AMYPCO questions inclusion of Kukis in ST list
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 14 2023: The All Manipur Youth Protection Committee (AMYPCO) has questioned the circumstances under which the Kukis were inserted in the Scheduled Tribe list of Manipur State in 1976 .

According to a census report of Myanmar (then Burma) published in 1947, the total population of self proclaimed Burmese Kukis was around 1,00,000 but it declined to just around 40,000 in 1990 as stated by the Myanmar military Government, the AMYPCO remarked in a statement.

The self proclaimed Burmese Kukis are considered to be a tribe of the Chin group of people.

The drastic decline of the Kuki population from 1,00,000 in 1947 to just around 40,000 in 1990 was published in the Irrawaddi on January 6, 2016 by one Lhu Khopao who was said to be a member of the 'Myanmar Census Kuki Representative Committee', it pointed out.

One major factor for the decline of the Kuki population in Myanmar was mass exodus to Indian States particularly Manipur after India adopted its Constitution on January 26, 1950 .

The benefits given to Scheduled Tribes under the Constitution turned out to be a strong pull factor to the Kuki people of Burma's Chin State who took full advantage of the porous international border and settled unlawfully in the hill areas of Manipur, the AMYPCO alleged. The Manipur (Village Authorities in Hill Areas) Act 1956 and the Article 371(C) only gave impetus to the exodus of Kuki people from Chin State to Manipur.

Even though the alleged fabricated tribe of Kuki claimed that they have their origins in the Chin State of Myanmar, the Kuki tribe is not yet included in the Myanmar Government's list of 135 officially recognised ethnic groups, it said.

How the Kukis were inserted in the Scheduled Tribe list of Manipur State in 1976 when they (Kukis) are not yet recognised by the Myanmar Government is highly questionable, it said.

On the other hand, all the indigenous people of Kangleipak (Manipur) have strong attachment to the land, its natural resources including mountains, lakes, rivers etc and they have been protecting these natural resources for centuries.

Because of the organic relationship the indigenous people shared with nature, a very salubrious environment existed in Manipur.

However, following the advent of some nomadic/illegal migrants, the State's environment and ecology were destroyed wantonly, the AMYPCO decried.

It said that large tracts of hill/mountain ranges were rendered barren and extensive poppy cultivation was launched on the bare hill ranges with a sinister design to exterminate all the people.

Subsequent upon large scale deforestation and extensive poppy cultivation, all major rivers and streams have dried up.

In addition, those illegal immigrants instead of paying any heed to the people's voice, started forest fires at different places quite contemptuously, it said.

As a result, the blue sky of Manipur has turned dark as if the State has been ravaged by a nuclear bomb.

It would take years for the people to restore the devastated forests to their earlier robust conditions or they may not be able to regenerate the forests, it continued.

The AMYPCO then questioned how one could call those people directly responsible for such devastating acts as indigenous people of the land.

It's time for the indigenous people to unite and take corrective measures collectively and urgently, it said.

Noting that the State Government has been evicting encroachers both in the valley and the hills without any discrimination, the AMYPCO remarked that the particular step is a necessity though it is a little late.

There is no valid ground for anyone to interpret the Government's eviction drive on political or communal lines, it said.

Pointing out that all the people who see Manipur as their motherland have not been saying anything to the Government's drive, it asked as to why some people have been opposing the same drive tooth and nail.

"How could one call those people as indigenous people of the land? The reason is quite obvious", it continued.

Those people do not share any love for the land.

Their only intention is to exploit the resources of the land to the maximum limit, it alleged.

By opposing the Government's activities taken up in the collective interest of Manipur, those people only expose who they really are, it said.

It would serve the interest of all if those people correct their misdeeds and instead focus on peaceful co-existence and collective development before it is too late, the AMYPCO added.

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