever since the Tangkhul leadership in the person of Muivah and his communal agents came into the limelight of Naga politics the Naga question had been politically oscillating to and fro between moribund sovereignty claim and anachronous autonomy claim via secession of portions of Manipur. He had tainted with barbaric atavism the image of the peace loving Naga population inhabiting cordially with other co-existing communities in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland states. Throughout his terror career Muivah had never fought against the Government for the Nagas.

He had instead invested in spearheading warlordism of his own invention and fascism leading to killing and displacement of civilians. In the late 1970s and 1980s he had played crucial role in defying Naga National Council / Federal Government of Nagaland and witch-hunting & killing of the NNC cadres. When the National Socialist Council of Nagaland was formed in 1980 he attempted to usurp power and liquidate other progressive forces, which led to a military coup against his dictatorship, split of NSCN into two factions, and bloody era internecine war among the Nagas. Four years after NSCN-IM was formed in 1988, Muivah had carried out genocide on Kukis from 1992 to 96.

During this period several other migrant labourers in the hills were being killed in cold blooded manner. From 1997 onwards the NSCN-IM war paradigm had been shifted towards inciting communalism to create a wedge between Naga and non-Naga communities. The political economy of Muivah's fascism was characteristically sectarian and was aimed at generating communal clash, cleansing of minority communities inhabiting Ukhrul, Senapati, Tamenglong and Chandel districts, establishing an exclusive territory where Muivah would retire from guerrilla life and rule as an overground warlord in the carved out portion of Manipur.

The adverse impact of communal fascism is not new to the people of Manipur cutting across community boundaries. For more than a decade Muivah and his agents had been looting and killing civilians and extorting money from vehicles plying on National Highways 39 and 53. From time to time Muivah had been deploying misguided agents in the guise of UNC, ANSAM & NSF who were also largely influenced by Muivah's black money to impose economic blockade on the basis of one or the other issues as an excuse for looting and extortion. Muivah's overground volunteers constitute non-productive parasites that do not live with direct physical involvement in the production sector.

They indulge in easy way of earning by taking part in booty sharing out of the total extortion and looting from entrepreneurs and innocent civilians. They are loyal to Muivah and are active communal protagonists. At present, the fascist force under the leadership of Muivah, while stage managing a sectarian bargaining with the Ibobi Government of Manipur on the question of his free entry into Manipur has been taking ransom on the people of Manipur. When Ibobi Government had refused to grant entry to him on the ground that he was a criminal and his entry would create tension, he had imposed economic blockade to the entire people of Manipur.

The situation does not affect Ibobi Gvernment, but the people are suffering as Manipur is absolutely dependent on import for survival. The alarming situation of food crisis due to the economic blockade has also created a sense of hatred for the Tangkhul community of Manipur where Muivah belong to and from where Muivah recruited his most trusted gangsters. The sense of hatred towards Tangkhul community is unwanted. The people of Manipur must know that it is the communal projection of the blockade by Muivah that had maligned the image of several peace loving and innocent Tangkhuls who have nothing to gain from Muivah's fascism. It is crucial task for the people of Manipur at this point of crisis that Muivah is being singled out for his criminality and the Tangkhuls must be saved from being communally misrepresented.

At present the propaganda machineries of Muivah are camping and campaigning in several pockets to cover up his criminality. Naga People's Movement for Human Rights and other propaganda mouthpiece such as the United Naga Council, who had self conferred human rights defenders had taken communal line in eulogising the achievement of Muivah, spreading communal polemics and misreporting. What it had failed to openly address has been deliberate violation of international norms and commonly accepted legal standards by the NSCN-IM. Perhaps, Muivah (sic NSCN-IM under his dictatorship) had claimed for international support using the platform of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation.

In practice, the home politics of Muivah would reveal that he had violated Article 5 clauses (b) and (d) of the UNPO Covenant that had stipulated for "adherence to the internationally accepted human rights standards..." and "rejection of terrorism as an instrument of policy." Through carrying out series of cold blooded murdering of unarmed civilians and terrorism upon minorities (sic killing of Kukis from 1992 to 96 and several other unarmed civilians and government officials) Muivah had been acting against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 3 and 5 that had upheld "right to life, liberty and security of person" and emphasised for "no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" respectively.

By imposing economic blockade and cutting off the supply line of essential food & goods meant for the civilians Muivah had violated article 1(3) of the ICESCR, UNGA Resolution 2200A (XXI), 16 December 1966, which emphasises "in no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence." Whereas articles 3 and 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, 12 August 1949 had laid strict rules towards protecting lives even during armed conflict situation, the fascist Muivah & his renegade NSCN-IM would violate international statute and indulge in targeting hospitals and medical sector by preventing medical supplies and logistics from reaching to Manipur.

Against this backdrop there can be no reason that Muivah must not be prosecuted for criminal charges as strictly laid down under the provisions of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, UNGA Resolution 260 (III) A, 9 December 1948. He has been engineering "Genocide by inflicting conditions of life" as defined and condemned by the UN Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court in June 2000. It is an absolute violation of article no 21 of the Indian Constitution within which framework Muivah had surrendered the Naga sovereignty movement.

At present the people of Manipur, except a clique instituted by Muivah and whose food storage had been accordingly pre-planned to meet with the institutionalised famine in advance, are suffering for want of food, essential goods, service, medical supply and peaceful psychological environment. The people who have nothing to gain from communal fascism unleashed by Muivah must clearly observe his tactical moves and never allow any reactionary force to exceed beyond a limit. Although Muivah has been trying to show that he had been in a confrontation with the Manipur Government (sic puppet enterprise of the Government of India) the reality is that a war is being imposed upon the people of Manipur.

The Government of India has been a silent spectator to the whole affair of starvation and suffering that is being faced by the people. The people are being trapped in the middle of a proxy war that is being waged upon the people by a collusive force comprising of the Government of India & NSCN-IM. None of these forces are ready to open up the gate of inland trade and commerce for the speedy recovery of the victimised people of Manipur. This is economic terrorism directly affecting economic livelihood. The situation is killing people gradually and consistently. This is genocide!

We must fight fascism and prevent genocide
We must win!

Korou Mangang,
Convenor,
Manipur International Support Centre(MISC), UK.
Email:- [email protected],
Motto- Love, Peace and Progress.