Tahamzam (Senapati), February 2 (MExN): The All Naga Students’ Association Manipur (ANSAM) has registered its protest against a proposed rally being organized in Imphal valley on February 6 to protest the August 3, 2015 framework agreement for settlement of the Indo-Naga issue.
This rally, informed ANSAM in a press release, is grounded on the notion of the "territorial integrity" of Manipur, which is a “majoritarian creation and a slogan used widely to perpetuate the oppression and marginalization of the Nagas and Tribals in Manipur.”
“May it be informed that the AMUCO, UCM and CCSK does not include the Tribals in the state of Manipur, who constitute more than 41% of the population and they cannot dictate the boundaries of an indigenous peoples with a distinct culture and history, different from theirs,” noted the ANSAM in a press release from its President, Seth Shatsang.
Naga villages have their “clear and distinct boundary” which is “recognized and marked in maps and administrative records, and indisputably chronicled.”
“The Nagas cannot claim and will not claim anything beyond what is rightly theirs and the settlement of the Indo-Naga issue seeks to address this very position,” the Association maintained.
ANSAM further stated that there are questions the February 6 rally will have to answer.
“In what manner will peace for the Nagas encroach upon the intrinsic historical rights of the dominant communities? What would be the response of the February 6 rally to the issues of identity, ownership over land & resources and traditional customs & practices, opportunities and developments and representations of the Nagas and Tribals in Manipur? What do the 3 anti-tribal bills that caused the death of 9 Tribals who are yet to receive dignified burials mean to them, who oppose all forms of peace and settlement in the guise of "territorial integrity" that does not respect right to self determination?”
