Tue Oct 08 17:09:59 UTC 2024: ## Kuki Chiefs Condemn Manipur Government Order, Citing Insensitivity and Discrimination
**Imphal, Manipur** – The Kuki Chiefs’ Association, Manipur (KCAM) has issued a strong condemnation of a recent order by the Manipur State Government’s Department of Tribal Affairs and Hills, which demands detailed documentation of Kuki-Zo villages and hills from 1964 to the present.
The association views the directive as highly insensitive, particularly given the ongoing violence and displacement of over 40,000 Kuki-Zo people. Many Kuki-Zo villages have been burned and destroyed amidst the current crisis.
KCAM believes the order reflects systemic discrimination and injustices against the Kuki-Zo community, highlighting its troubling timing. They assert that the directive comes at a moment when the Kuki-Zo people are facing existential threats from what they describe as radicalized Meitei groups.
The association further claims that the order seeks to undermine the traditional chieftainship and rights inherent to the Kuki-Zo people, while potentially facilitating encroachment on their ancestral lands.
In response, KCAM has resolved that no Kuki-Zo chief will comply with the state government’s demand for documentation. The association has also reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing a Separate Administration with a Union Territory status that respects the autonomy and rights of the Kuki-Zo people.
KCAM has called on the Kuki-Zo community to stand united in defiance of the government’s order.
First Piper 