COCOMI memo to Governor opposes SA demand
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, February 17 2025: A seven-member delegation of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) met with Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla at Raj Bhavan on Monday and submitted a memorandum seeking urgent intervention to address the ongoing crisis in the state.

The delegation apprised Bhalla about the need to reinstate a people's government, ensure the security of village volunteers, and prevent the normalisation of demands for separate administration by "refugees" from Myanmar.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, COCOMI coordinator Khuraijam Athouba informed that they urged the Governor to take immediate steps to reinstate a people's government, curb inflammatory statements from different groups that threaten law and order, and ensure a stable administrative framework.

The Committee raised concerns over Myanmarese nationals leading militant groups in Manipur under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement and questioned how foreign nationals managed to enter peace talks with the Indian government, receive state funding, and establish camps within the Indian territory.

Athouba specifically pointed out that both Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) chairman Thanglianpau Guite, who also heads the United Peoples' Front (UPF), and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) president PS Haokip, are Myanmarese nationals and the latter held a public office in Myanmar as an MP before settling in Manipur.

He reminded the Governor of a letter he (Governor) had sent to the state's chief secretary during his tenure as Union Home secretary, seeking an explanation on how a former MP of Myanmar acquired an Indian passport and settled in Manipur.

COCOMI maintained that the Meetei community had no agenda to engage in violence against any community but had been forced to defend itself after armed militants began attacking Meetei villages on May 3, 2023 .

The delegation urged the government to frame a special policy ensuring that village volunteers are not treated as illegal armed groups, as their role was a direct result of security lapses.

The delegation also told the Governor that the demand for separate administration, despite multiple resolutions in the state assembly to uphold the territorial integrity of the state, is anti-state or anti-Manipur even though the Government of India does not see it as anti-India.

In its memorandum to the Governor, COCOMI underscored the urgency of restoring a democratic governance in Manipur and ensuring law and order, explaining that the crisis in the state was being driven by demands for separate administration, rather than by any agenda of the Meetei people.

Accusing the Government of India of signing a "deceptive" SoO agreement without conducting prior military operations, thereby enabling Kuki armed groups to engage in narco-terrorist activities with impunity, the memorandum claimed that illegal poppy cultivation in Manipur' s hill areas was a direct consequence of this arrangement and required immediate attention.

COCOMI further blamed the ongoing conflict on opposition to the state government's initiatives, including the "War on Drugs" campaign, anti-poppy drives, and efforts to identify and evict illegal immigrants, who originated from Myanmar.

COCOMI argued that resistance to these policies had led to demands for territorial security for these illegal immigrant populations, manifesting in calls for a separate administration.

It also accused Chin-Kuki militant groups of exploiting their association with the Government of India to seek territorial gains in Manipur, using expendable militants to further their cause under the pretext of counter-insurgency operations.

To address these challenges, COCOMI outlined several key demands including establishment of an elected government within a month and a full-fledged assembly session to deliberate on the crisis and implementation of necessary legal and administrative measures.

It also demanded immediate security provisions for affected villages and their civilian defence volunteers, along with amnesty for those forced to take up arms due to security failures.

The delegation further called for national highways to be opened without obstruction and sought measures to prevent illegal extortion along these routes to ensure the smooth transport of essential commodities.

Demanding a crackdown on illegal settlements, stressing the need to identify, dismantle, and evict unauthorised villages that threatened the state's demographic and environmental integrity, the memorandum urged immediate legal action against unauthorised road construction in hill areas, citing a letter from the World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council that flagged over 343 km of illegal roads built without necessary Clearances.

Alarmed at the ongoing armed activities by Chin-Kuki-Zomi groups from Myanmar, COCOMI accused the Assam Rifles of failing to take action against these groups despite their involvement in large-scale poppy cultivation and narco-terrorism.

It also pointed out the need for the immediate review and dismantling of the SoO agreement, citing the foreign origins of its key leaders and urged the government to recognise narco-terrorism as a primary threat to Manipur's stability and to establish a specialised Anti-Narco Terrorism Unit for the Northeast.

COCOMI demanded the restoration of law and order across both hills and plains, immediate relief for those affected by the crisis, rehabilitation of internally displaced persons, and the reconstruction of destroyed villages with adequate security measures along with ensuring uninterrupted access to healthcare, education, and transport facilities, including free and secure movement along national highways.

Pushing for the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants and pressing for the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to prevent further demographic changes in Manipur, the delegation asserted that indigenous populations, represented by COCOMI and the United Naga Council (UNC), fully endorsed the NRC as a necessary safeguard against external influences.

While reminding the assurance by the Bharatiya Janata Party's Northeast coordinator that Manipur's territorial integrity would be protected, the delegation urged the government to uphold this commitment and reject the demand for separate administration.

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