India trying to suppress revolutionary movement: CorCom
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, July 08 2022:
continued from previous issue
On the drug issue being faced in WESEA region, particularly in Manipur, Coordination Committee (CorCom), while sharing its thoughts on the occasion of its 11th Raising Day celebration, compared it to conversion of China into a big opium market by the British traders in the 19th century and the subsequent outbreak of 'Opium War' in the country from 1841.While recounting that the second Opium War in China occurred from 1856 to 1860, CorCom said that people of Manipur (Kangleipak) are now living with an endless opium war.
Though India's NDPS Act, 1985 prohibits poppy plantation, Indian administration and military are hell-bent on ensuring widespread poppy plantation in Manipur (Kangleipak).
It is not new for Indian Army and para-military forces to remain silent on widespread poppy plantation near their camps in WESEA region particularly in Manipur and their involvement in drug business.
Poppy cultivation is being carried out at more than 7,000 acres of land in Manipur (Kangleipak) and Indian forces cannot deny it as majority of poppy cultivation area are near their camps.
According to CorCom, Manipur (Kangleipak) has been intentionally converted into a drug capital and this is becoming clearer each day as even the UNDP termed WESEA region including Manipur as a 'dark spot' badly affected by drug.
India can never run away from the fact about involvement of its armed forces, state police and politicians in drug business, it said, adding that people are witness to involvement of a Lieutenant Colonel of Indian Army and ADC Chandel chairman in drug business.
It also said that beginning of widespread poppy plantation on ethnic/community line is more dangerous and fearful in the present characteristic of drug business in Manipur.
Some people and namesake public leaders play ethnic card and utilise poor hill people as labourers in poppy plantation.
These poor people of the hills never get benefits of poppy plantation as few wealthy and powerful people grab all the benefits, CorCom said, and appealed to people to understand that widespread poppy plantation not only affects environment and increases deforestation but also pushes youth into the sea of drugs.
It also said that poppy plantation and election are closely related as huge money earned from poppy plantation is used during elections.
The CorCom statement further said that poppy plantation is having a huge impact in weakening the ongoing political/armed conflict in WESEA/Manipur (Kangleipak).
With the help of this, India is trying to wrongly portray external conflict between India and Manipur (Kangleipak) as internal conflict.
India is also developing a drug economy openly in Manipur (Kangleipak) to create conflict among hills ahd plain people, it added.
The CorCom further said that conversion of Manipur (Kangleipak) into a poppy cultivation and drug manufacturing state indeed is a big gift of government's claim of improving law & order and decrease in insurgency related activities.
Dip in insurgency related activities and widespread poppy plantation in area of operation of Indian Occupied Force (IOF) are directly or indirectly related, it added.
It would not be right to blame one/two particular communities for drug abuse and drug business in Manipur (Kangleipak) as there are many people among these communities who love and are ready to sacrifice their lives for their motherland.
Accordingly, a collective effort of the people to identify those going together with the forces trying to destroy the land and society is very much required for uprooting them, the CorCom statement said while reminding people of Manipur (Kangleipak) about successful campaign to uproot drug business in Thailand and Philippines some years back.
Drug issues in Manipur cannot be tackled with India's own existing laws as Manipur is an occupied territory of India.
Accordingly, people of Manipur (Kangleipak) must lodge complaint to the United Nations and seek help under universally approved Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971, Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961 and UN Convention against Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, 1988 to save people engulfed by drugs, CorCom added.
concluded .
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