End Kuki appeasement: TCI urges Govt
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 11 2026: Condemning the cold-blooded murder of two innocent children-a five-year-old boy and a five-month-old baby girl-by suspected Kuki terrorists in Bishnupur's Tronglaobi on April 7, the Thadou Community International (TCI) has asserted that the tragedy is a direct and predictable outcome of State inaction and its policy of appeasement.

"This tragedy is not an isolated incident; it is a direct and predictable out- come of prolonged State inaction and a dangerous policy of appeasement," said the TCI in a statement.

"We mourn the loss of these children with profound grief-but grief alone is insufficient.

Justice must be delivered.

Accountability must be enforced.

The people of Manipur must unite against terrorism in all its forms and reject any ideology that seeks to divide, destabilise, and destroy.

Silence is complicity.

Inaction is failure.

The time to act is now," TCI said.

For far too long, Thadou civil bodies have warned repeatedly about the dangers of Kuki appeasement amid rising radicalisation, organised violence, and expan- ding extremist networks.

These warnings have largely been ignored.

Instead of confronting the threat decisively, authorities have tolerated-and at times effectively legitimised- violent forces, as reflected in the recent engagement between the State Government and the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) outside Manipur at Guwahati, it said.

While the State has engaged with Kuki-Zo Coun- cil, genuine pro-peace civil society organisations, including Thadou Inpi Manipur, have been systematically sidelined, it asserted.

"The consequences of this failure are evident.

When terrorism is not identified and confronted, it grows bolder.

When violent actors are appeased, innocent lives are lost." The Trong-laobi attack "is a stark indictment of continued negligence and inaction,' TIC added.

Coinciding with the 8th State-Level Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival 2026 in Imphal, the book "Manipur in Peril: The Danger of Kuki Supremacism and Radicalism" with the sub-title "The Thadou Struggle: Defending Peace and Indigenous Identity Against Persecution" was released, it informed.

Produced by the Thadou Students' Association, Thadou Inpi Manipur, and Thadou Community International, the book offers a rigorously documented analysis of the ideological drivers and operational networks behind ongoing Kuki violence, TCI said.

The book's message is clear and urgent: ignoring the root causes of extremism deepens instability and prolongs suffering.

Policymakers and the public can no longer afford denial or selective blindness.

The book exposes a largely overlooked reality: the rise of Kuki supremacist ideology, violent campaigns, and manipulation of identity politics that have systematically marginalised and persecuted the Thadou community in Manipur and beyond, TCI added.

Drawing on historical, political, and ethnographic evidence, the book demonstrates how the construction and persistence of "Kuki" as a political identity-particularly through the "Any Kuki tribes" (AKT) category-combined with coordinated militant and political networks, has destabilised Manipur's plural society and threatened indigenous identities and interests, TCI said.

The book examines how power, intimidation, and socio-political engineering have allowed extremist ideologies to take root, creating a crisis that extends beyond the Thadou community.

Tracing the colonial-era formation of the "Kuki" identity, the book shows how it has been leveraged for expansionist agendas in Manipur and neighbouring regions, documenting the suppression of Thadou identity, the role of Kuki armed militant groups along with their proxies, including so-called Kuki CSOs, particularly Kuki Inpi, KSO, Kuki-Zo Council as well as Kuki churches or their leaders, in enforcing control, and the complicity of political actors through Kuki appeasement policies and frameworks such as the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement.

The book also critically analyses the nexus of ideology, militancy, and socio-religious-political control, highlighting the roles of organisations such as the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and affiliated civil and religious bodies, including Kuki churches, TCI said.

Evidence presented in the book shows that the SoO agreements and AKT together form the backbone of the Kuki ideological and supremacist militant framework, particularly under the KNO and its affiliated, so-called Kuki CSOs and churches, sustaining their influence across political, economic, and social spheres.

While the Thadou community remains the primary victim, the consequences of this framework ripple across all of Manipur and beyond, affecting society as a whole, TCI asserted.

Despite challenges, the Thadou community has shown remarkable resilience through advocacy, dialogue, and inter-community engagement.

The book calls for urgent reforms, including the removal of the AKT category, an end to the SoO agreement, and accountability for those responsible for division and violence.

It advocates a return to Constitutional values, historical truth, and inclusive coexistence as the foundation for lasting peace in Manipur, TCI said.

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