KNO ponders over emerging realities and issue

By Stephen Kuki (Under Secretary, Information & Publicity, Kuki National Organisation)

Moreh is a Kuki township located near the India and Burma border. It is a major trading town where various ethnic peoples engage in commercial activities. The profitable environment at Moreh exists because the Kuki people welcome progress and development. Of late, however, the prevailing conducive atmosphere in the border town has been grossly threatened by the militant group called UNLF.

The incident on 9th June 2007 in which UNLF cadres gunned down four innocent Kuki auto rickshaw drivers and a Kuki Thiempu (Priest or Pastor) in the heart of Kuki territory, Moreh, on the pretext that they were KNA cadres was categorically vitiated by the KNO (‘KNO verbally fires at UNLF’, The Sangai Express, Imphal, 12 June: Referring to the news report “Teach KNA a lesson : UNLF to Kukis”) as well as the Village Executive Council (Semang-Pachong) and Youth Club (Lawm) of S Mouljol (Breaking News: ‘UNLF’s charges refuted’, The Imphal Free Press, Imphal, 18 June 2007).

The statement of the Village Executive Council (Semang-Pachong) and Youth Club (Lawm) of S Mouljol reads: … clarified that the allegation made by the proscribed UNLF over the killing of five innocent civilians on June 9, 2007 at different location in Moreh as being member of KNA cadres and involved in the killing of Nengneil-hing Baite, Chandel district AMSU president and Roshan which was published on June 15 in a local daily as false and baseless.
A joint release said (L) Pastor Hemjang Lhung-dim 40 s/o (L) Thonlhun Lhungdim (church pastor), (L) Doumang Haokip 31 s/o (L) Ngulkai Haokip (char-coal worker), (L) Lunkho-mang Misao 17 s/o Hau-kam Misao (student), (L) Lunkholal Haokip 19 s/o (L) Jampao Haokip (student) and (L) Tongkholun Sitlhou 17 s/o Mangmin-thang Sitlhou (auto-rickshaw driver) were all innocents civilians.

In spite of immense and commendable efforts of the Kukis to contain the volatile situation – for the benefit of the public – arising out of the aggressions of UNLF on Kuki soil, a stark revelation has emer-ged confirming suspicions of a nexus between the proscribed militant outfit UNLF and O Ibobi, chief minister of Manipur: The Chief Minister in-charge further assured that apart from giving compensation to the bereaved families, the State Government would also discuss providing jobs to the next of kins…. (Contd. on next page 3, paragraph 4) ‘The meeting demanded conduct of a judicial inquiry instead of a magisterial inquiry into the incident, removing Assam Rifles from Moreh and replacing them with IRB, finding out a permanent solution to avoid such unwanted incident in future, providing ex-gratia and Government jobs to the bereaved families….’ (The Sangai Express, 11 June 2007/Monday, heading ‘Khurai People decry killing of civilians, Govt assures probe’)

Adding fuel to the fire and further confirming the suspicion of nexus between the CM and UNLF, yet another incredible statement was issued:

‘… In response to the various demands of the JAC, the Chief Minister assured all possible help including ex-gratia to the bereaved families before…. Other assurances made by Ibobi included institution of a judicial enquiry into the Moreh killings and to punish the cul-prits according to the law of the land and erection of a memorial tomb in honour of the deceased victims at Moreh for which the State Govt would bear all expenditures so as to avoid such ugly incidents in future. . . .’ (The Sangai Express, Tuesday, 12 June 2007, front page ‘General Strike called, corpses remain unclaimed’).

The true colours of O Ibobi and UNLF are now in the open by default, i.e. to promote a Meitei-centric ethos in the so-called state of Manipur by marginali-sing the indigenous Kuki people. Under normal circumstances, a leader of a state would ensure that governmental declarations are free of any hint of prejudice, especially given the incident at Moreh, where persons belonging to both communities perished. The above declaration of O Ibobi, which totally excludes Kukis because UNLF claim the five Kuki men killed were cadres of KNA is a self-evident proof of their existing nexus and also of scheming Manipur only for the Meiteis. Further due to the connivance of O Ibobi and UNLF, it has surfaced that the killing of an IRB personnel, Jamkholen Haokip, at Moreh following the events of 9 June was a case of a fake encounter between UNLF cadres and IRB personnel: Jamkholen Haokip of Khodang village in Churachandpur District, being a Kuki, was shot dead at close range by his ‘friends’, the Meitei IRB personnel.
On the one hand it is conceivable that an encounter took place between IRB and UNLF; on the other hand, it is extremely unlikely that a Haokip specifically could be the only victim! Similar to a scenario of the old adage ‘out from a baby’s mouth (signifying truth)’, Jamkholen Haokip’s mo-ther laments with tremendous insight: Kanau gal in natha hileh kilhem jou nang kate, naloi hon natha ahin, kahin khon kilhem bi jou pong kate!

Rough translation:

My son, you are a soldier and should you die as one, I’d accept;

But your death was an instance of your friends’ communal predisposition, and so never shall I!’Today, although O Ibobi is fully aware of the activities of the state for-ces dominated by Meiteis, who flagrantly are communal, he has canvassed hard at New Delhi to remove the Assam Rifles from Moreh and replace them with the IRB. This development can also be attributed to the pressures of UNLF, who want to rule the roost in Chandel District (in cahoots with the state forces), some parts of which they have already declared as’ Liberated Zone’ after AR withdrew.