Imphal Aug 2 UNA : To protect the Land of the state Manipur, a Committee on Protection of Land in Border fencing, Manipur
(CPLBF) was formed by various organizations. A memorandum was submitted by the newly formed committee to Chief
Minister O. Ibobi Singh against the Indo-Myanmar (international border fencing) for encroaching into the land of Manipur on Friday.
The committee was jointly formed by Information Centre for Hill Areas, Manipur (ICHAM), Rural People’s Development Federation (RPDF) Pallel, (KSO) Moreh block, Eastern Maring Organisation (EMO) Chandel, and Kuki Chiefs’ Association Moreh Block today.
The committee demanded the government to intervene and stop the process for luring the village chiefs with peanuts of
compensation at the costs of Manipur’s land, Joint survey and demarcation of the traditional boundary of Manipur and
Myanmar, based on historical documents should be conducted by both Indian (Including State Government’s civil organisation concerned) and Myanmar’s authorities said the memorandum.
Construction of the fence should be halted until the traditional boundary between India and Myanmar is clearly identified and demarcated. Representatives of the Committee on Protection of Land in Border Fencing, Manipur be included in the survey.
Speaking at a press conference held at ICHAM office, the convenor of the CPLBF, Brojendro Ningombam said if the state government does not intervene immediately regarding the demand of the committee, it would amount to opening of Pandora’s box on the vexed border issue..
The convenor further said the committee welcome the state cabinet’s decision to conduct re-survey on the boundary and fence. And the committee would like to reiterate here that the committee is not against construction of the border fence but that we just don’t want to lose vast areas of Manipur once again, the Manipur people’s anguish over the gifting away of Kabaw valley to the then Burma (now Myanmar) by the government of India in 1953 following the Indo-Burma Treaty of which details had been kept as secret till date, is still fresh in the mind of people of Manipur.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/committee-to-protect-border-formed-government-flayed/
