IMPHAL, Sept 26: The Village Volunteer Eastern Zone (VVEZ), Kuki-Zo-Gam, has rejected recent remarks by NSCN-IM functionary Leisan Asa, Secretary of the Wung Tangkhul Region, GPRN, saying the Kuki community respected Naga political aspirations but would not accept any political settlement involving what it described as Kuki ancestral land.
In a statement, the VVEZ said the Kuki community had no objection to the political aspirations of the Naga people but maintained that such aspirations should not extend to Kuki ancestral areas.
The organisation referred to the Kuki-Tangkhul conflict of the 1990s, alleging that the violence led to the destruction and abandonment of several Kuki villages and settlements. It said its demand was for the restoration and reclamation of what it described as Kuki ancestral villages and lands lost during the conflict.
The VVEZ said its demand for a Union Territory with a legislature comprising Kuki ancestral areas was an independent political demand and was neither directed against nor formulated at the behest of the NSCN-IM. It said the Kuki community would continue to pursue its political aspirations through lawful and democratic means.
The organisation also disputed the NSCN-IM’s account of the deaths of four alleged cadres, rejecting the claim that they were innocent civilians from Pilong village. The VVEZ claimed that none of the four belonged to Pilong and alleged that they were transporters associated with a narcotics network operating in Kamjong district. It further alleged links to a person described by the group as the second-in-command of the NSCN-IM’s Phungtha Brigade. The allegations could not be independently verified.
The VVEZ called for an independent investigation into the identities, affiliations, movements and activities of the four deceased persons and said it had supporting material that could be released as documentary evidence.
It also called for scrutiny of alleged links between armed organisations and illicit networks, saying such allegations should be addressed through investigation, transparency and accountability.
Reiterating its position, the VVEZ said it was not seeking territory belonging to other communities but would not give up what it described as its ancestral lands, historical villages and political aspirations. It urged stakeholders to address competing political and territorial claims through political and democratic processes while taking historical claims into account.
