17.12.2006
Seminar on Kuki National Reconciliation
About 100 Kuki people invited from the five districts-Khamti, Laysi, Homalin, Tamu & Tonjang of Burma attended “The Seminar on Kuki National Reconciliation” organized by KSDF, KPC & KWHRO and funded by National Reconciliation Program- NRP(an NGO formed by the seven state based ethnic nationalities of Burma), at Moreh (Kuki dominated Indo-Burma border town on Indian side) during November 30 – December 2, 2006.
The invitees included church pastors, village chairmen / secretaries, youth leaders, individual distinguished persons. Participants of the seminar from Khamti, Laysi (Leisi) and Homalin districts were more than that was expected while those from Tamu and Tonjang districts were far below our expectation. The reason could be due to misinformation about the topics of discussion or it could be due to fear of the Burmese army.
However, we concluded the three-day-long seminar successfully without any problem. Thanks to those who helped us in security without any lapse in their duty. Though at the beginning, only one or two participants shared their opinions while the others kept silent due to fear of torture on returning to Burma, they gained courage with each session and at the end, every one was bold enough to express what they felt.
The main objectives of the seminar were:
(1) to achieve Kuki national reconciliation and solidarity in religion, nomenclature, socio-politics & economics as a precondition or foundation for national reunification.
(2) to empower the Kuki peoples of Burma through teaching Universal Declaration of Human Rights and making them understand their collective and fundamental rights as a distinct people on the earth and as a distinct ethnic nationalities of Burma.
(3) to attain equal status with other ethnic nationalities of Burma i.e. to attain a Kuki Statehood in Burma.
Every participants going back home with a firm determination to reproduce all those simple and applicable political, economic and religious theories they had learnt during the seminar into practical, we are hopeful to see the outcome in the near future. We appeal to all the Kukis who are outside the Kuki territory of the present day Burma to extend every possible effort to help and support our movement in prayer, in policy making, in strategic planning, in finance, perhaps in any way you can to expedite the process of realization of our common goal i.e. attainment of a Kuki State in Burma.
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Moreh Declaration
At the end of “Seminar on Kuki National Reconciliation” & "the 6th General Conference of the KSDF"
Place: Moreh, Manipur, India.
Duration: November 30 – December 2, 2006
We, the participants of the seminar on “Kuki National Reconciliation” in solidarity with “the 6 th General Conference of the Kuki Students’ Democratic Front-KSDF” do hereby declare the following statements:
- That, we the Kukis are a distinct ethnic nationality and indigenous people of Burma, who have been settling in the present day upper Sagaing division of Burma, along the Indo-Burma border region since time immemorial.
- That, by virtue of our distinct identity and as an ethnic nationality of Burma, we have the legitimate right as per the union constitution to attain status quo with other ethnic nationalities of Burma i.e. to attain a Kuki state in Burma.
- That, we call upon any system of government that be in Burma to immediately look into our demand of statehood and take prompt action to expedite the process for our political solution.
- That, we condemn the SPDC’s policy of maginalising the ethnic Kukis politically and economically, and therefore call upon the regime:
- To demolish the Burman villages that have been set up in the Kuki areas during the 90’s with the aim to outnumber, subjugate, absorb and Burmanize the indigenous Kuki people as it is a dastardly act by the regime and is in complete breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of which Burma is a signatory member.
- To immediately halt further construction of the Thamanti Dam which upstream flood in completion would submerge more than 50 Kuki villages, along with their invaluable thousand acres of life-giving farmlands where staple and cash crops such as rice, maize, potato, pea, sunflower, bean, castor, mustard, cabbage, cauliflower, chilly, orange, lemon, banana, pineapple, tea, coffee, bamboo, etc are grown, besides destroying the habitat of endanger species of both flora and fauna.
- To completely expel the anti-India militants (The United National Liberation Front-UNLF) from the Kuki areas of Burma as per the Indo-Burma secretary level talk at New Delhi during September 13-15, 2006 and not to continue harbouring these militants by encamping them at places beyond the agreed joint operation area i.e. 9 km radius of the border as they indiscriminately commit human rights abuses on the local Kukis.
- To stop religious discrimination on the ethnic minorities at schools, colleges, universities, public and military offices by way of favouring Buddhism over the others.
Central Committee,
Kuki Students’ Democratic Front
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