Month: September 2013

IMPHAL, Sept 5 NNN : Apex Kuki organisations in Manipur have urged the government of India and the government of Myanmar to sort out the problems at the earliest regarding the border fencing impasse.
Kuki Inpi, Manipur, KSO, General Headquarters, Kuki Chiefs Association, Manipur (KCAM), Kuki Chiefs Association, Chandel, Hills Tribal Council, Moreh and Women Union of Moreh inspected the two Kuki villages of Haolenphai and Govajang in the Indo-Myanmar border today and found that huge portion of land had gone to the other side of the border.
The Kuki organisations informed Newmai News Network this evening that at Haolenphai village the Myanmarese government had erected border pillar number 23 in place of border pillar number 76. In that case, a portion of land measuring one kilometre in breadth and 10 km in length has gone to the other side of the border.
The Kuki bodies said if the faulty fencing work is not rectified at the earliest, the plan of the govt to make a ‘model town’ in Moreh will also be affected.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/solve-border-problem-kuki-bodies/

IMPHAL, Sep 5NNN : Manipur state unit of All India Trinamool Congress on Thursday demanded both the Central and state Governments to let slip on the true status of the Indo-Myanmar Border Fencing within one week.
Addressing the media at the party office, Manipur state unit TC president Kim Gangte urged the Central and state Government to sort out the issue of the Indo-Myanmar Border Fencing and wipe out the anxiety of the people of the state over reported loss of large area of land on the Manipur side of the international line.
Kim said the state and Central Governments should address the border issue and remove the anxiety of the people over the issue within one week.
She informed that the party already had dispatched a representation to the Prime Minister apprising him about the current border issue on August 6 last.
Kim further claimed Manipur has forced to cede an area of land measuring about 16 km along the boundary to the neighbouring country for the border fence construction.
The TC leader also appealed to the populace of the border villages in Chandel district no to accept any kind of compensation in exchange of their village lands for the border fencing.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/tmc-on-border-issue/

Mail News Service
Imphal, Sept 5 : The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said it is alarmed to learn of a two-day shutdown by newspapers in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, following explicit threats from an underground armed group that the distribution of newspapers not publishing its statements would be blocked and their personnel attacked.
According to information received from the All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU), a unit of the IFJ-affiliated Indian Journalists’ Union (IJU), newspaper distribution for two days beginning 1 September was suspended by vendors under the threat of violent retribution by an underground group.
Following this, AMWJU on 2 September decided to observe a two-day closure to ensure that the state government took note of the predicament that journalists and other media workers continue to face in a state that is home to an estimated thirty armed insurgent groups.
According to the AWMJU, this is the fifth complete shutdown of Manipur’s newspapers in less than five years.
IJU representatives on the Press Council of India (PCI) have brought the matter to the attention of its chairman, Justice Markandey Katju, who has written to the chief minister of Manipur, asking that all necessary measures be taken to ensure that journalists are able to function in an atmosphere free of fear.
“We applaud partners in the AWMJU for their consistent and tireless fight for journalists working in the highly challenging environment in Manipur”, said the IFJ Asia Pacific.
“The code of conduct that AMWJU has evolved to deal with the situation of multiple insurgencies in the state, is an example for journalists in other regions that face similar complexities”.
“We call on the state government in Manipur and the security agencies of the Indian government deployed in the state, to respond to the urgent calls from AWMJU that conditions be secured for safeguarding journalists’ rights and the public right to know”.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/ifj-alarmed-with-manipur-situation/

Mail News Service
Imphal, Sept 5 : It is very unfortunate as government can’t arrest killers of van driver Gyanendro and auto driver Ayekpam Nobin on August 18 and 21.
The co-convenor of conflict widow forum K. Nandarani was talking to media at Manipur Press Club today.
She said the government seems to keep the case of two incidents unnoticed as it can’t nab the culprits while those involved in the bomb blast at CM gate and route 39 restaurant can be held in no time.
Police only interrogated victims’ family but they did not investigate other persons. She felt the government is bent on increasing the number of widow and orphaned children.
Taking part in the press meet, Shanti wife of deceased van driver Gyanendro said, government failed to produce killers. It shows that there is no value of democracy.
Wangkhem Chandrabala, convenor Imphal west and co-convenor of Imphal east L. Brojeshori also attended the press meet.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/failure-to-nab-killers-decried/

IMPHAL, Sept 5 NNN : All Tribal Disabled Union, Sadar Hills (ATDUSH) and the Senapati Disabled People’s Association, Manipur (SDPAM) have taken a joint decision not to support the 72-hour Manipur hill districts bandh from midnight of September 8 by All Tribal Disabled Students’ Union (ATDSU).
According to ATDUSH and SDPAM, the ATDSU is not a legitimate and genuine body. Both Sadar Hills and Senapati bodies of the disabled said they have no knowledge earlier about the move of the ATDSU.
In can be noted here that on August 30, anguished over Manipur Government’s negative response on its series of demands, the All Tribal Disabled Students’ Union (ATDSU) had announced to call for a 72-hour bandh in the hill districts of Manipur from September 8-11 as the August 30 deadline set by the union to the Government ended.
ATDSU said that the union will impose a 72-hour bandh in the five hill districts of Manipur from midnight of September 8 to September 11 midnight. It said the Government is not responding to the union’s legitimate demands that prompted it to take up the agitation.
Due to lack of education, the tribal disabled people are unable to claim their rightful job quota in the Government establishments and these post vacancies have remained filled up by general candidates, it accused. ADTSU had also on July 19 last sought an appointment from Social Welfare minister for discussion on its demands, but no positive response has been given till date, it said.
It has urged the state Social Welfare minister to realize the decentralization of the authority for issue of disability certificates and to set up a special school with hostel facility for tribal disabled students in one of the hill districts in the state, the union added. It said that physically challenged persons are first examined and treated at Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) Imphal and then related medical documents are submitted to the office of the Social Welfare which issues disability certificates to them after taking about four months time in the process.
This procedure adopted by the state Government has denied disability certificates to more than 70 percent disabled persons residing in far flung areas of the hill districts, it alleged. At the same time, the union has demanded for setting up of a special school with hostel facility for the tribal disabled children and students in one of the hill districts of the state, it added.
It further said that there are a number of tribal disabled children in the hill areas intending to go to school, but they have failed to do so since they have certain problems of physical inactivities and the society at the same time discourages them to get education. There is only one school in the state located at Takyelpat in Imphal West district, especially for the blind, deaf and mute persons, but still there is not a single school for Locomotor Disabilities (LD) and mentally retarded persons.
It added, therefore, it is quite necessary to set up a school for LD and mentally retarded persons in the state so that they can get proper education.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/no-support-to-hill-strike/