Manipur: Tangkhul body warns of seeking support from China over border security

The Tangkhul Aze Katamnao Long (TAKL) has expressed strong resentment over what it described as the government's failure to ensure the safety of Naga-inhabited villages along Manipur's international border and warned that continued inaction could prompt people to seek support from neighbouring countries, including China.

Addressing a press conference at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal on Tuesday, TAKL president Yarchuiso Kashung alleged that several villages along the Indo-Myanmar border in Kamjong and Ukhrul districts remain vulnerable to attacks.

Kashung referred to recent attacks on villages including Wanglee and Namlee and the killing of four civilians near Pilong in Kamjong district. He alleged that Myanmar-based Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) militants had been involved in attacks on border villages. The allegations come amid earlier attacks on Tangkhul Naga villages near the international border, including Namlee, Wanglee and Choro, where houses were torched and residents fled to safety.

He alleged that despite repeated incidents, the state and Central governments had failed to provide adequate security to the affected villages.

“Wanglee and Namlee villages in Kamjong district were attacked. Recently, four people were killed in Pilong in Kamjong district. But the government continues to remain silent,” Kashung said, according to the statement made at the press conference.

He questioned whether residents of the border villages were being treated differently from people living along India's borders with Pakistan or Bangladesh, saying villagers continue to stay in their homes despite the security risks in order to safeguard the border.

Kashung also alleged that Kuki armed groups that are signatories to the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the Centre and the state government have been involved in attacks on Naga civilians and villages across several districts, including Ukhrul, Kamjong, Tengnoupal, Noney, Tamenglong and Senapati.

He questioned whether the SoO agreement permitted armed groups to move freely with weapons, extort money or attack civilians, and asked what steps the government was taking to monitor such activities and protect civilians.

The TAKL leader also criticised the government's approach to the wider Manipur crisis, which has continued since May 2023.

“Instead of resolving the crisis that has continued for more than three years, the government keeps calling for peace,” Kashung said, adding that both Meiteis and Nagas wanted peace and that the government needed to address the factors allowing the conflict to persist.

The TAKL's remarks come amid continuing concerns over security along Manipur's Indo-Myanmar border. In May, suspected Myanmar-based militants attacked the Tangkhul Naga villages of Namlee, Wanglee and Choro in Kamjong district, with police reporting that residents fled to nearby forests.

The Tangkhul body has now urged the Centre and the state government to take concrete measures to secure the border villages and protect civilians.