Need to rebuild Meitei-Thadou ties in Manipur: Tribal body

Thadou Inpi Manipur advocates for peace, unity, and distinct identity of Thadou community amidst ethnic conflict in Manipur.

GUWAHATI: The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), an apex body of the Thadou tribal community, has emphasised the need to rebuild and strengthen confidence and community understanding between the Meitei and Thadou communities in the State, trying to recover from the scars inflicted by two years of ethnic conflict that claimed more than 250 lives since May 2023.

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The organisation said the gradual return to normalcy and peace in Manipur, which has been under the President’s Rule since February 13, has paved the way for mending the Meitei-Thadoi ties and rebuilding trust among all other communities in the multiethnic State.

“All responsible leaders and stakeholders must appreciate the crucial, courageous roles played by the genuine Thadou leaders for community understanding, respectful dialogues and non-violent resolutions, which are essential for lasting peace and development in the State,” the TIM said in a statement.

It highlighted the challenges and threats faced by the Thadou community from “anti-peace vested interest groups often involving armed militant groups, selfish politicians, and individuals for narrow political and selfish gains”.

The TIM condemned the historical and ongoing widespread human rights violations and persecution by “Kuki terrorists and supremacist groups”, whose actions “threaten to annihilate the Thadou identiy” and disturb peace, security, and public safety.

“Further persecution of the Thadou community and Thadou leaders must be resisted by the Central and State governments, civil societies and all right-thinking people,” the organisation said, asserting the community’s identity independent from the Kukis.