Imphal, November 23 2009: The United National Liberation Front (UNLF) has greeted the people of Manipur on the occasion of its 45th anniversary which falls on November 24 .

Presenting the annual statement of the outfit's central committee on the occasion, the UNLF stressed on the crucial importance of forging internal unity in Manipur as a prerequisite for resolving the Manipur-India conflict.

In the context of Manipur, the unity should be achieved at two levels, that are (i) unity of revolutionary organisations; and (ii) unity of ethnic groups.

However, the need of the hour is the working unity of revolutionary organisations.

If there is unity among revolutionary organisations, significant progress towards achieving ethnic unity and resolving various other social issues could be made.

The UNLF also welcome the firm stand of the RPF on unity among revolutionary parties as adopted by the second Congress of the party.

Stating this development would lead to reactivation of the MPLF, the outfit wished that PREPAK, another constituent-member of the MPLF, would resolve their internal problems at the earliest so as to shoulder their due part in the reactivation of the MPLF.

Expressing serious concern at the unfortunate and unprecedented incident within the fraternal KYKL resulting in the loss of precious life, including a senior officer, the UNLF condemned the act of outright rebellion and killings bypassing the constitutional provision for resolving internal problems, whatsoever justified the reasons may be.

The KYKL may emerge even stronger from the temporary setback and take a major role in forging unity among revolutionary parties of Manipur and the region as well, it exuded.

Observing that the present reality calls for collective fight together against India and is understood by one and all, the UNLF reiterated it conviction and firm stand on unity.

On the present situation, the outfit claimed that the current year recorded the maximum number of killings since Manipur merged with India in Oct 1949 .

The armed brigands of the alien rule have killed seven hundred innocent peoples in this year alone.

They have humiliated even media persons in trying to intimidate them against reporting the truth about the killings of innocent peoples thus infringing upon the 'freedom of the Press'.

Under the captive market economy, the prices of essential commodities have touched the sky pushing the common people, numbering above 80 percent of the population, to extreme hardships.

This has resulted in various kinds of crimes unheard of before in Manipur.

On the other hand, several armed groups have been still continuing with their festival of extortions resorting to reckless bombing and random firing for non compliance.

Taking advantage of this situation, a few groups of State Police Commandos have also been indulging in extortionist crimes, it alleged.

Unfortunately, revolutionary parties fighting for Manipur's independence have so far failed to fight together against India and rally the masses of the people under a common banner.

Thus the present situation has pushed Manipur into a crucial period of transition which would decide the fate of the national liberation struggle itself.

Thus the future of the liberation struggle now depends on the ability/inability of the revolutionary parties to do what they should do at this crucial juncture.

Reflecting on the killings of innocent people, the UNLF accused the Government of India of trampling upon the fundamental collective rights of the people of Manipur way back in 1949.Today India has trampled upon all aspects of individual rights as well, including 'the right to life'.

The central security forces as well as the state force have been committing the crime of killing innocent peoples every day.

Even as the people's movement against the 23 July Khwai Keithel Killings of innocent peoples has been raging everywhere, the security forces still continued to commit the crime in utter contempt of the voice of the people.

Normally, the ugly crime of killing innocent peoples was carried out by the central security forces.

But in the last few years, the 'dirty work' has been passed on to the State Police Commando, under the supervision of the central security forces.

The Indian government have realised that using the central security forces for the killing job has all the more alienated the people from India.

The objective of this policy was to make 'Manipuris fight Manipuris' so as to blur the national contradiction between Manipur and India which in turn would help consolidate the alien rule in Manipur.

The State Government led by O Ibobi has been implementing the Indian policy in letter and spirit by killing scores of hundreds of his own tribe.

Though the state force is not covered by AFSPA's immunity, police commandos have been doing the 'dirty job' previously done by the central security forces.

"The policy makers in New Delhi think that 'this arrangement has kept the central security forces free from blood stains thus reducing even the necessity of AFSPA", the UNLF observed.

It would not be surprising, therefore, if AFSPA is ultimately withdrawn from the entire territory of Manipur.

However, this would not make any difference in Manipur's status under the alien rule and the extreme sufferings of the people under this repressive regime.

"Therefore, notwithstanding AFSPA is repealed/withdrawn or remains, we cannot but sustain our struggle until Indian colonial rule is overthrown", it maintained.

The real enemy of the People's Movement against the state government led by Ibobi for killing innocent peoples is the alien rule pulling the string from New Delhi.

"The responsibility for the killing of 700 innocent peoples lies with Ibobi, the head of the state government and his DGP.

Therefore, in order to mete out appropriate punishment to them our own People's Court should take up criminal proceedings against them along with those criminal commandos who actually carried out the killings.

Otherwise, instituting a 'Commission of Inquiry' and conducting trial within the corrupt Indian legal system, which have never delivered to their own peoples, will tantamount to providing a 'legal' escape door to the actual culprits and their mentor Ibobi and his group", the UNLF claimed.

The outfit appealed to State security personnel to stop killing innocent public so as to avoid fratricidal killings among the people of Manipur.

If otherwise the killing continues, the UNLF will be compelled to take appropriate action against such criminals in the State force who are guilty of committing homicide, it cautioned.

As regards People's Movement, it observed that Manipur is one of the very few countries still waging a bloody liberation struggle even in this first decade of the 21st century.

And the country suppressing the sovereign independence of small neighbouring countries using massive military force and committing gross human rights violations is India.

The extreme form of state excesses being allegedly employed by the Indian state in suppressing the popular movements of Manipur and other states of the region for their legitimate rights has made India the most repressive State.

The unrelenting movement of the people against Indian state in the garb of democracy is now known the world over, and someday the world community will come out in support of the movement, it claimed while saluting the people for their valiant struggle for their 'right to life'.

The essence of a legitimate movement of a group of people, of a class, of a society, of a nation, or, a country is the spirit of oneness against violations of their human rights and other interests.

From this viewpoint, the entire people of Manipur have become a part of the movement now waging against the inhuman killings and torture of the alien rule.

The outfit claimed that no single individual of Manipur endorsed such killings, rather they have been extremely agitated, angered and wanted revenge.

Thus the bulk of the people of Manipur now stand against Indian rule and want to be free from the bondage.

However, the popular sentiment that began to erupt in 2004 against the 'divide and rule' policies and atrocities of Indian colonial rule is yet to take the character of an organised People's Movement.

The main reason for this weakness is the lack of principled unity among our civil society organisations and their inability to consolidate the people.

(To be continued) .

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