Tangkhul Naga Long urges the Manipur Government and Centre to address long-pending Naga concerns while welcoming CM Khemchand Singh’s declaration on free movement along National Highways.
UKHRUL, August 9: The Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) has welcomed Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s declaration reopening the National Highways for free movement of all communities, while firmly reiterating its long-standing charter of demands concerning the Nagas of Manipur.
In a press communiqué issued on August 8, the TNL Working Committee described the Chief Minister’s announcement as a “welcoming move” for people affected by the conflict that has gripped Manipur since 2023. The announcement was made during the Chief Minister’s visit to Kangpokpi headquarters on Saturday, where he officially declared the reopening of National Highways for unrestricted movement of all communities in the State.
The TNL Working Committee said it appreciated the State Government’s decision and expressed hope that the promise made to the people would be fully implemented to restore confidence among communities.
However, the organisation said that while welcoming the declaration, several pertinent issues and long-pending demands concerning the Naga people of Manipur remain unresolved.
Reaffirming its commitment to the common interests of the Nagas in Manipur, the Working Committee said the Tangkhul Naga community had, since the outbreak of the conflict, consistently raised a number of demands aimed at restoring lasting peace and normalcy in the State.
Among its major demands, the TNL Working Committee called for an immediate end to what it termed the militarisation of Naga-inhabited areas and the withdrawal of deployed central armed and security forces from such areas.
It also reiterated its opposition to the creation of any “separate homeland or administrative arrangement” for the Kukis within what it described as the Naga ancestral homeland. The Working Committee further demanded the identification and rehabilitation of Kuki refugees outside Manipur, as well as the identification and deportation of illegal Kuki immigrants to their countries of origin.
The TNL Working Committee also sought the relocation of internally displaced persons away from Naga-inhabited areas and demanded the abrogation of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with Kuki militant groups.
Other demands listed in the communiqué included action against the alleged use of Indian territory as a safe haven for poppy cultivation and drug cartels, the eviction of what it described as unrecognised and illegal Kuki settlements, and the cancellation of allegedly illegal land documents and permits issued for such settlements.
The organisation also demanded justice in connection with the ambush near TM Kasom, close to Litan Police Station, in which two Tangkhul Nagas were killed, as well as justice for the abduction and murder of six Liangmai Nagas at Leilon Vaiphei village in Kangpokpi.
Expressing dissatisfaction over what it described as the Government’s response to the concerns of the Tangkhul Nagas, the Working Committee alleged that the Khemchand-led Ministry had been quick to extend schemes and development initiatives to the Kuki community, while the long-standing demands of the Tangkhul Nagas in sectors such as health, education, roads and other infrastructure continued to receive inadequate attention.
The TNL Working Committee termed this as a reflection of what it described as biased treatment towards the Nagas in Manipur.
Reaffirming its stand, the Working Committee said that if the Government genuinely seeks to usher in lasting peace and normalcy in Manipur, both the State Government and the Government of India must seriously consider and fulfil the charter of demands submitted through various memoranda by Naga civil society organisations over the past several months.
The communiqué was issued by the Media Cell of the Working Committee, Tangkhul Naga Long.
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