WMC’s memo to United Nations documented in book form ST agenda added in points to be laid before UN

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Nov 13: The World Meetei Council’s representation submitted to the United Nations Secretary General on October 3 has been reproduced in book form.
The book titled ‘The Meiteis’ Plight’ and which contains the demand that Meiteis be included in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution of India was released today at Manipur Press Club.
World Meetei Council (WMC) Chairman Heikru-jam Nabashyam, Scheduled Tribe Demand Committee Manipur president Dhiraj Yumnam, Federation of Haomee president Sapamcha Jadumani, Meitei Tribe Union president Salam Gourakishore, WMC Manipur unit president U Kunjo, Salai Kanba Lup chairman L Gopal, Qatar nutrition coach Tamphasana Laishram and senior journalist Yambem Laba attended the book release function as presidium members.
Speaking at the gathering, WMC member Muhen Khundrakpam who designed the book’s cover recalled that the United Nations issued a press release on September 4, 2023 on the Manipur violence.
The particular press release was based on false and unverified news reports and totally one-sided. It portrayed the Meiteis in a very bad light before the whole world, Muhen said.
The WMC submitted a representation with detailed clarification to the United Nations Secretary General on October 3.
The same representation is being published today in book form, Muhen said.  
A signature campaign demanding review of the UN press release on Manipur violence was launched on October 26 through change.org at the initiative of the WMC.
“So far over 60,000 signatures/complaints have been registered but our target is one lakh complaints/petitions and further raise it to two lakh”, Muhen said.
The book release function has been incorporated within the signature campaign so that a greater number of people are aware of it, he added.
WMC chairman H Nabashyam said that the Chin-Kuki offensive launched on May 3, 2023 is quite similar to the Seven Years Devastation of the 19th century.
Manipur had fought/witnessed several wars in the past including the 1st World War, 2nd World War and Anglo-Manipuri War.
But the ones which posed/poses biggest threat to the survival of the Meetei community are the Seven Years Devastation and the current Chin-Kuki offensive, Nabashyam said.
Chin-Kuki people came to Manipur from Sagaing and Chin regions of Myanmar (Burma) only in the 19th century. They are cunning, evil and war-mongering by nature, he alleged.
“As there is also a possibility of pushing the WMC’s representation/clarification submitted to the UN as a piece of insignificant paper, we have reproduced the same representation in book form,” Nabashyam said.
The 94-page book gives a concise account of the protracted violence which erupted on May 3 including the chronology of events.
All the key points of the WMC’s representation submitted to the UN are also inserted in the book which include the popular demand for enlistment of indigenous Meitei/Meetei community in the Scheduled Tribe category under the Constitution of India.
Central security forces are not discharging their duty of protecting Meetei citizens properly. Meeteis have been completely driven out from some hill districts and Chin-Kukis have not stopped their aggression against the Meetei people, according to the book.
Highlighting all these points, WMC urged the United Nations to look into these issues.  
The representation also petitioned the UN to facilitate resettlement of all the internally displaced persons and bring an end to the violence. It further demanded abolition of the semi-feudal system of Kuki chieftainship.