IT News
Imphal, Aug 4:
World Meetei Council (WMC) urged the Chin Kuki leaders to admit the unpardonable fault of starting this horrific cycle of violence and come to their senses so that normalcy could return to Manipur.
A statement by Yambem Arun Meetei, Secretary General of WMC said that a small number of Chin Kuki first arrived in Manipur in 18th century t. Then few more during King Narasingh Maharaj reign in 19th century. After the British took over Manipur in 1891, they put the Chinkuki 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. Till 1968 the Manipur govt had arranged for the settlement of Chin Kuki @ Kuki refugees from Burma.
“Today the ITLF (Indigenous Tribal Leaders Federation), a Chin Kuki organisation – claim as INDIGENOUS but immigrants cannot be indigenous – is found to make some demand 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 WMC said
The statement added that in early 1920s 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. And consequently, the king changed the name of the place taking his own name from YELANG to CHURACHANDPUR to mark his generosity to the refugees.
The WMC said that the ITLF can claim their ancestral land in Myanmar but not in India and particularly not in Manipur. The WMC appealed the Chin Kuki people especially the MLAs and also ITLF etc. to take back their demand for Separate Administration.
“Manipur belongs to its people who respect the law of the land and live peacefully. Immigrant community cannot create a homeland out of Manipur. Chin Kukis have started this cycle of horrific violence only to realise their ZALENGAM. They made innocent Chin Kukis the sacrificing 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 report of Intelligence Bureau”, the WMC said.