Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, August 10 2010:
Six insurgent groups of the North Eastern Region have announced total boycott of the Independence Day celebrations and called for 18 and half hours general strike on that day in the North Eastern states.
In a joint statement, Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF), National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT), Tripura Peoples Democratic Front (TPDF)and United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) stated that once again, the above-mentioned revolutionary parties/organizations call upon the entire peoples of the Region to BOYCOTT and prevent the celebration, in any manner, of India's Independence Day in the Region on August 15, as a mark of solidarity against the colonial occupation and military repression.
On that day, a GENERAL STRIKE shall be observed throughout the Region from 01:00 AM to 06:30 PM, the joint statement announced.
It said, much water has flown down the Brahmaputra and the Barak rivers ever since the colonial occupation of the Region began about sixty years ago.
From a historical perspective, the national liberation struggles were moving in the right direction towards a united struggle against the common enemy, though many stiff hurdles remain to be crossed.
Meanwhile, India's massive military effort and divide and rule policy may have achieved some tactical victories here and there, but on the whole their attempt to suppress the legitimate aspirations of the peoples to become free and independent have not succeeded, will never succeed, the joint statement observed.
It said, "This is the inner strength of the struggles that will ultimately overthrow Indian colonial occupation from our Region.
We must believe in our collective wisdom and strength.
And we must have faith in the historical destiny of the Region coexistence and collective development" .
"Meanwhile, the geo-political environment around our Region is perceivably changing in our favour.
We are emboldened by the intensification of the Kashmiri people's national liberation struggle exposing to the core the inherent contradictions of the 'Indian Union' which was expanded through intrigue, treachery and force.
But the most significant development of all is that the overthrow of the present regime in India has become a distinct possibility in view of the unprecedented consolidation of India's communist revolution under a single party" .
The wide reach of the armed struggle under the leadership of the Communist Party of India (Maoists), encompassing almost 30% of the Indian landmass and representing over 75% of the population, has alarmed the Indian government to the extent of categorising it as one of the three most dangerous threat to their regime, the other threats being, in India's official vocabulary, 'international terrorism' and 'insurgency' (meaning the liberation struggles of Kashmir and our Region), the statement remarked.
"While making maximum effort to generate our own internal strength, we cannot but appeal to the international community, particularly the fraternal peoples of neighbouring countries for their valuable help and support to our national liberation struggle.
We earnestly hope that their respective government's bilateral relations with India do not become directed against our struggle in their enthusiasm to fight together against 'terrorism', etc." the insurgent groups appealed.