India: The general situation in the State of Manipur; the significance of militant movements; their hold over the public; protection offered by the authorities
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 12 September 2003 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IND41984.FE |
| Reference | 1 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: The general situation in the State of Manipur; the significance of militant movements; their hold over the public; protection offered by the authorities, 12 September 2003, IND41984.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/403dd1f94.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The attached map from the Maps of India Website shows that the State of Manipur is bordered by the Indian states of Nagaland (to the north), Assam (to the west) and Mizoram (to the south), and by Myanmar (or Burma) to the east and south (Maps of India 2002).
The attached article by E.N. Rammohan, entitled "Manipur, a Degenerated Insurgency" and published on the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) Internet site, gives a general overview of the State of Manipur and the people who live in the Manipur Valley, as well as the origins of the insurrection and the activities of various armed groups.
According to Rammohan, the State of Manipur is a very hilly land with a total area of 22,356 square kilometres, populated by three distinct ethnic groups of Burmese origin (SATP n.d.). The main group, the Meiteis, lives in the Manipur Valley (ibid.). The second group comprises three tribes: the Tangkhuls, who are found in the western hills of the present Ukhrul district; the Maos, in the north in the Senapati district; and the Zeliangs, in the north and west in the Tamenglong district (ibid.). The third group, the Chin-Kuki-Mizo, lives in the Churachandpur district (ibid.).
The attached article from the Sangai Express, published on the Manipur Online Website, quoted the remarks of an economics professor at the University of Manipur, who attributed the state's problems to its prolonged underdevelopment (13 Dec. 2002). According to him, the insurgency movements are a product of "stepmotherly treatment meted out to Manipur by the Indian State resulting in accumulated humiliation and neglect" (Sangai Express 13 Dec. 2002). The article also quoted the editor of a local newspaper as saying that there are no historical ties between the Northeast of India and the Indus Valley civilization, and that the "attempt by the mainstream to ask the Northeast to give up its identity has caused a psychological rift" (ibid.). The article also cited a doctor who said that
militants are frustrated people who have been brainwashed. Except for some of the leaders of these groups there is no ideological commitment to be seen in the cadres. ... In Manipur almost everybody is paying to one or more of the "revolutionary" groups for their safety. So much so that even ministers and police personnel have not been spared. The student organizations have been co-opted by the militant groups. . . (ibid.).
In the same article, an employee at All India Radio admitted that he was paying 2 to 5 per cent of his monthly salary to insurgent groups like the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), the People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), and the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) (ibid.). Another person was quoted as saying that "[m]ost of these underground groups have no plan or constitution for an independent or sovereign Manipur" (ibid.). According to the article,
The worst thing that has happened in Manipur is that most of the insurgent groups are becoming merely "extortion groups." They have also begun investing in the economy through different individuals in sectors such as hotels, transportation, contracts, etc. Once vested economic interests [are] created and the political objectives take a back seat, it would be very difficult to bring these groups to [talk at a] table. The politicians, police and bureaucra[ts] too seem to be joining hands, making the nexus very dangerous (ibid.).
An article from the 15 August 2003 issue of the Australian daily newspaper The Mercury noted that national Independence Day celebrations in Manipur were marred when a powerful bomb exploded on a bus, killing six passengers and injuring 15 others. A series of overnight bomb blasts were also reported but they did not result in any casualties (The Mercury 15 Aug. 2003). These attacks were attributed to armed militant groups (ibid.).
For more information on the activities of insurgent groups, please consult the aforementioned attached documents, as well as IND41629.FE of 5 June 2003 and IND41845.FE of 14 August 2003.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Maps of India. 2002. "Districts of Manipur."
The Mercury [Hobart, Tasmania]. 15 August 2003. Zarir Hussain. "Tribal Guerillas Kill 36."
Sangai Express [Imphal, Manipur]. 13 December 2002. "Institutionalization of Insurgency in Manipur."
South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP). n.d. E.N. Rammohan. "Manipur: A Degenerated Insurgency."
Attachments
Maps of India. 2002. "Districts of Manipur."
Sangai Express [Imphal, Manipur]. 13 December 2002. "Institutionalization of Insurgency in Manipur."
South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP). n.d. E.N. Rammohan. "Manipur: A Degenerated Insurgency."