Manipur violence completes a year: WMC mourns Meitei victims

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 3, 2024

As Manipur ethnic clashes completed a year, the World Meitei Council (WMC) on Friday mourned the victims of the Meitei community who had to suffer due to the clashes.

WMC is the brand name of Global Meetei Foundation, a registered organization. 

“Today, the Metei from all over the world mourn and demonstrate ‘Global Solidarity’ to the displaced Meeteis who lost their lives in the ethnic violence attack in Manipur last year. The members of World Meetei Council of Assam Unit also mourn and join the ‘Global Solidarity’ together with other CSOs,” World Meetei Council Assam Unit general secretary I Hari Singha said addressing a press conference at Guwahati Press Club here on Friday.

“Today also marks the unfortunate day for Metei of all over the world when Kuki-Chin illegal immigrants with arms attacked Meetei Villages in Churachandpur and Moreh. The innocent Metei villagers have never thought the neighbours whom they gave shelter and lived peacefully for decades will be their killers,” Singha said. 

“We all have witnessed that one year has passed but the displaced Metei villagers from these two places are unable to return to their homes. The level of atrocities is at its peak and these Kuki-Chin illegal immigrants backed by their 10 MLAs and militants who are under SoO (Suspension of Operations) even though their SoO agreements with the centre had expired on February 28, 2024,” Singha further said. 

Singha also said they have blocked National Highways leading to Imphal Valley and it has hijacked the normal lives of any community living in the valley.

“There is an important objective for holding this press conference, especially in Guwahati. The people of Assam are also no exception who faced similar difficult times in a few decades back due to the illegal immigrants from the neighbouring country,” he said. 

“However, the gravity of challenges in Manipur is much higher than the Assam as the threat of illegal immigrants in Manipur is much more complicated due to the involvement of narco-terrorism, political instability in Myanmar etc,” he also said.

“The Metei is an indigenous community in Manipur and today, their identity is under threat. If Metei is not saved in Manipur, their identity will be lost from the World. The Metei from all over the world stand with a single voice that to safeguard Metei in Manipur, they should be given constitutional protection rights and i.e., Scheduled Tribe status to Metei in Manipur at the earliest,” the Meitei leader said. 

He said the Manipur government is still delaying sending two reports to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Delhi i.e., an ethnography report and the latest socio-economic survey report of Metei in Manipur from the past more than one decade. We urge the Manipur government to send these two reports without any delay. 

“We have full faith in both Centre and state governments that justice will be delivered to the Metei and without justice, durable peace won`t return to Manipur,” he added.