RPF recalls president Chaoren's revolutionary life
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, February 20 2023: After the demise of outfit's president Irengbam Chaoren on February 10, 2023 due to brain cancer, the proscribed Revolutionary People's Front (RPF) prayed for late revolutionary leader's soul to rest in peace in the heavenly abode.

Meanwhile, Lanna-Thouram (religious rituals) Irengbam Chaoren alias Bhorot was held at his home at Khagempalli Huidrom Leikai, Imphal West on Monday.

People of different communities and faiths from different parts of the state joined the ritual and offered floral tributes to his photo.

Moreover, prayers were offered at churches in both hills and valley, while candle light memorial services were held in different parts of the state in the evening.

While recalling the revolutionary life of Chaoren, a statement of RPF said that he was born on November 2, 1957 as eldest among three sons of (late) Irengbam Ibomcha and Tongbram Ningol Jamuna.

According to the RPF, Chaoren started schooling at Khagempalli Huidrom Leikai LP School and then at Keishamthong ME School, Elangbam Leikai.

He passed HSLC examination in 1974 from Ram Lal Paul High School, Keishamthong and continued Pre-University Course (PU Sc) in science stream at Oriental College.

After completing PU Sc in 1976, Chaoren shifted to Manipur College and studied Bachelor of Arts (BA) .

Chaoren started joining sovereignty movement without completing studies and had even attended meetings of the then RGM (Revolutionary Government of Manipur) from the year 1974 as he loved his motherland and steadfastly stood against India's occupation of Manipur.

Along with the then elder leaders, Chaoren discussed and digested history of Manipur and gained numerous lessons and suggestions on freedom movement from the elders.

Apart from this, Chaoren also joined discussion sessions on revolution and politics conducted at a college secretly established by RGM leaders and also took part in a five-day Revolutionary Leadership Training conducted during that time.

As part of translating revolutionary knowledge he gained from elders and the discussions into action, Chaoren started meeting different sections of the society particularly in rural areas to create awareness on the need for launching revolutionary movement and urged people to join the revolutionary group, the RPF said.

While recalling that Chaoren was an ardent sports lover and played badminton and football very well, the statement said that Chaoren also under training on Thang-Ta from a teacher even after joining the revolutionary movement.

After RGM split into two, Chaoren joined the group which believed in launching an armed revolution to restore the lost sovereignty of Manipur and prepared to go to China.

However, Chaoren could not go to China as the second batch in 1977 was stopped by Indian forces on the way and no further plan to go China was made.

When those who went to China returned in 1978 and established PLA, Chaoren joined the armed outfit and started shouldering responsibility and performed many works related with the revolution.

In the year 1982, Chaoren was part of the PLA team which went to Kachin state in Myanmar and received military training from the Kachin Independent Army (KIA) and stayed in Kachin for several years.

PLA suffered leadership crisis and one group even intended to surrender after erstwhile leader N Bisheswar joined politics and became an MLA.

However, Chaoren shouldered immense responsibility in bringing together cadres who believed in armed revolution and continued the PLA's armed struggle to bring back lost sovereignty of Manipur.

He was then elected RPF president during the first ever party congress held in 1990 and held the post till his last breath on February 10, 2023, the RPF said, adding that Chaoren was also convener of conglomerate armed outfit Coordination Committee (CorCom).

Even before Chaoren became the party's president, party cadres had already worked as per Chaoren's ideology and many policies he brought out were also implemented.

Declaration of 'Athouba Singgi Numit' observance on April 13 and ban on import of 'Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL)' to Manipur were some of the notable policies Chaoren brought out and implemented by the outfit.

After becoming RPF president, Chaoren took a big decision to bring unity among all the revolutionary groups of Manipur WESEA region and took important role in setting up RJC, MPLF and CorCom.

He also met revolutionary leaders of WESEA region namely late SS Khaplang of Nagaland, Poresh Asom of Assam and Ranjit Devburman of Tripura and stressed the need for forming a United Front.

He also started enacting foreign policy to bring revolutionary movement in the region to the global platform and submitted memorandum to De-Colonisation Committee of the United Nations twice, on December 11,1996 and on September 21, 1999 .

In 1997, Chaoren also signed the declaration to abide Common Article No.3 of Geneva Convention of 1949 and made known to the international community that revolutionary groups in Manipur are not 'terrorists' but revolutionaries fighting to restore lost sovereignty of the land.

According to the RPF, president Chaoren had advised cadres to work hard during their time to bring back Manipur's lost sovereignty and a revolution would not be successful without active participation of the people.

When Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022 and nearly triggered World War III, Chaoren advised cadres to choose the side which would be helpful in restoring Manipur's sovereignty or else left with the same fate Manipur had after the end of World War II.

As per Chaoren's policy to make Manipur self-reliant in food gradually, RPF declared ban on import of some varieties of fish from outside from the year 2024 and decided to encourage yield of local fish production.

According to the RPF statement, Chaoren left a written message during the last days of his life and the message called upon cadres to shoulder responsibility for making the outfit strong and bring back sovereignty.

The message also said that all the communities settling in Manipur are brothers and cannot be separated at all and the major community should resolve differences/conflict erupted among the communities.

He also called for bringing unity among all the revolutionary groups of Manipur.

Along with the written message, Chaoren also handed over a photo of himself with present-day NSCN-IM general secretary Th Muivah clicked in an Eastern Nagaland area which he said was to be revealed after Muivah's death as the Naga leader is older than him.

In view of his fragile health condition and anticipating his death before Muivah's, Chaoren handed over the photo with a written message to the party for public disclosure.

In the written message, Chaoren said an 86-member team of PLA cadres including 10 women went to Kachin in 1982 but was attacked by Naga National Council (NNC) on the way and three precious lives of revolutionaries were lost in the attack.

After a brief fire-fight and changing route, the PLA team met some cadres of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) and requested them to relay the message of PLA team's arrival to NSCN headquarters.

Accordingly, the PLA team entered NSCN's 1st Battalion and later reached NSCN headquarters after Muivah invited the team.

The PLA team got encouragement from NSCN leaders like Isak Chisi Swu, Shangwang Shangyung Khaplang and Thuingaleng Muivah.

Chaoren also mentioned in the message that Muivah helped the PLA team a lot as he understands Meetei language well and even deputed an NSCN captain to guide the PLA team to Kachin and escorted till Kachin border.

Chaoren's message also thanked Thuingaleng Muivah and appealed to the Naga leader to unite all the revolutionary groups and shoulder responsibility for launching a united revolutionary struggle.

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