IMPHAL, April 6 MNS/NNN: All Zeliangrong Students Union (AZSU), Zeliangrong Youth Front (ZYF) and Zeliangrong Students Union, Manipur (ZSUM) warned today that the Zeliangrong people are ready to face any eventuality to secure the release of school girl Alice Kamei from the RPF/PLA custody.
They then said that the revelation of the police after arresting two women recruiters of the RPF/PLA has proved that school girl Alice Kamei did not join the militant outfit on her own volition.
“Elangbam Rojita @ Tekpi and Elangbam Ongbi Thoinu who are as per police statement involved in the kidnapping of the minor school girl was arrested from Hiyanglam Awang Leikai along with huge amount of money amounting Rs 30,000 which alleged to have been received from RPF/PLA as payment for recruitment has revealed that the minor school girl Alice Kamei did not go willingly to the RPF/PLA fold. The claim of the RPF/PLA stating that the minor school girl had joined the underground organization on her own volition had totally contradicted by the revelation of the two women who were arrested by the Thoubal district police commando team, hence the underground RPF/PLA had no justifiable ground to detain the minor school girl in their custody for any longer. There is apprehension that the minor school girl who is now captive in the custody of RPF/PLA might be facing hardships on various ways,” AZSU, ZYF and ZSUM today.
Even after RPF/PLA had announced in the public domain that the minor school girl who is in their custody is less than 18 years but continue to remain in captivity is a total violation of international law and infringement upon the rights and liberty of a child to live freely without fear, denial of the child right’s to education also restricted and prohibited her free movement. The RPF/PLA continuing to detain the minor school girl without any justifiable reason has potential to cause unwanted consequences considering the situation where the people are ready for any eventuality, the Zeliangrong organisations cautioned today.
The AZSU, ZYF and ZSUM said with the 1st phase of public democratic agitation of 48 hours total blockade on National Highways and the 2nd phase of sit-in-protest in Imphal East district, Imphal West district, Bishnupur and Churachandpur have ended but the RPF/PLA’s adamant stand not to release Alice Kamei has signified the outfit’s immaturity, incapable to understand the people voice, absence of organizational procedures on such issue.
“The unjustified captivity of the minor school girl is suspicious to incitement of turmoil in the region. The Zeliangrong people will chalk out a specific strategy to strike and take up intense form of democratic agitation to secure release of the minor school girl from the RPF/PLA custody. The nature and mode of public democratic agitation will be taken during the next public meeting which will be held shortly. The action of Thoubal district police commando arresting two involved persons into the case is commendable by Zeliangrong people in particular and every reasoning and right thinking people in general,” the AZSU, ZYF and ZSUM added.
The Centre for Organisation Research and Education (CORE) said it views the reported clarification from the Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), a non-state armed group of Manipur, about the two adolescent indigenous girl students of Grace Reach Academy, Kakching almost a month since they were reported missing from 10th March 2013 as “safe and sound” in their camp as “willing” recruits, as a scandalous disgrace for an organisation, which is generally viewed as progressive and disciplined, and that had unilaterally acceded to the four Geneva Conventions’ Common Article 3 in 1997 by declaration during the49th session of the UN Human Rights Sub-Commission, at Geneva, and had at the same time called upon India to ratify the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts (Protocol II). Further, the two girls were claimed in the reported clarification to be 16 years old, which is contradictory to the age given by the school’s Principal and respective families as 14 and 15 years old. The said two adolescent girl students should be released safe and sound to their respective parents immediately on the grounds of international human rights and humanitarian principles and law.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/zeliangrong-unions-demand-release-of-alice/
