ITLF cannot claim ancestral land here : WMC
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 04 2023:
The World Meetei Council (WMC) has categorically stated that the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum ITLF can claim their ancestral land in Myanmar but not in India, particularly not in Manipur.
Manipur had given them a place to live peacefully and not to create problems, and they (immigrant Chin-Kukis) should learn to be grateful, the WMC asserted in a statement.
Manipur is an ancient land where Meetei and Naga are the two aboriginal/indigenous people.
Chin-Kuki people migrated from Chin State and Sagaing division of Myanmar.
Their first arrival was in the 18th century though in small numbers as records say, the WMC asserted.
Then a few more arrived during Maharaj Narasingh's reign in the 19th century.
After the British took over Manipur in 1891, they put the Chin-Kuki, also known as Khongjai, in surrounding foothill areas of the Manipur valley, which they named as Selected Area Development Administrative Region (SADAR) to fend off attacks from the Naga tribes, it said.
Till 1968, the Manipur Govt had arranged for the settlement of Chin-Kuki alias Kuki refugees from Burma.
Today, the ITLF has been claiming that the Chin-Kukis are indigenous people but immigrants cannot be indigenous and they have been found to be making some demands to the Government of India to legalize the burial site etc.
What is not acceptable is their claim of Churachandpur as their ancestral land.
The fact is, it was only in the early 1920s that the migrant Chin-Kukis were allowed to settle in Yelang by the king Churachand Maharaj of Manipur amongst the Naga tribes and the Meeteis who were there long before they arrived.
Consequently, the king changed the name of the place taking his own name from Yelang to Churachandpur to mark his generosity to the refugees, it asserted.
The ITLF can claim their ancestral land in Myanmar but not in India and particularly not in Manipur, the WMC reiterated.
It then appealed to the Chin-Kuki people, specially the MLAs and also ITLF etc to take back their demand for Separate Administration or whatever they call it.
Manipur belongs to its people who respect the law of the land and live peacefully.
Immigrant community cannot create a homeland out of Manipur, it said.
Chin-Kukis have started this cycle of horrific violence only to realise their Zalengam.
They made innocent Chin-kukis the sacrificial goat for their devilish plan.
They did the same in Myanmar in 1980s but Myanmar taught them a lesson by crushing them.
India is no less a power than Myanmar.
But they are exploiting the Indian democracy to the extent possible and much more than the acceptable limit facilitated by their huge financial resources earned from drugs as per a report of Intelligence Bureau, it observed.
The WMC urged the Chin-Kuki leaders to admit their unpardonable fault of starting this horrific cycle of violence and come to their senses so that normalcy could return to Manipur.
"WMC believes as human beings Chin-Kuki leaders could understand the value of life which they have been playing with so far and this is the only way to peace", it asserted.
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