Politics / Manipur

IMPHAL, June 18 ? About five lakh people today turned out here to remember the 18 killed during the agitation in Manipur after the extension of the ceasefire agreement between the Centre and the NSCN(IM) to the State on this day last year, reports PTI. Organised by the apex United Committee Manipur (UCM), rallyists from four corners of the State converged at Mapal Kangjeibung, the polo ground, before marching in a procession to Kekrupat on the banks of Imphal river, where the victims of the agitation were cremated. The Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh led the rallyists at Kekrupat. The...

Imphal, June 17: The report in The Imphal Free Press about the selection of four tribes of Manipur in the new list of 43 tribes to be recognized as Scheduled Tribes under the Scheduled Tribe Order, 1950, has met with mixed response from different parties. An organization called the Kuki Tribes Recognition Demand Committee, while welcoming the inclusion of "Any Kuki Tribe" into the four selected for inclusion in the ST list, strongly objected to the list of tribes in the IFP which are reportedly annoyed with their non inclusion in the ST list as independent tribes. A memorandum by the...

Imphal, June 17: In a new shake up, the MSCP which is in the midst of a controversy over its move to merge with the Congress has elected Education (U) Minister and MLA from Wangkhei AC Y Erabot as the leader of the party legislature wing succeeding PHED Minister K Govindas. The election of Erabot was carried out during a joint sitting of the MSCP Central Executive Committee and Legislature Party today. The meeting was presided by party vice president L Amujao and held at the Babupara quarter of MSCP president and MP Th Chaoba at around 7 am today. The post remained vacant after Govindas...

Imphal, June 16: The four tribes from Manipur which were among the 43 new tribes approved by the Union Cabinet for recognition as Scheduled Tribe, are Poumai, Kharam, Tarao and "any Kuki tribe subject to the correction of nomenclature of Vaiphai." The slight confusion over the nomenclature of Vaiphai, is over the spelling - whether it should end with "ei" as is written currently or with "ai" as was written earlier. As for the term "any Kuki tribe," it is not specified which tribes would be categorized in the group, but presumably it would mean any tribe that would use Kuki as a prefix or...

Imphal, June 16: MSCP MLA from Wangkhei Assembly constituency and former Congress leader Y Erabot may replace K Govindas as the legislature wing leader of the party, disclosed a reliable source from within the MSCP today. In another interesting development, difference of opinion has reportedly surfaced between the MSCP legislature group and the MSCP Central Executive Committee (CEC) over the proposal to merge en-bloc with the Congress. The source said a sizeable group of the MSCP members have expressed their opinion the merger proposal with the Congress was taken hastily with some even...

IMPHAL, June 16 ? The United Committee Manipur (UCM), an apex body of various voluntary organisations which spearheaded anti-ceasefire agitation last year, is all set to observe the ?Great June Uprising? on June 18 to honour the martyrs who died in the uprising. Altogether, 18 persons were killed in police firing in course of anti-ceasefire extension agitation in June and July last year. The ceasefire between the Government of India and NSCN(IM) is still in force. According to the leaders of the UCM, around 1,000 buses and other four wheelers will be pressed into service for picking up people...

Imphal, June 14: Responding to the clarion call from the All Manipur United Clubs Organization, thousands of people came out and staged mass sit-in-protests at all the nook and corners of Manipur today. The mass sit-in-protest was called by AMUCO to protest the divisive policies pursued by the Indian Government and to coincide with the date the Bangkok Declaration which inserted the clause 'without territorial limit' in the cease fire agreement between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) was announced last year. AMUCO had declared that the day would be observed under the theme, "Manipur...

Imphal, June 13: Security personnel, believed to be Assam Rifles troops, seriously beat up several civilians, including a woman, during search operations in the early hours today at Thangmeiband Khoyathong Thingen Maru. According to local sources, several security personnel in combat fatigues forced their way into the house of one Naorem Andrin, 30, at Thangmeiband Polem Liekai and made a thorough search of the house. They also thrashed Andrin, and demanded that he produce the hidden UGs. The same security personnel later entered the house of one Sagolshem Inaocha Singh of the same locality...

Imphal, June 11: Vungkhulal Chongloi, 46, the Congress candidate from Kangpokpi constituency in the last Assembly elections, along with four others was picked up by unidentified persons, believed to be security personnel, from two different places in the Imphal area in the wee hours today. Chongloi and three of the other four, who are described as relatives of the victims of security excesses that occurred in the aftermath of the May 27 Leplen village ambush, had yesterday filed a case with the Manipur Human Rights Commission in connection with the disappearance of a youth recently arrested by...

Imphal, June 10: The 2nd death anniversary of renowned personality Arambam Samarendra was held all over the State today. Founder general secretary and chairman of the UNLF, Samarendra was shot .dead on this day two years back long after he came overground and was leading a retired life. Various organizations came together and organized functions at different places to remember the man who was assassinated two years back. A symposium on the life and works of Samarendra was held at MU Centenary Hall jointly organized by Uniline and Research Club, Manipur University. MU VC Professor Hijam Tombi...