KANAM sends letters to foreign Govts, UN against NGT order on Tiger Road MHWF urges PM Modi to review SoO agreement

IMPHAL, Jan 4
The Meitei Heritage Welfare Foundation (MHWF) has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to re-examine the Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact signed with Kuki armed groups in response to a series of letters sent by the Kuki Alliance for Nampi Awakening Movement (KANAM) to foreign Governments and UN bodies against the halting of the construction of the 'illegal' German Road/Tiger Road.
In a memorandum, the MHWF said that the KANAM letters challenge the National Green Tribunal (NGT)  order which had directed immediate halt to construction of an 'illegal' road cutting through the hills of Manipur 'without statutory approval and mandatory environment clearance.
The foundation claimed that the 'illegal' road referred to as "German Road/Tiger Road" named after two Chin Kuki militants  is used by Chin-Kuki-Zo armed groups for drug trafficking and smuggling weapons.
Saying that the Chin-Kuki-Zo group seeks to delegitimize and internationalise an order passed by a statutory judicial body of the country, it added that such actions risk setting a dangerous precedent whereby internal judicial processes are selectively escalated to foreign Government and  multilateral bodies.
"By portraying a judicial decision as "institutional violence", "collective punishment," and as grounds for foreign intervention, these communications undermine India's sovereignty and the authority of its Constitutional and quasi-judicial institutions," it said.
It urged the Prime Minister to take note of letters addressed to foreign Governments and international organisations by KANAM and other Chin-Kuki-Zo groups.
The ongoing crisis in Manipur appears to be not spontaneous but an engineered conflict triggered by coordinated attacks on Meetei villages on May 3, 2023  by Chin-Kuki-Zo groups and their armed militants, it said and added these actions were designed to advance their long-standing secessionists objectives.
The MHWF said that these events must be examined in their entirety rather than through selective narratives presented in international forums .  
The foundation further stated that Chin-Kuki-Zo organisations and individuals have, in the past, approached the United Nations, the United States, Israel and other foreign actors by using misleading tribal names  with fabricated one sided narrative regarding the Manipur crisis.
Saying that Chin-Kuki armed groups have received financial support,  logistical assistance and training from foreign organisations including former US military per- sonnel, the MHWF added that these heightened radi-calisation and militarisation escalated the Manipur crisis.
"It warrants careful scrutiny by India's security and intelligence agencies," the foundation said.
Further claiming that there are direct and indirect links between Chin-Kuki-Zo militants and foreign actors hostile to India, MWHF added that Thanglianpau Guite, president of Zomi Revolutionary Army, with whom the Government of India signed a controversial SoO pact is a former MP of Myanmar.
Chin-Kuki-Zo organisations and leaders have publicly declared aspirations for the creation of a separate entity commonly referred to as "Kukiland", "Zoland", or "Zogam," MHWF said and added that such declarations directly challenge the territorial integrity of Manipur and the sovereignty of India.
In conclusion, the foundation urged the Prime Minister to pursue a permanent, just and lawful solution to the Manipur crisis that protects all indigenous communities and preserves Manipur and India's territorial integrity.