The Great Pemberton Divide

By TUANKHAM KIAMLOU

“Captain Pemberton, in his report, dated 19th April 1834 says that the Namsaulung River appeared to have been always considered by the Burmese as the northern limit of the Kule Rajah’s territory in that direction. This accounts for the Namsaulung forming the southern boundary of the northern divisions of the Kubo valley. Captain Pemberton does not however, explain why the line was extended from the sources of the Namsaulung due west to the Manipur River passes through the northern portion of the country at present inhabitated by the Sooties. Thus according to the boundary laid down by Captain Pemberton, contained in the Treaty of 1834, part of the Sootie tribe, at present live in Manipur and part in the Burmese or independent territory”, (Pp 171-172 Alexander Mackenzie’s ‘The North -East Frontier of Bengal).

Major F.J. Grant and Captain R.B.Pemberton were appointed Commissioners to meet the Burmese authorities in accordance with the principles enunciated by the Government of India in 1827 consequent upon the signing of the Treaty of Yandaboo in February 1826.

Accordingly, the Commissioners met on the banks of the Ningthee or Kyendwen River for the first time in April 1828. The proposed subsequent meeting could not take place due to the Burmese side’s claim that the Ningthee was not Kyendwen but another river to the west of the Kubo Valley. Lieutenant Pemberton scouted the idea that the Ningthee had been mistaken for another smaller river as stated by the Burmese and the fact of which was reported by him to the Commissioner in Sylhet . Major General Sir A.Campbell, Comissioner of Sylhet was then directed by the Government of India to inform the Court of Ava that the British Commissioners were prepared to prove that the Ningthee and Kyendwen were the same river. In January 1830, Major Burney was appointed Resident at Ava in pursuance to the provisions of Article 7 of the Treaty of Yandaboo stipulating for the permanent residence of a British Officer at the Court of Ava. He was also instructed to convey the determination of the Government to fix the boundary line between Manipur and Ava as laid down by Grant and Pemberton. After protracted negotiations and clarifications from both sides, the Commissioners of both the Goverment, met in January 1830. The Burmese acknowledged the incorrectness of their map, and the boundary was fixed though the Burmese Commissioners would not consent to the renunciation of the territory.

The Government of India in a letter dated 16th March 1833 directed the Resident at Ava to announce to the King that the Supreme Government still adhere to the opinion that the Ningthee formed the proper boundary between Ava and Manipur , but in consideration for His Majesty’s feelings and wishes, and in the spirit of amity and goodwill subsisting between the two countries, the Supreme Government consented to the restoration of the Kubo valley to Ava and to the establishment of the boundary line at the foot of the Yome Doung / Maring Hills.The exact line was to be established by the British Commissioners. The Burmese Government were also informed by the Government of India, in November 1833 to depute two officers of rank to meet the two British Officers, who would deliver over to the Burmese the towns of Khambat, Tummoo, Thoungthuot & c, “and fix and point out the line of hills which may be selected as the future boundary between Ava and Manipur”. The boundary was thus laid down and the agreement defining the boundaries was signed as originally prepared, with some trifling alterations on 24th April 1834.

So that was how Gumbheer Singh of Manipur had consolidated his kingdom under the tutelage and protection of the British Government of India albeit ceding the Kubo valley to Ava. Captain Pemberton ‘s map published in 1835 thus contained the Northern portion of the Kamhow’s territory inhabitated mainly by the Nwite (Guite) and Yo tribes who occupied some portion of the southern boundary of Manipur. In November 1872, Colonel Mowbray Thomson, the officiating Political Agent of Manipur, reported that , from an examination of Pemberton’s map and Treaty of 1834, he considered that the country inhabited by the Sooties ( Suktes ) clearly belonged to Burma, and that in his opinion, the Manipuris had no right to make war in that direction, but if threatened or injured by the Sooties, they should refer their grievances to the Burmese Government through the Government of India. In the orders passed by the Government of India in Foreign Department Letter No.216P., dated 30th January 1873 addressed to the Governor of Bengal, it was mentioned that His Excellency the Viceroy and the Governor General in Council approved of the endeavours made by him to effect an amicable settlement of the quarrel between Manipur and the Sooties and it was desired that both parties should surrender prisoners and captives to bring about a good understanding. His Excellency in Council also desired that the frontier posts and stockades erected by the Maharaja of Manipur should act as defensive posts and not vex the tribes beyond the border, or give provocation to attack Manipur.

As per the records of the Government of India, the Burmese Government never appears to have exercised control over the Sooties to the South of the Manipur boundary line. The whole tribe seemed to be practically independent and not at all effected by the Treaty of 1834. Though a line was drawn westwards from source of the Namsaulung to Kathe’Khyong, no mention was made about the territory south of this line having made over to Burma. It was only the Kubo Valley which the Burmese Government asked for, and that was all that was made over. Evidently, the Kamhow country used to be free from the jurisdiction of either the Manipuri or the Burmese kingdom. But at the time of demarcation of the boundaries between these two powers under the aegis of the Supreme British Government of India, the Sooties were never consulted nor was their interest taken into account. Even Captain Pemberton had admitted that he had never been able to go far south while demarcating the boundary line. In 1856, Colonel Mc Culloch said that the south-eastern portion of Manipur territory had never been explored, and the Manipur authorities had never tried to bring the tribes inhabiting it into subjection.

The Pemberton Line was the basis on which the Chin Hills-Manipur Boundary Commission of 1894 was settled this time also without consulting the Sooties and other Zo tribes inhabiting the areas. Soon after the Lushai expedition in 1872 stones were set up by the Manipuri contingent at the Chiboo salt well with the pictures of Maharaja Gambhir Singh and general Nuthall, Political agent of Manipur engraved upon them. How much clever and foresight were the Maipuris? Thus, the Zo people who were never subjugated by neither the Manipuris nor the Burmese got divided unknowingly and without ever being consulted.

In the nineteenth century the British policy was to consolidate the control over the tribals in the borders of Burma and Cachar through the King of Manipur. It was in this process the Sooties, to be precise the Zo people have been divided and their lands got included under the territory of Manipur. Reversal of this predicament can made possible through unification of the Zomis into one administrative set-up either under Burma or India. This is the cornerstone of the Zomi politics and should serve as a springboard for achieving our political goal- be it UT, Statehood or unification. It may also be mentioned that the Guite, Manlun or Sukte Chiefs were never subjugated nor conquered by the Manipuri Maharajas. Unlike Thahdous, Tangkhuls, Marings, Kom, and other smaller tribes, they never were subjects of Manipur. In fact, the Kamhows used to be the most dreaded tribes in the southern boundaries of Manipur and to come to terms in order to achieve peace the Maharajas of Manipur desisted from interfering in their country and the boundaries were never strictly defined till today. Even the present Churachandpur area was given for settlement to the Guite chief Sumkam son of Goukhothang (Kokatung) who was treacherously captured by Tikendrajit led Manipuri contingent on their return from the Lushai expedition.

Today the Zomis continued to remain divided by the imaginary boundary line of Pemberton and the mistake has to be corrected through political process and the blessings of the benign India Government and the co-operation of Burma should also be sought to determine a lasting solution for the Zo people. It is high time for the Zo politicians and freedom fighters to concentrate on this issue rather than vaguely harping about unification or the like.


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