IMPHAL, NOV 7: The Thadou Community International (TCI) said that the Kuki National Front (KNF), a Suspension of Operation (SoO) group, issued a press communique on November 4, 2024 circulated through social media against the declaration of the Thadou Convention 2024 that Thadou is not Kuki.
In a statement issued today, the TCI said, “Firstly, we would like to bring to the notice of all concerned that Thadou Community International (TCI) was formed on August 3, 2024 with the initiative and participation of Thadou people living in different parts of the world, including Manipur (India,) which is home to Thadous”. With Thadou people being the most victimized in the current Manipur crisis and at the same time being silenced with no one to highlight their plight, the need for a platform to raise the suppressed voice of Thadous was immensely felt, leading to the formation of TCI, the statement also said. The TCI said it sought to preserve and protect the non-negatable Thadou distinct identity, culture, customs, traditions, costumes.
The TCI also said it would like to address the issues raised by the KNF regarding “our stance on the distinct identity of Thadou and not belonging to Kuki”. The statement added, “We are glad to know that the KNF is keen on envisaging their idea of inclusivity of pan-Kuki where there is no subjugation of any tribe by any means or method. However, the allegation of the declaration of Thadou not being Kuki is an attempt to divide the community, is without any merit or basis”.
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The statement then said, “On the contrary, it is an open secret that Kuki organisations are dominated and run by Thadou speaking people who have dissociated themselves from Thadou tribe, clinging onto the new fake tribe called Any Kuki Tribes (AKT) that was fraudulently added to the list of Scheduled Tribes of Manipur in 2003 for political reasons. Kuki is not accepted by any of the non-Naga tribes in the state of Manipur, except AKT,” it further added.
The TCI then said that, the irony is that the very people who claimed to represent the Thadou tribe are now indulging in suppressing the voice of self-assertion in the name of faux unity. The TCI further said the idea of Kuki being an umbrella organisation of kindred tribes had dissipated and became irrelevant a long time ago and it remains a utopian dream. “So, there is no question of an attempt to cause any division within any community. The only Kuki that remains today is AKT. The sooner this is accepted the better it will be for all. It is an undeniable fact that kindred tribes like Paite, Vaiphei, Zou, Simte etc have identified themselves under the collective nomenclature Zomi, which is not a tribe, or the name of a particular tribe,” the statement also said. Tribes under the collective Zomi nomenclature and Hmar tribe all exist as distinct independent tribes but not Kuki, it further said. There is no logic for an independent ethnic tribe to be under another tribe, that too a fake one, like the AKT, it added.
The TCI also clarified the KNF statement where it stated that, for a tribe to declare that they are not Kuki-Zo is equivalent to saying they are a different people, like Tangkhul, Mao, Meitei, Pangal etc. The declaration of detachment and disowning of colonial tag Kuki by Thadou is in fact equivalent to Thadou maintaining its distinct tribe status like the status of Tangkhul or any other distinct tribe, the TCI said.
According to the TCI, the KNF statement added that they believe “Kuki-Zo” people cannot get a Separate Administration from Manipur other than in the name of Kuki. To this, the TCI CI pointed out that the term “Kuki-Zo” is also ambiguous “as it deviates from the unilateral stance of one Kuki as it does not define the components of the two hyphenated words”. Further, the Zomi, Hmar and Mizo brethren do not accept the post-May 3, 2023 term ‘Kuki-Zo’, which is construed to represent only Kuki, an apparent attempt to elevate the stature of Kuki equal to the broader term ‘Zo’”, the TCI added.
The TCI said the quest for peace for Thadou people will continue for the all-round development of the Thadou people. It also said conflicts between nations or communities do occur in various parts of the world. “However, there comes a time for reconciliation as there can be no progress and development without any solution. All the affected communities have to find the path to resolve the current crisis in Manipur through non-violent means”, it stated.
The TCI said it understood that the KNF is for a separate administration in the name of Kuki, “but TCI being an apolitical organisation, we have no political interest or agenda against the political demands of any organization”.
The TCI then said it took strong exception to the line in the KNF’s statement that translates as ”We are currently still fighting a war, we don’t want to take extreme actions or kidnapping, death penalty etc within the community.” This implies threats and intimidation against Thadous to denounce their distinct identity from Kuki, but to be Kuki or accept Kuki, or else they will face dire consequences, the TCI explained.
This statement is uncalled for in a civilized society. Threats and intimidation may deter people but the determination and ideology will not vanish without leaving a mark. Rampant and widespread Kuki supremacy, intimidation, suppression, coercion, control, human rights violations and extreme actions like physical violence and death penalty by Kuki militants and Kuki supremacists against Thadou is the very reason why the declaration was made.
“We would appreciate it if the KNF and other Kuki militant groups respect the rights of Thadous with full dignity as a distinct identity. Kuki supremacy or any supremacist agenda is against the law of the land and Indian Constitution which guarantee the right to live with dignity under Article 21,” the TCI also said.
The TCI then said that, any rhetoric or narrative that mis-portrays Thadou and other kindred tribes as Kuki, or a part of Kuki, is an attempt to impose Kuki on non-Kuki tribes and is simply another example of Kuki supremacy and its agenda against the original 29 tribes or indigenous/native tribes and communities, who have each been recognised as a separate distinct tribe by the Government of India under the 1956 Presidential Order.
The TCI said the KNF statement also made threats to an unnamed Manipur State Government officer for remaining in Imphal and accusing him of doing his duty as a government employee as appeasing the CM of Manipur. “If the KNF is bothered with the discharging of duties of a government employee, why not ask the 10 Zo tribal MLAs to withdraw from the government headed by the CM, which all the MLAs still support and are still part of. This is a self-contradictory stance and does not have a merit ground,” the TCI also said.
The TCI then reiterated and “firmly stands” by the Thadou Convention 2024 declaration and resolutions. The TCI urged all stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue and work towards a harmonious resolution rather than spreading hatred and issuing threats. It also said Thadous do not need Kuki permission or interference to assert “our distinct identity”. (NNN)
