NY State Senator writes to UN on Manipur crisis
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 06 2023:
Even as the current tension between the Meiteis and the Kukis completed three months, New York State Senator Kevin Thomas has sought United Nations' immediate intervention to address the "growing human rights crisis in Manipur" .
"As the first Indian American elected to the New York State Senate, witnessing the human rights abuses in Manipur, India is heartbreaking," said Kevin Thomas in a letter he shot to the Secretary General, UN on August 3 .
The violence in Manipur has given rise to an ever-growing humanitarian crisis.
According to reports by the BBC and the United States Institute of Peace, the violence between the Kukis and Meiteis has led to over 130 deaths and the burning of at least 1,700 houses.
The situation has displaced more than 60,000 people to flee their homes with many seeking refuge in relief camps across Manipur.
If the fighting persists, these figures are likely to increase, said the NY Senator.
In observance of the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is disheartening to see well-documented and unacceptable acts in Manipur that stands stark contrast to the Declaration's principles of freedom, justice, and peace, said the Senator urging the UN Human Rights Council to convene a special session to initiate an urgent dialogue process that involves all concerned parties.
The special session would foster mutual understanding and enable peaceful means to address grievances.
The UN's intervention and mediation hold the potential to play a pivotal role in achieving a peaceful resolution that respects the rights and dignity of all individuals and communities involved, he said.
Notably, the NY Senator's plea for UN intervention came weeks after the European Parliament took a resolution on the Manipur crisis that invited sharp reactions from the Indian Government.
Significantly, the Indian Government had called the Manipur crisis an internal matter and told the European Union to not interfere.
Earlier in July, US Ambassador Eric Garcetti had also said that the United States has "human concerns" about the violence in Manipur and is "ready, willing, able to assist in any way if asked" .
The Ambassador's statement had also courted criticism from India on the ground that the Manipur crisis was an internal matter.