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MANIPUR: Kuki groups, Centre 2nd round of talks likely on August 17
Kuki militant groups had signed a ‘Suspension of Operations’ agreement with the Centre and the Manipur government in August 2008. The agreement was signed by 25 Kuki militant groups.
Amid continued unrest in Manipur, the Centre is slated to hold its second round of talks with two umbrella groups of Kuki militant outfits under the ongoing Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement on their demand for the creation of a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people in the troubled state.
According to sources privy to the developments, the second round of talks between the Centre and Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United Peoples’ Front (UPF) would be held in New Delhi on August 17. The first round of discussions on the same issue was held on July 26.
There was no word or confirmation from the central government on the August 17 talks.
“We have a scheduled a bipartite meeting with union home ministry (MHA) officials on August 17. It will be continuation of political dialogue regarding our issues,” said a senior KNO office bearer who asked not to be named. The MHA team is expected to be headed by special advisor to MHA, AK Mishra.
Kuki militant groups had signed a SoO agreement with the Centre and the Manipur government in August 2008. The agreement was signed by 25 Kuki militant groups-(17 of them under KNO and the remaining under the UPF.)
In the first round of talks held last month in New Delhi, KNO and UPF representatives had urged the Centre to withdraw the clause on safeguarding the territorial integrity of Manipur, which was part of the SoO agreement.
They had also sought creation of an union territory with legislative powers and land and forest rights.
Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes between Meitei and the tribal Kuki communities since May 3 , which has claimed around 160 lives and displaced over 50,000 people.
While KNO, UPF and other Kuki groups have demanded a separate administration for the Kuki-Zo people of Manipur, Meitei groups have accused the groups under SoO of being involved in the present spate of violence and urged the Centre to withdraw the 15-year agreement with them.
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Meanwhile, all 10 Kuki-Zo legislators from Manipur including seven from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two from Kuki Peoples’ Alliance and an Independent MLA on Friday criticised union home minister Amit Shah for stating in Parliament on Wednesday that the present spate of violence in the state was started by ‘Kuki infiltrators from Myanmar’.
“It is disheartening that the union home minister should state in parliament that the ethnic cleansing on Kuki-Zomi-Hmar people is a disturbance caused by infiltration from Myanmar for the 2021 Junta takeover (in the neighbouring country)”, a press release issued by the 10 MLAs stated.
The legislators urged the home ministry to furnish details of illegal infiltrators from Myanmar and their participation in the “village defence efforts of the Kuki-Zo-Hmar villages”.
