Proscribed PREPAK observed its RED ARMY’s 43rd Uprising Day on March 26. The outfit claims that attempts are being made to mislead the world by portraying the “legitimate national liberation movement of Kangleipak as extremism or terrorism”.
TFM Desk
The proscribed People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) says that the Government of India has been inviting the armed opposition groups in Manipur for peace talk in the name of bringing peace and security in the region. PREPAK, however said this smacks of a “hidden agenda” in showing “the peace loving people of Kangleipak as a violence loving nation throughout the world”. The outfit said that the root cause of the Indo-Kangleipak conflict was “annexation” of Manipur on October 5, 1949 in “clear violation of international law”.
This was part of the message conveyed by the chairman of PREPAK’s Interim Council Aheiba Angom in a release sent to news media organisations on the eve of PREPAK’s 43rd Red Army (armed wing of the outfit) Uprising Day. On March 26, PREPAK observed the day.
According to the message, the chairman of the Interim Council paid rich “revolutionary salute to all the oppressed people who have been living under the tyranny of the Indian colonial rule and also extends grand wishes to the revolutionary movements in the WESEA Region and throughout the world.”
He expressed gratitude and conveyed revolutionary salutation to “all the revolutionary fraternal organizations which have been waging war of independence of Kangleipak and WESEA Region and other parts of the world”.
The chairman said PREPAK like other like-minded groups of WESEA Region have been up in arms, continuing the “revolutionary movement for restoration of the Independence of the erstwhile Kangleipak – an Asian Sovereign State which remained a sovereign nation for more than 2000 years before forcibly annexed to the Indian Dominion”.
While expressing gratitude and saluting the armed wing of PREPAK, the chairman said that the “colonialists” are trying to mislead the world by portraying the “legitimate national liberation movement of Kangleipak as extremism or terrorism”. He added that it was an “attempt to cover the fire with blanket”.
Aheiba Angom said that the ‘merger agreement’ of 1949 was made in clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations and the international. “The then King of Kangleipak was just a nominal head with no legitimate power to entertain any treaty. Besides, there was neither referendum nor plebiscite conducted to get the assent of the people of Kangleipak”, said the chairman.
“If sincere enough and harbinger of democracy as well as messenger of decolonization as in case of Palestine, India could have conducted a referendum or plebiscite to get the mandate of the people on whether the people of Kangleipak would prefer to become a part of India or exist as an independent nation with bilateral agreement. The democratic standards followed by the International community for resolving conflict is not followed by India till today”, said the chairman of the proscribed outfit’s interim council.
He said that the present government like the previous ones has been inviting “the armed opposition groups in Kangleipak to lay down arms for peace talk in the name of bringing peace and security in the region”. “The PREPAK terms this a hidden agenda of India in showing the peace loving people of Kangleipak as a violence loving nation throughout the world. India should know the root cause of the Indo-Kangleipak conflict which rose from the Indian annexation of Kangleipak on 15 October 1949 in clear violation of international law”.
Aheiba Angom said that Indian campaign in the international fora that there is “no independent movement” in the WESEA Region has been out-rightly rejected by the declaration of several armed-opposition groups as outlawed organizations under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.
“The proceedings of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) recommending India for a political resolution of the Indo-Kangleipak conflict has given recognition to the freedom movement in Kangleipak as a legitimate national liberation movement under the purview of the international law”, said the chairman of the interim council.
He said that India’s claim for the largest democracy in the world has no meaning in itself. “Out of the 1.4 billion population, 21.9% or 300 million is reeling under poverty. Another 26% or 350 million is illiterate and above all the per capita GDP can never reach the $ 2000 mark. Corruption has been deep rooted in the Indian polity wherein elections are held with horse-trading, muscle and money power amidst corporate sectors intermingling with the decision making of the imperialist government of India”, said Aheiba Angom.
The chairman also pointed out that fate of the fourth pillar of democracy – the media has been “brutally gagged. Except very few pro-government pseudo media houses, the vast majority of the journalist community has been under regular threat, intimidation and silent killings by the state sponsored terrorism, hooligans and government thugs and dacoits. Those print or electronic media that criticize the government’s policy and programs are very often put behind bar under several draconian laws. Shutting down of internet and banning of the functioning of foreign media in Kashmir and the WESEA Region has clearly depicted the Indian colonial rule”.
In stark reality, the Kangleipak People should not fall prey in the dreams and aspirations of few “Indian puppets who dream of a better India which will never happen as India is slowly disintegrating with various forms of regional disparities and nationality questions. India has never been a nation nor is it now and will never be”, asserted Aheiba Angom.
PPEPAK pointed out that there has been continuous efforts of the United Nations, specially its subsidiary organ, the Decolonization Committee to wipe out colonialism in all its forms from every square inch of the planet by giving due recognition and diplomatic support to all the national liberation movements of colonial peoples and countries in the emancipation of their right to self-determination.
“More than 80 countries got liberated after the inception of the United Nations on 24 October 1945. The firm stand of the United Nations in terminating colonialism has been clearly reflected in the successive statements of the UN Chief, Mr. Antonio Guterres in 2018 and 2019 in the opening session of the UN Decolonization Committee where he called the decolonization agenda “an area close to my heart and to which I reiterate my commitment”. In 1960 the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples was adopted and the following year the General Assembly established the Special Committee, known by the shorthand ‘C-24’ after its original 24 members, to monitor its implementation. As “one of the most significant chapters of the Organization’s history,” Mr. Guterres credited decolonization with helping to transform UN membership, “propelling the Organization’s growth from 51 original members to 193 today. ”Over the years this process has resulted in the removal of most territories from the list.” But this story is still being written,” the UN Chief continued, “as 17 non-self-governing territories remain,” each waiting to attain self-government, in accordance with Chapter XI of the UN Charter, the 1960 Declaration and relevant UN resolutions. The most remarkable statement, the Secretary-General of the United Nations made was “To achieve decolonization, the voices of the peoples of the territories should be heard”, said Aheiba Angom.
He continued that the rights of the people for national self-determination has enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and accused India of not following the provisions of the International Law. “As of Kangleipak, the people have not given their mandate either through referendum or plebiscite for the merger of Kangleipak with India which forcibly annexed Kangleipak in clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations, internatiornal law and the Kangleipak Constitution Act. The Kanglei people still have the rights guaranteed by the United Nations” said Aheiba Angom.
The chairman then lauded the role of “RED ARMY in the liberation movement of the PREPAK since the last 46 years for challenging occupational forces through guerrilla warfare and asserted, “This is the only means to restore our lost Sovereignty”.
PREPAK also saluted “all martyrs, who laid down their lives in battles fought against the enemy for freedom, development and an egalitarian society, and in torture and oppression, fellow revolutionaries who are bearing pains in imprisonment and to all those who are leading an incapacitated and maimed life due to severe torture”.