Meitei Alliance on Wednesday condemned the reported distortion of facts and deceitful narrative surrounding Manipur, stating that the misrepresentation as “persecution of religious (Christian) minorities” is categorically false and must be rectified by institutions like USCIRF.
They must exercise utmost diligence and refrain from endorsing false propaganda perpetuated by fringe Kuki groups such as NΑΜΤΑ that falsely project itself as representing the entire scheduled tribes of Manipur, stated a release.
It said that the attempt to paint Christians as minorities in Manipur is baseless. In reality, the Christian population constituted 41.29 per cent of Manipur’s total population in 2011, nearly equivalent to the Hindu population (41.39 per cent).
True minorities in Manipur include those practicing Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Sanamahism, Tingkao Ragwang Chakpriak, etc., it stated. The Christian population has seen significant growth from 19 per cent to 41 per cent between 1961 and 2011, indicating it may soon surpass other religious groups, it added.
The portrayal of the ongoing mayhem as a violent religious clash between Hindus (Meitei) and Christians (tribes) is unfounded, it further stated adding, not all Meiteis are Hindus, nor all Hindus are Meiteis.
“While there have been incidental damages to religious structures of both the communities, including churches and temples of Meiteis destroyed by Kukis, the mayhem is devoid of religious motivations. There is no violent religious clash between Christians and Hindus in Manipur,” it stated.
The ongoing mayhem is orchestrated and perpetuated by cross-border Kuki armed groups, funded through various illicit means of drug cartels and Western aid authorised by the US Congress Burma ACT of 2023, it stated.
It pointed out that the objective is to establish a Kuki expansionist territory called Zale’n-gam, by balkanising the established territories India, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, with Manipur as the epicentre. This is evidenced by their formal calls for an expansionist Kuki Lebensraum and launch of direct acts of terror, such as simultaneous attacks on government and ethnic cleansing of Meitei, initiated on May 3, 2023, it added.
Mentioning that the false propaganda only exacerbates the situation and obstructs peace efforts, it urged the UN resources to investigate satellite imagery revealing extensive poppy fields controlled by Kukis and the repercussions of Western aid in supplying cheap arms to Kuki armed groups.
US Congressman Adriano Espaillat and former UN Special Rapporteur Fernand De Varennes should scrutinise the financial sources of Kuki groups, including funds raised within the USA by Christian institutions and scrutinise the use of US congress authorized aids, it stated.
Western entities must authenticate information rigorously to avoid unintentionally spreading false propaganda from NAMTA, which has a history of distorting truth for personal gains, it stated.
Failure to take the above actions would render them complicit in the death and suffering endured by innocent civilians, it added.
