Coordinating committee blasts blockades
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 23 2011:
The coordinating committee of KCP, KYKL, PREPAK, PREPAK (Pro), RPF, UNLF and UPPK has lambasted the protracted economic blockades terming it a very serious crime against humanity.
It noted that the 54 days old economic blockade imposed by Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) in pursuit of Sadar Hills district demand and the subsequent counter blockade imposed by the United Naga Council (UNC) against any design to include Naga areas in Sadar Hills district have been causing untold misery to people of both the hills and valley.
In the course of the blockade and counter blockade, many trucks have been set ablaze and one truck driver was bludgeoned to death.
Apart from that, two trucks carrying drugs were also burnt irretrievably which otherwise would have been let off even during the time of full scale war, the coordination committee noted in a press statement.
In the meantime, prices of all essential commodities have skyrocketed, causing severe hardships to the people, more so to people living in remote and far off places.
However, both parties imposing the blockade and the counter blockade have not given any thought to the calls made by different sections of the society to end the blockades.
When the people's suffering has reached an unprecedented level, some women vendors of Imphal city resorted to blocking goods from being carried to different parts of the State.
This step was incorrect and uncalled for.
All efforts should be made to ensure that whatever quantity of goods brought are into the State should be distributed to all communities and all parts of the State, the committee asserted.
The act of indigenous communities strangulating each other by blocking highways is the most mindless offensives targeted against each who grew up together on the same soil and who cannot be separated at all.
Such sinister act of blocking each other's food supply routes should not be indulged in by any community.
This is a direct challenge to the right to life of all the people, the committee asserted.
As for the deafening silence being maintained by the Government of India to the unfolding humanitarian crisis and its reluctance to take up any soothing measures, this is nothing but a clear reflection of New Delhi's treatment of an occupied region/State.
Had any such crisis happened in any other State of India, the Govt of India would certainly have acted with urgency and secured a solution.
Being an occupied State, all the voices and cries raised by the people of Manipur fell into deaf ears, and the Government of India has no scruples to watch the crisis silently.
"Our people need to understand such attitude of the Government of India.
The Government of India has bee plotting continuously to keep our divided and suppressed, and ultimately assimilate our indigenous culture and tradition into the Indian culture", the coordination committee stated.
Distrust, conflict and confrontation being witnessed among different communities are the fallouts of falling into the Government of India's trap of
'divide and destroy' .
Inability on the part of the indigenous communities and stand-off among the people are what the Government of India has been wishing for,
it asserted.
On the other hand, Chief Minister O Ibobi and his Government have been paying little attention to the crisis which only shows that they share little concern with the untold misery being endured by the people.
"They are only dancing to the tune of New Delhi.
The State Government's lack of concern for the suffering people was testified again when Ibobi went to Japan on a foreign tour together with his wife and son when the State was in turmoil", it alleged.
Such awkward attitude was never shown before by any leader in the history of the world.
The people should give a befitting reply to such arrogance, the committee stated.
Stating that it's too long the indigenous communities have been strangulating each other, the committee called upon all the people of both the hills and valley to struggle collectively to free themselves from the chain of bondage.
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