Newmai News Network
Imphal | June 9
Ahead of the Great June Uprising against the extension of NSCN (IM)-GOI ceasefire in Manipur, the United Naga Council (UNC) today cautioned anyone who tries to represent the Nagas at the programmes held in commemoration of the day on June 18 next at Imphal.
The United Naga Council (UNC) has also cautioned anyone who deceptively tries to represent the Nagas at programmes by wearing the attires of the Nagas.
The UNC also appealed to all Nagas to stay away from the programmes “irrespective of their residence”.
The reason for the UNC’s stand, according to S Milan was that since “a section of the valley based organisations have been opposing the Indo-Naga ceasefire in the present state of Manipur”, the Nagas should stay away from the June 18 programmes, he said in a press statement.
The United Committee, Manipur (UCM) will be observing the day as the Great June Uprising of June 18 at Kekrupat in Imphal while the All Manipur United Clubs’ Organisation (AMUCO) will observe the day as the Unity Day at GM Hall, Imphal.
It is worth noting that in the June 14, 2001 Bangkok declaration of ceasefire agreement between the NSCN-IM and the Government of India, it was agreed that the Cease-fire would be extended to Manipur, which led to strong agitation by the Manipur valley based organisations that eventually led to the killing of 18 lives by the security forces.
The United Naga Council said that the Naga population hailed the cease fire agreement between the NSCN (IM) and Government of India in 1997 which was signed to end the decades of political conflicts and confrontations and to start the peace process.
However, the UNC said that “when the Bangkok Agreement was signed on 14th June 2001 on the coverage of cease-fire area without territorial limits, there was a violent agitation in the Imphal valley (which consists of only 2238 sq.km out of the total area of 22,327 sq.km of the state) against the agreement saying that it should not cover the present state of Manipur”. The Naga body, however, rued that it was very unfortunate that 18 lives were lost in the agitation against the Indo-Naga cease-fire coverage in the state.
The UNC asserted that the desire and the aspiration of the Naga people to live together as one people under one administration had been expressed in the first memorandum submitted to the Simon Commission in 1929 and added that all the Naga civil societies of the past had been submitting memorandum after memorandum to the then British regime and the Government of India demanding their rights to live as a free Nation.
The UNC said that the Nagas respect the historical truth of all the communities just as they expect others to understand the Nagas’ political aspiration.
“We have every right to be or not to be. We are the traditional owner of our land handed down from the ancient past,” quipped the Naga body. “We have our own history that will never die” the UNC added.
The UNC further ridiculed the move of a section of the people and said that these people have been opposing to all forms of draconian laws being enforced in the state and at the same time they contradictorily oppose to the coverage of Indo-Naga cease-fire in the state which can best be explained by the world community at large.
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