East Timor body extends solidarity to Manipur
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, October 04 2024: Komite Esperansa (Committee of Hope), a political movement of students, youth, landless people and workers in East Timor (Timor-Leste), and allied human rights activists, has called upon the international community to recognise the struggles of people of Manipur and stand in solidarity with justice, dignity and self-determination of the people of the region.

In a statement of solidarity with the people of Manipur, Komite Esperansa said that the political status of Manipur, which shares a 398km international border with Myanmar, remains contentious.

Historically, Manipur was a sovereign state with its own distinct language, culture and political system.

After gaining independence from the British on August 14, 1947, a day before India's independence, Manipur was the first nation in South East Asia to have written constitution and formed its democratic government having representatives from all the major ethnic communities.

However, due to forced annexation, Manipur lost its sovereignty and became a part of dominion of India till the present day.

The day of annexation, October 15, is being observed as 'Black Day' every year by the people of Manipur to commemorate the loss sovereignty.

Condemning the infamous political event of Manipur's annexation of 1949, people started to resist against it.

Subsequently, the uprising movement has also emerged from the 70s, expressing the right to self-determination.

United National Liberation Front, Revolutionary People's Front (People's Liberation Army), and People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak are some of the political organisations that flourished in the soil of Manipur to restore its lost sovereignty.

However, the Government of India responded to these movements with intense militarization.

Soon after the declaration of Manipur as a disturbed area under the Armed Forces' Special Power Act 1958 (AFSPA) in 1981, the brutality of Indian armed forces posed serious risk to safety and.

security on the lives of indigenous people of Manipur.

Indian militarily responded to the self-determination movement, including the promulgation of emergency legislations, the AFSPA leading to high level of militarization in Manipur.

As Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967, the National Security Act, 1980, etc., are the other laws imposed along with the AFSPA since 1980s, Manipur reels outside the framework of protection guaranteed by the Indian Constitution's fundamental rights.

The application of such wide array of security and emergency legislations further infringed the rights and security of the people of Manipur, particularly women.

According to the statement of Komite Esperansa, some security agencies of India have been charged with playing a partisan role in containing the ongoing violence in Manipur and their dubious role in stopping violence has infuriated local people.

The Meetei people have been particularly vocal in calling for the withdrawal of Assam Rifles from Manipur, accusing the force of exacerbating the conflict rather than maintaining peace.

In response to these concerns, several protests have erupted across the state with women leading the charge in some areas, blocking military personnel and demanding accountability for the violence inflicted on the community.

Despite these protests and heavy militarization, the conflict continues to escalate with the allegations of state complicity in the violence and a growing sense of urgency for a resolution.

The Komite Esperansa statement further said that the recent drone bombings carried out by Kuki militants on September 1, 2024 was a blatant act of terrorism, violating fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.

These attacks, which have resulted in loss of life, injury, and destruction of property, are a clear breach of the Geneva Convention and Additional Protocols.

The Geneva Conventions, adopted in 1949, and Additional Protocols, established in 1977 and 2005, set forth the rules for the conduct of war and the protection of civilians during armed conflicts.

These treaties explicitly prohibit indiscriminate attacks, including those using explosive devices, which cause harm to civilians and non-combatants.

The use of drones by Kuki militants to drop bombs on civilian areas in Manipur is a textbook example of an indiscriminate attack, violating Article 51(4) of Additional Protocol I, which states that 'indiscriminate attacks are prohibited'.

Such attacks, which fail to distinguish between military targets and civilians, are considered war crimes under international law.

Furthermore, the drone bombings have caused unnecessary harm and suffering to the civilian population, contravening the principles of distinction and proportionality enshrined in international humanitarian law.

The attacks have also led to displacement, destruction of infrastructure, and long-term psychological trauma, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.

The actions of Kuki militants also violate Article 3 Common to the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits violence against civilians, including murder, mutilation, and cruel treatment.

The use of drones to target civilians constitutes a grave breach of this article, punishable under international law.

While asserting that drone bombings in Manipur by Kuki militants are a clear violation of international humanitarian law, constituting acts of terrorism and war crimes, the Komite Esperansa said that international community must take immediate action to address this crisis and provide humanitarian assistance to the affected population, and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable for their actions.

The statement further said that democratic institutions established under the Central and state governments have not protected the indigenous people from the impacts of militarism but they remained as a mere spectator.

The ongoing conflict starting since the May 3, 2023 has new dimension on how the Indian armed forces has been engaged.

On the day of the outbreak of conflict, security personnel remained as a mute spectator seeing the community violence before their eyes.

Despite the deployment of huge Indian armed forces and appointing former CRPF as security advisor to control the situation, the violence continues to escalate day by day and the Meetei community has incarcerated only in the valley area.

The situation for Meetei community is very critical as members of the community are not allowed to move freely on the highways due to the conflicting situations.

It seems the authority has indirectly endorsed the genocidal approached by not taking necessary measures so far, the Komite Esperansa said and appealed to international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Manipur and recognize their struggles and aspirations for justice, dignity, and self-determination.

Apart from condemning violence against civilians and occupation of the region, the Komite Esperansa strongly called for peaceful resolution to the conflict and respect for human rights while emphasizing the need for international support to bring about a meaningful change and erasure protection of the people of Manipur.

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