First designated camp under SoO opened at Kangpokpi
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, November 27 2009: The first ever designated camp for the Kuki militant outfit maintaining Suspension of Operation (SoO) opened today at Kangpokpi.

The designated peace camp to be housed by the cadres of the Kuki National Front (KNF) was opened by commander of the 57 Mountain Division, Brigadier Anil Chauhan today.

Commanding Officer of the 36 Assam Rifles, Dushyant Singh also attended the opening function of the "Ebeneger Designated Peace Camp".

Defense Secretary of the KNF and also member of the Joint Monitoring Group of Suspension of Operation, Lalla and other officers of different ranks of the group also attended the function.

Newly opened designated camp of KNF cadres

The designated camp opened today was among the total of 22 camps to be set up in five locations as per the tripartite agreement signed between Central and state government on one side and KNO and UPF representing 19 different Kuki undergrounds on the other side in August 22 2008 .

Manipur government earmarked Rs.4,43,03,950 for the construction of designated camps for the Kuki militant outfits under the Suspension of Operation, SoO since the early part of the implementation of the ground of the agreement.

Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) has so far approved 2000 cadres of the outfits in the first phase and out of this, 188 are cadres of the KNF, defense secretary of the outfit Lalla said.

The approved number is out of 377 cadres which the outfit listed.

Cadres of the outfit will be lodged in three designated camps.

The other two camps located at Kotlien along the NH-53 and at Maphou Dam.

The designated camp opened today will have a hospital, church, canteen, guest house, five barracks, a play ground and an armoury.

95% of the construction works of the designated opened today completed.

Speaking on the occasion, Brigadier Anil Chauhan informed the gathering that the period of SoO has been extended for another one year upto August 2010.Cadres of the KNF will lodge at the designated camp and strictly abide by the ground rules of the SoO.

Security forces have not targeted cadres of the outfits maintaining ceasefire under SoO.

If cadres informed to the security post commanders on their movement any misunderstanding will not happen, he added.

The state government and the Centre had signed an agreement for stopping counterinsurgency operations against Kuki militants in the state (suspension of operations) on August 22, 2008.The agreement was signed separately with KNO and UPF represented 11 and eight Kuki militant outfits respectively.

After several rounds of meeting of the JMG constituted by the representatives of the Manipur government, Centre and officials of the KNO and UPF, joint survey for the site selection for opening the designated camps and construction of the designated camps commenced from November last year.