Newmai News Network
Imphal, Dec 13: The Committee on Protection of Tribal Areas, Manipur (COPTAM) has today communicated its decision to move ahead with its proposed 60-hour general strike in all the hill districts of Manipur starting from 5 pm of December 15 and terminating at 5 am of December 18.
Information conveyed by its information and publicity wing said that inspite of the inconveniences at this juncture, COPTAM has been compelled to go ahead with its proposed 60-hour general strike given the total indifference of the state government.
However, during the proposed general strike media, medical, schools as well as incoming inter-state tourist buses shall be exempted from the purview of the bandh, said COPTAM.
It has appealed to the people of the State to consider the perspective in which COPTAM has launched the strike and the compulsion under which it has been fighting to restore the rights of tribals in the State, and to extend maximum support and cooperation in the interest of the tribal people.
It is worth mentioning that the 60-hour general strike in the hill districts of Manipur by COPTAM was earlier proposed on December 7 but had to be deferred in view of appeals from different civil organizations following certain programmes in the State.
The general strike follows the pending demands of the tribal body on issues ranging from overlapping census, redrawing of Jiribal district, “imposed” urbanization in Moreh, State government’s proposed IRB battalion in Vangai and proposed rehabilitation of KCP (Lallumba) at Leikun in Chandel district etc.
COPTAM had earlier said that “Compromising our ancestral land tantamount to compromising our people and future,” and that “CoPTAM respected State integrity but the mere proclamation of State integrity without moral integrity of the people is meaningless.”
