KSO rubbishes NSCN (IM)'s 'refugee' tag
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 04 2017: Reacting to the statement of NSCN-IM, the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO-Ghqs) today said that the refugee tag given to Kukis by NSCN-IM has always been a deep seated conspiracy of the outfit to cheat the Kukis of their ancestral lands, adding, it is only a part of NSCN-IM propaganda war against Kukis or Kuki bashing.

Of the many people that escaped persecution from the totalitarian state of Burma, there were also Kukis from Burma who sought shelter in Kuki villages in India and were given Refugees Relief Funds.

But to brand all the Kukis on the pretext of some Kuki refugees from Burma receiving refugee relief fund is preposterous.

In fact, R Suisa had conspired by giving refugee relief fund to as many non-refugee Kukis as possible with the motive to brand them all as such.

So, this name calling on the basis of refugee relief fund is akin to making a mountain out of a mole's hill, a statement issued by Paotinthang Lupheng, president, KSO-Ghqs said.

"History stands as witness to the world that the Kuki chiefs were overlords of the "Independent Hill Country", the land stretching from the hill ranges south of Naga Hills in the north, and upper Chindwin and Chin Hills in the east, Chittagong Hill Tracts in the south, and the plains of Sylhet in the west.

The Kukis had defended the entire hill country for all the indigenous tribes since 1761 AD which finally culminated in the "Kuki Uprisings (1917-19)".Had they been mere refugees they would not have taken up the cudgel to fight against the British colonial power.

In short, if the Kukis were not 'owner' of the land, they would not have defended the land and the realm with their lives in the face of British imperialism.

For people who want to know the extent of the ancestral land of the Kukis, they may refer to the published map of the area where operations took place during Kuki Rebellion 1917-19," it said.

The Kuki people are indigenous people like any other tribes of Manipur.

The present day Kukis settled in Manipur from pre-historic periods.

From 264 AD to 364 AD, for a period of 100 years the king of Mulpi (Joupi) Kaikholun's son and King Khoi's adopted son, Taothingmang reigned as the king of Manipur.

The Manipuri language called Meiteilon, which is a mixture of Chin-Lushai-Kuki language, is another proof that the Kukis share inalienable history with other communities in Manipur, it said while asking "Is it rational to deny the historical accounts or facts written in Shakei Khun Thoklon, Cheitharol Kumbaba, Pre-history of Moirang, Linguistic survey of India, etc?" The Kuki Inpi upholds the traditional policy and political stand it adopted on 7 September 1995.The principle of peaceful coexistence with other communities is its policy.

This should not be construed as a sign of weakness.

It is only that the Kuki Inpi respects the rights of every indigenous tribe of the realm.

The chairman of political affairs of Kuki Inpi, in his press statement, had only stated the political facts vis-�-vis the rights of the Kukis, the KSO said.

All the indigenous people of the land co-existed in peace and harmony and were independent people before the advent of colonialism in this part of the world.

The right of sovereignty that the NSCN-IM espouses is not the only one of its kind.

Every independent indigenous people in the region have that unique right of sovereignty and history.

In fact there are many indigenous people who have more valid rights for self determination, independence or sovereignty than the NSCN-IM, the KSO said.

The NSCN-IM in its fight for sovereignty or 'shared sovereignty' had committed genocide, which is wrong; which is a crime against humanity.

To this day the NSCN-IM has not given any valid reason why it had waged ethnic cleansing war against the Kukis in their fight for sovereignty against the Government of India.

Now it has inked a Framework Agreement with the Government of India, which is not the real owner of the land.

It begs the Government of India for land and recognition at the cost of fellow indigenous land owners.

Real sovereignty and peace will only be achieved only when all the pre-colonial independent Nations come together and re-establish that Independent Hill Country of the past, the KSO statement said.

Therefore, it is unfortunate that the NSCN-IM and other unscrupulous elements have made it their job to destroy the history of the Kuki people.

It is time wasting because they may succeed in fooling some ignorant people some of the time but not all the people all the time, it added.

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