Public Awareness Programme on Rehabilitation and Resettlement Held at Churachandpur

In the wake of ethnic violence which broke out on May 3, resulting in internally displacing a large number of people, the Kuki Inpi Manipur organised a public awareness programme on rehabilitation and resettlement at M. Songgel village, Churachandpur district on Thursday.

The Speakers during the awareness program reflected on the idea of setting up Kuki inhabited villages with larger households so as to form a township and to even increase the number of households in the existing villages.

The President of Kuki Khanglai Lawmpi, General Headquarters, Kamthang Haokip, while stressing on the need to establish villages with large households, said that there could be business transactions within the the people of the village if there are larger number of households and even market sheds could be established in the village itself.

In doing so, he said, the villagers will not find it necessary to go to other areas to sell their products, and the villages can even have their own schools, if the population in the village is large in number. "Once the number of household increases and the population is large, even the government may allot schools and set up hospital," he added.

Kamthang also said that had there been enough households in the Kuki villages in the present conflict, many villages could have possibly defended their villages and the number of displaced persons might also be much lower than the present number. "Since the Kuki people have failed to learn a lesson from the past incidents, many villages with few households are greatly affected again in the present conflict," he said.

To the people whose houses and villages are not affected by the conflict but who are forced to flee from their villages due to the present situation, the KKL President urged all of them to return and resettle in their respective villages and rebuild their livelihoods once again.

Stating that the Kuki-Zo leaders and CSOs understood the problems faced by those who fled from their villages, Kamthang also made it clear that the civil society organisations or whoever concerned might not be in a position to continue providing the needs of those in the relief camps for a longer time. Food and shelter can be donated and provided by any means to the people. However, he said, the health issues which the inmates are facing and expenditures for the treatment could be a problem in the future.

Kamthang further urged the displaced persons in the relief camps to behave and maintain discipline.

The Secretary, Relief and Rehabilitation Department of Kuki Inpi Manipur, Dr. Mangcha Haokip, presented a power point presentation on the number of Kuki villages in different districts and how new settlement areas could be established to strengthen the population.

The awareness programme was attended by leaders from various civil society organisations, displaced persons and many other dignitaries.