No separate administration in Manipur: Shah assures COCOMI
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 25 2023: A 13-member delegation of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) met Union home minister Amit Shah at his official residence in New Delhi on Friday and later engaged in a detailed discussion with top officials of the Intelligence Bureau as per the minister's instructions.

During the meeting, Amit Shah told the COCOMI delegation that there will be no separate administration in Manipur and the Centre has firm stance against all forms of infiltration into Manipur territory.

He also said that measures are being taken up to register immigrants using biometrics including retina scans and stringent action will be taken against all forms of infiltration into Manipur territory.

On border fencing, Shah said the government is expediting border fencing in the Manipur sector of Indo-Myanmar border.

Regarding blockade along National Highways, the home minister opined that ensuring movement and distribution of commodities in the state can be realised with the support from both side of the communities while assuring deployment of convoys to secure the highways in few days.

Amit Shah encouraged COCOMI to initiate dialogues with responsible Kuki leaders and groups to facilitate problem-solving and peace-building measures.

The Home minister appealed for peace in the state and urged the COCOMI delegation to convey his message to the people.

The COCOMI delegation also submitted a representation to Amit Shah, who forwarded the same to the Union home secretary for further discussion on the outlined points.

Later, the COCOMI delegation held a detailed discussion with top officials of the Intelligence Bureau and security advisor as advised by the Union home minister.

In the subsequent detailed discussion with the director of the Intelligence Bureau and security advisor (Northeast) AK Mishra, COCOMI presented complexities of issues affecting Manipur including illegal immigration, cross-border narco-terror-ism, exploitation of forest resources and SoO violations.

The MHA officials acknowledged and took note of these critical points.

The director of the Intelligence Bureau provided insights into the current crisis in Manipur and its understanding of critical issues.

After a thorough discussion, the officials urged COCOMI to prioritize the immediate measures outlined in the letter.

They also emphasized the importance of continued engagement and cooperation with the government and stakeholders to facilitate a quicker resolution of the crisis.

The COCOMI delegation led by coordinator Jeetendra Ningomba included consultative members Yumnamcha Dilipkumar, Ak Shethajit, K Maharabi, Th Bharat, Khomdram Ratan and assistant coordina tors Joychandra Konthoujam, Longjam Ratankumar, Somorendro Thokchom, Khuraijam Athouba, Ph Shyamchand, Y Surjitkumar and L Jayanta.

In its representation to the Union home minister, the COCOMI strongly called for effective intervention in the prolonged Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist aggression on the soil of India in Manipur sector and also highlighted the possible threat to Indian national security.

The representation said that foreign based Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists in collusion with Kuki sectarian radical groups have made an unwarranted aggression on the soil of India in Manipur sector challenging the sovereignty and sanctity of the nation.

Since the past 113 days, the aggression rendered nearly one lakh people homeless and they have taken refuge in many relief camps across Manipur.

More than 160 people have died since the aggression begun on May 3 and several civilians are missing, the COCOMI said, while drawing attention of the Union home minister on some facts and imperatives which might directly threaten the Indian national security.

Presenting facts and imperatives, the COCOMI representation said that it is now open and known to the world that the Manipur violence is an act of aggression by foreign based Chin-Kuki narco-terrorists in connivance with Kuki sectarian radical forces.

The larger game plan of the current violence is to carve out sizable territories from three different countries namely the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, Chin state of Myanmar and Kuki inhabited areas of Manipur and the entire Mizoram of India and to form a united Zoland/Zale'n-gam in the line of an Israelite state.

With the dream of creating a unique Christian country where different small ethnic groups identifying as conglomerates of Thadou-Kuki speaking cog-nates settle together, the Chin-Kukis are forc-ing the impossible.

Not only terrorizing the civilians in the territory of Manipur, they are also forcing youth and even young children to take up arms and into believing the utopia of Zale'n-gam.

These young children are indoctrinated with hatred and false promises pressuring them to wage war against an imaginary enemy, COCOMI continued.

It further stated that the utopia of forming a united Zoland/ Zale'n-gam has reached such fervent heights that a recently constituted propaganda group called the World Kuki Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC) submitted a memorandum to the United Nations on June 29, 2023 urging upon the world body to grant a separate country comprising territories carved out from the three countries.

