Martyred Rev Dr Vumthang Sitlhou A dignified life of faith, courage, and service to the Thadou people and humanity
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Jalun Haokip
Contd from previous issue
Our conversations often turned to peace, faith, culture, and the future of Manipur and the Thadou community—building a society free from violence, drugs, and corruption; strengthening cultural and spiritual identity; and ensuring that younger generations remain connected to their roots and values.
He also envisioned closer ties among Thadou Christian fellowships or churches beyond Manipur, where people could worship freely and without fear or pressure (especially from anti-Thadou groups and hostile elements).
Rev Vumthang also carried forward a remarkable family legacy. His father, Pu Pakho, was a Thadou Christian missionary who also ministered among the Rongmei Naga community. In many ways, Rev Vumthang continued this legacy of faith, peace, and inter-community understanding. Well-versed in multiple languages, including English, Hindi, Meitei, Tangkhul, Rongmei, Liangmai, Mizo, apart from his mother tongue, Thadou, and several other similar languages, he preached not only among Thadous but also among other communities. He was also involved in several peace-building missions and efforts during the ethnic conflicts of the 1990s and in more recent conflicts in Manipur.
One of the most moving moments after his passing came during his funeral, when his son, Haominun Sitlhou, publicly forgave his father’s killers, echoing the extraordinary example of the Australian missionary Graham Staines’ family after he and his sons were killed in India. Such forgiveness in the face of unbearable loss reflects profound moral courage and the deepest values of Christian faith.
Although Kuki radical extremists reportedly took offence to this message of forgiveness and threatened him, his words touched many hearts across the country and beyond. It was a message desperately needed not only in Manipur, but everywhere violence and hatred prevail. Forgiveness does not mean abandoning justice or preventing the law from pursuing perpetrators. Rather, it reflects moral courage, resilience, and faith — and the difficult Biblical teaching to “love your enemies” even in moments of grief and pain.
I was also deeply moved to learn that the departed Church leaders and servants of God were given a dignified Christian burial on May 16, 2026, at the Thadou Baptist Association campus in Motbung in Manipur’s Kangpokpi District, despite tremendous pressures to bury them at Kuki “Martyrs Park”. It is comforting to know that their dignity and wishes were ultimately respected and upheld by their families, as well as by the TBAI and Thadou leaders.
Until the very end, we remained in regular contact. He would send me Bible verses every morning that encouraged and strengthened me. Those messages have now become treasured memories. His final words to me—an affirmation of his Thadou identity and Christian faith, and an encouragement for me to remain true to my identity, purpose, and convictions—now carry even greater meaning.
His legacy will continue to shine as a beacon of faith, courage, peace, dignity, and humanity. In a world too often scarred by violence, hatred, and extremism, his life stands as a powerful reminder to choose compassion over cruelty, justice over oppression, light over darkness, and peace over violence. His spirit and example will live on in the hearts of all who long for a more just and humane world. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
As the Apostle Paul wrote in the Bible (2 Timothy 4:7): “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Rev Dr Vumthang Sitlhou, Rev Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulun Sitlhou truly lived these words.
I humbly appeal to all communities, the international community, human rights organisations, Indian authorities, Governments, Churches—including the Baptist World Alliance and other Church councils—as well as the media and all people of conscience, to condemn these atrocities and work collectively toward peace, an end to violence, extremism, and militancy, and justice for the victims and the Thadou community.
I further urge that the Thadou people and their identity be respected and recognised accurately as Thadou, and I call on all concerned to act as fair, truthful, and responsible narrators of the Thadou people's suffering, history, and identity.
The writer is a Melbourne-based Manipur native with experience as a professional social worker working with both mainstream and Indigenous Australian communities across different parts of Australia. He currently works as a family violence practitioner for the Victorian Government in Melbourne, Australia, and is the Secretary of the Melbourne Thadou Baptist Church.
Contd from previous issue
Our conversations often turned to peace, faith, culture, and the future of Manipur and the Thadou community—building a society free from violence, drugs, and corruption; strengthening cultural and spiritual identity; and ensuring that younger generations remain connected to their roots and values.
He also envisioned closer ties among Thadou Christian fellowships or churches beyond Manipur, where people could worship freely and without fear or pressure (especially from anti-Thadou groups and hostile elements).
Rev Vumthang also carried forward a remarkable family legacy. His father, Pu Pakho, was a Thadou Christian missionary who also ministered among the Rongmei Naga community. In many ways, Rev Vumthang continued this legacy of faith, peace, and inter-community understanding. Well-versed in multiple languages, including English, Hindi, Meitei, Tangkhul, Rongmei, Liangmai, Mizo, apart from his mother tongue, Thadou, and several other similar languages, he preached not only among Thadous but also among other communities. He was also involved in several peace-building missions and efforts during the ethnic conflicts of the 1990s and in more recent conflicts in Manipur.
One of the most moving moments after his passing came during his funeral, when his son, Haominun Sitlhou, publicly forgave his father’s killers, echoing the extraordinary example of the Australian missionary Graham Staines’ family after he and his sons were killed in India. Such forgiveness in the face of unbearable loss reflects profound moral courage and the deepest values of Christian faith.
Although Kuki radical extremists reportedly took offence to this message of forgiveness and threatened him, his words touched many hearts across the country and beyond. It was a message desperately needed not only in Manipur, but everywhere violence and hatred prevail. Forgiveness does not mean abandoning justice or preventing the law from pursuing perpetrators. Rather, it reflects moral courage, resilience, and faith — and the difficult Biblical teaching to “love your enemies” even in moments of grief and pain.
I was also deeply moved to learn that the departed Church leaders and servants of God were given a dignified Christian burial on May 16, 2026, at the Thadou Baptist Association campus in Motbung in Manipur’s Kangpokpi District, despite tremendous pressures to bury them at Kuki “Martyrs Park”. It is comforting to know that their dignity and wishes were ultimately respected and upheld by their families, as well as by the TBAI and Thadou leaders.
Until the very end, we remained in regular contact. He would send me Bible verses every morning that encouraged and strengthened me. Those messages have now become treasured memories. His final words to me—an affirmation of his Thadou identity and Christian faith, and an encouragement for me to remain true to my identity, purpose, and convictions—now carry even greater meaning.
His legacy will continue to shine as a beacon of faith, courage, peace, dignity, and humanity. In a world too often scarred by violence, hatred, and extremism, his life stands as a powerful reminder to choose compassion over cruelty, justice over oppression, light over darkness, and peace over violence. His spirit and example will live on in the hearts of all who long for a more just and humane world. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
As the Apostle Paul wrote in the Bible (2 Timothy 4:7): “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Rev Dr Vumthang Sitlhou, Rev Kaigoulun Lhouvum, and Pastor Paogoulun Sitlhou truly lived these words.
I humbly appeal to all communities, the international community, human rights organisations, Indian authorities, Governments, Churches—including the Baptist World Alliance and other Church councils—as well as the media and all people of conscience, to condemn these atrocities and work collectively toward peace, an end to violence, extremism, and militancy, and justice for the victims and the Thadou community.
I further urge that the Thadou people and their identity be respected and recognised accurately as Thadou, and I call on all concerned to act as fair, truthful, and responsible narrators of the Thadou people's suffering, history, and identity.
The writer is a Melbourne-based Manipur native with experience as a professional social worker working with both mainstream and Indigenous Australian communities across different parts of Australia. He currently works as a family violence practitioner for the Victorian Government in Melbourne, Australia, and is the Secretary of the Melbourne Thadou Baptist Church.