KIM opposes border fencing, FMR suspension
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, January 21 2024:
Dismayed by the abrupt decision to fence the India-Myanmar border and the move to suspend the Free Movement Regime (FMR), the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) said the unforeseen development has prompted a profound sense of concern within the Kuki-Zo community amidst the ongoing violence.
While contending that the ongoing crisis in Manipur is a pre-planned ethnic-cleansing targeting the Kuki-Zo people, KIM maintained that chief minister Biren Singh's claim that insurgents from Myanmar taking advantage of the FMR, and illegal immigrants and drug traffickers crossing into Manipur to foment trouble is a futile attempt to obscure the root cause of the ethnic conflict.
In reality, these allegations are designed as diversionary tactics, deflecting attention from the true genesis of the ongoing ethnic crisis.
Moreover, this move could also be perceived as a distraction by the state government potentially to provide an opportunity to the state forces to carry out further aggressions against the Kuki-Zo people.
According to the KIM statement, the persistent plea by Manipur government for border fencing is rather aimed at deceiving the government of India to endorse its chauvinistic agenda against the Kuki-Zo people.
This plea also seeks to mask the erosion of democracy and constitutional norms within the state of Manipur under the leadership of Biren leading to unprecedented devastation in the region.
The complete breakdown of law and order coupled with the tyrannical, totalitarian and oppressive rule of N Biren against the Kuki-Zo community poses a direct challenge to the constitutional values and principles of the great country.
Therefore, the crisis demands a thorough understanding of its origins to formulate a pragmatic response aimed at restoring peace, normalcy and stability in the region, the KIM said and appealed to the Government of India to reassess this course of action.
It is crucial to recognise that border fencing will not address the complex challenges fuelling the ongoing crisis, the KIM said.