Naga body opposes relief camp in Naga-dominated Manipur district

United Naga Council earlier said Nagas should not be dragged into the Meitei-Kuki conflict

GUWAHATI

An influential Naga organisation has opposed the Manipur government’s decision to set up semi-permanent relief camps in Ukhrul district for people displaced by the ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis in the State since May 3.

Ukhrul district is dominated by the Tangkhuls, one of 20 Naga communities in Manipur.

Quoting a June 9 notification by the State’s Home Department, the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) said on July 8 that any semi-permanent relief camp set up and operated in Ukhrul district “must not accommodate the displaced persons from other districts”.

“To ensure permanent peace in Manipur, the government must work out a policy to accommodate the displaced persons in their original place and not scatter them in other places,” the TNL said in a statement. “If any displaced person from another district is found being accommodated in Ukhrul district, the TNL will oppose such moves of the State government and any eventualities that arise, it will be the sole responsibility of the State government,” it added.

The TNL’s statement follows the United Naga Council – the apex body of all Naga tribes in Manipur – saying that the Nagas should not be dragged into the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki communities in the State.

In June, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said that 4,000 prefabricated temporary homes would be set up for people displaced during the violence in the State. A government official said that the process of collecting construction materials and setting up the temporary relief camps has started.