The Thadou Community International (TCI) on Thursday urged everyone concerned including the media, and the government to stop calling the Thadou community with any other name, and to refer to them only as Thadou.
An open letter addressed the Chief Minister N Biren Singh and the people of Manipur requested to consider making a statement in the ongoing Sixth Session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly, acknowledging their concerns and supporting their proposition.
Other Mizo/Zo tribes should be called by their proper names individually, and Mizo/Zo collectively, it stated.
It mentioned that the Thadou tribe is distinct and any confusion with other tribes surmount to being racist, abusive, disrespectful, traumatizing and it puts the Thadou tribe in poor light.
“We are part and parcel of the larger family group called the Zo/Mizo conglomerate. Any name calling beside Zo/Mizo will not be tolerated and will be perceived as a wilful and intentional insult to demean the Thadou tribe,” it stated.
It stated that Manipur is a multiethnic society home to various communities, such as the Meitei, Meitei-Pangal, and the original 29 tribes of Manipur.
The 29 tribes, listed in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Lists Order, 1956, are: Aimol, Anal, Angami, Chiru, Chothe, Gangte, Hmar, Kabui (Rongmei), Kacha Naga, Khoirao, Koireng, Kom, Lamgang, Any Mizo (Lushai), Maram, Maring, Mao, Monsang, Moyon, Paite, Purum, Ralte, Sema, Simte, Suhte, Tangkhul, Thadou, Vaiphei, and Zou, it stated.
It said that the Thadous have a rich heritage and history, always known as Thadou, with no prefix or suffix. Thadous are recorded as Thadou in all censuses of Manipur since 1881, with a population of 215,913 in the 2011 census, and they have always been the single largest tribe in Manipur, it added.
“We are deeply passionate about our identity and name, which holds profound meaning for our past, present, and future. We insist on being called correctly as Thadou, not by any other name, which undermines our unique identity and indigeneity,” it stated.
TCI also honoured the memory of all those who have fallen victim to the tragic violence in Manipur and extended its deepest empathy to the survivors and their families. “Our fervent hope is for a future defined by peace, justice, non-violent resolutions, and respect for human rights,” it stated.
Manipur is experiencing one of the darkest periods in its history due to the devastating violence that broke out on May 3, 2023, causing untold suffering, especially to the Thadous, it mentioned. While the situation has improved in recent months, much work remains for resettlement, healing, and ensuring long-lasting peace, it added.