They also submitted another memorandum to the Prime Minister of Israel seeking support and aid.

The COCOMI representation also said that the interconnectivity of the geopolitics of the Southeast Asia and South Asian regions in the context of Myanmar crisis and its ramifications on Manipur violence will certainly be a sphere of Indian national security.

Any issue of turmoil and social unrest in the border states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and importantly Manipur will certainly open a Pandora of opportunity for Chinese intelligence.

The danger of this intrusion has been expressed by many retired high ranking military officers and think tanks on several electronic media, webinars and discussions.

The threat is alarmingly real, it forewarned.

Though Manipur experienced various armed opposition groups since the day of the merger of Manipur with India in 1949, the people of Manipur, especially the Meeteis have fully absorbed the values of democracy.

Parliamentary elections after elections have shown their commitment to democracy.

In the valley, it seems the electoral contests are based on people's choices and without having much influence or the dictates of the armed groups.

Meeteis have consistently shown their commitment to the Indian democratic system and the Meeteis in general do not subscribe to Chinese communist dictatorial political system.

However, parliamentary elections in hill areas largely remain greatly influenced by armed groups.

The settlement patterns in the hills where small villages are scattered in isolated hinterlands combined with massive and complete control of the body polity of Kuki dominated areas by Kuki militants make the Indian parliamentary elections a farce.

The hard facts of these aber rations from normal course of democratic election can be easily seen from the truth of the election of the family members to the Manipur Legislative As-sembly and several of them even becoming ministers, the COCOMI representation said.

While the Government of India under the vibrant leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been pushing India into becoming one of the most powerful countries by eliminating parochialism and sectarianism, the Kukis remain adamant on conservation of parochialism, separatism and thereby destroying the age-old social harmony of Manipur.

The anti-democratic and sectarian uprising will cer-tainly give the Chinese intelligence an exceptional opportunity of intrusion deep inside the Indian National security system, the COCOMI representation said.

It further said that out of the four Indian states border ing Myanmar having a length of 1643km, Manipur shares 398km completely porous and due to which the changing demography has happened because of the intrusion of numerous illegal migrants from Myanmar.

The subtle demographic balance is already endangered.

If the trend is not halted, a new demographic alignment will emerge that will lead to social chaos and fight for social dominance.

The present mayhem is a prelude to the impending overarching crisis, the COCOMI said.

While highlighting certain measures to create a conducive environment forbringing peace in Manipur in the face of the current political chaos, the COCOMI said armed Chin-Kuki Narco Terrorists and armed Kuki separatists must be contained immediately.

It also said that initiatives for restoration of internally displaced persons in their original settlements must be taken up at the earliest.

On the opening of national highways, the CO-COMI said blocking of the national highways is a grave crime against humanity but the Kuki people are blocking the national highways of Manipur in spite of various orders issued by the High Court of Manipur.

It then urged the Central government to open the national highways immediately and deploy necessary security forces for free access of all communi-ties.

The COCOMI also suggested shifting of security forces from educational institutions and updation of NRC as under Citizenship Act 1955 and as mandated by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2003 in Manipur.

The COCOMI also strongly called for destruction of poppy plantation before the harvesting month so as to the fulfil Prime Minister's initiative of 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan 2020' .

The COCOMI also said that the functioning of the Assam Rifles and their possible nexus with drug mafia must be thoroughly investigated in the context of India's national security and also in the interest of the citizens of India as evidences of a few of wanton officers of the Assam Rifles having involved in the drug racket had already been out in the public domain.

Further, deployment of the same security force (consistently for 40 years and more) could have made undesired affinity with local population and put the national interest in jeopardy.

The best option may be to replace Assam Rifles and also to follow the policy of routine rotation and replacement of forces especially in the border areas where Chinese na-tion-al interest and influence are predominant, the COCOMI suggested.

The COCOMI also strongly called for abrogating Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreements with Kuki militants for constantly violating the ground rules of the agreement.

Copies of the representation were also report-edly sent to the PMO, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Forest and Environment for information.

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