Manipur: Kuki-Zo community stages protest against border fencing

Imphal: Hundreds of Kuki-Zo people staged a peaceful sit-in-protest against the scrapping of the free movement regime and construction of border fencing at the Wall of Remembrance in Churachandpur, Manipur on Tuesday.

The protest was held as a part of the funeral ceremony of 12 Kuki-Zo men including the 10 killed in a gunfight with CRPF in Jiribam last month. The funeral ceremony will be held on December 5.

It would be organized by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF). The ITLF also stated that a massive silent rally will be held at Churachandpur district headquarters on that day.

During the funeral ceremony, all shops and business establishments in the Kuki-Zo inhabited areas would remain closed as a protest to the killings.

The ITLF and the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) have strongly condemned the "repeated attempts" made by the Centre to construct a border fence along the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur. They called it a violation of international laws and indigenous rights.

Alleging that the attempts were made despite opposition from Indigenous tribal bodies in the border states of Nagaland and Mizoram, the two Kuki outfits believe the fencing threatens the cultural and socio-economic fabric of Indigenous communities on the borders.

They also urge local authorities and civil society organizations to halt construction, emphasizing that it undermines the rights and autonomy of indigenous tribal populations in the region.