'Stop legitimizing non-indigenous Kuki CSOs and SoO groups'
We are champions of peace: Thadou Inpi
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 11 2025: The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) has urged all the people of Manipur and Government authorities to support the Thadou peace and stop legitimizing non-indigenous Kuki CSOs and violent militant groups operating under the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement.

A statement issued by TIM asserted that the Thadou leadership has consistently stood for peace, even in the face of severe persecution and threats to them and their families, including their young children.

The Thadous are the undisputed champions of peace in Manipur.

Flatly rejecting the false, misleading, and provocative allegations made by the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) in its press release issued on August 8, 2025, TIM said that KIM's statement, which targeted the TIM delegation's August 6 visit to Imphal for the 'Road to Peace in Manipur' initiative, was a deliberate attempt to distort history, undermine the distinct Thadou indigenous identity, and provoke communal tensions and violence.

The global Thadou community operates under the Thadou Inpi Constitution (TIC), which was framed and adopted on October 29, 2016 .

This constitution was a result of the Thadou Conclave Delhi, 2016 which renamed the Thadou Tribe Council to Thadou Inpi.

The Thadou Conclave Delhi Declaration No.7 formally disowned KIM and its affiliates, explicitly stating that Thadou is not Kuki, TIM said.

The Thadou Inpi-GHQ's tenure for 2019-2023 expired in June 2023.However following the outbreak of the Manipur crisis and during the ensuing breakdown of law and order, Kuki supremacists and militants issued death threats to Thadou leaden, unlawfully interfering with and disbanding Thadou organizations, it said.

This period saw the emergence of two illegitimate Thadou groups in violation of the TIC viz.

the Thadou Tribe Council (TTC-GHQ), formed in Churachandpur in October 2023 by sympathizers of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO).

A new Thadou Inpi-GHQ was also formed in Kangpokpi in April 2024 by the sympathizers of the United People's Front (UPF).

Both of these entities openly advocate for a "Separate Administration" or "Union Territory" outside Manipur under the Kuki or Kuki-Zo ideology.

Kuki ideologists continue to create fake entities such as Young Thadou, Thadou Youth International, Thadou-Kuki Tachapa Ho, etc.

to spread violence-inciting false propaganda and confuse the public.

This desperate behaviour demonstrates the low morale of Kuki propagandists and organizations.

In response to these challenges, on August 3, 2024, Thadou diaspora representatives from nine countries formed the Thadou Community International (TCI).

In line with the Thadou Inpi Constitution (TIC), the Thadou Community International (TCI), along with the Thadou Students' Association (TSA), jointly organized the Thadou Convention, Guwahati - 2024 .

This convention led to the formation of Thadou apex bodies in Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong, Manipur and Mizoram, while Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM) is the sole legitimate apex body representing the Thadou community in Manipur in addition to various existing Thadou Inpis, it asserted.

TIM's institutional lineage dates back to 1984 as the Thadou National Council, renamed the Thadou Tribe Council in 1992, and then Thadou Inpi in 2015 .

In stark contrast, KIM was formed only in 1993, after the Kuki-Naga conflict, it said.

The "Inpi Proclamation No.2" (2023), "Delhi Conclave Declaration" (2023), and "Shillong Summit Resolution" (2024) of Kuki Inpi Manipur are irrelevant to the Thadou people.

Thadou Inpi Manipur and the Thadou community were never consulted, nor did they participate nor recognize these resolutions.

They apply only to the "Any Kuki tribes" population of 28,000, not to the 216,000 Thadou people in Manipur, it said.

KIM claiming to act on behalf of the SoO groups, does not represent the diverse populations affected by the conflict, particularly the distinct Thadou community.

The Thadou people are against the ongoing talks' lack of transparency and mixed messages.

A major obstacle to peace is the conflicting stances of the parties involved: the Government of India says Manipur's territorial integrity will remain, while SoO groups claim that Union Territory status is "under process" .

For the public to have faith in the process, both sides must be transparent and consistent, TIM asserted.

KIM's branding of TIM as an "enemy of the Kuki people" is unconstitutional, baseless, and a dangerous communal provocation that warrants legal action.

It reflects a warmongering attitude and a deep-seated disdain for the Thadou identity.

"While TIM fundamentally disagrees with KIM, we do not consider them enemies", it said.

It is deeply concerning to witness the extent of Kuki radicalism and hatred directed at the Thadou and other indigenous communities.

Kuki church pastors and leaders are openly preaching violence and vengeance on various social media platforms and from church pulpits, a shocking misuse of sacred spaces meant to promote love, forgiveness, and peace, TIM said.

This level of radicalism raises doubts about the possibility of achieving lasting peace and development as long as this ideology, which includes the "Any Kuki Tribes", remains.

The Government of India and state authorities must address Kuki radicalism and terrorism with the same resolve they apply to similar ideologies and activities across the country, it said.

"Should the Government of India continue to appease Kuki supremacists, allowing them to advance their extremist agendas and persecute the Thadou community, we then ask the government to provide the Thadou community with arms for self-defence against Kuki onslaughts", TIM continued.

It added that the August 6, 2025, TIM-Manipur CSOs Covenant of Understanding is a historic breakthrough in indigenous unity that cannot be derailed.

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