Manipur Matters

The Midnight Voice of Manipur
(A tribute to a great leader)

In the heart of Manipur's strife and pain, amidst the cries and tears, the loss, the gain, rose a voice from the shadows, bold and bright: an MP elected, bringing dawn from night.

Against the odds, in a land torn and worn, a beacon of hope, a leader was born, with courage forged in the fires of unrest, a heart with the people, a spirit possessed.

At midnight’s hour, the Parliament stirred, as this voice of Manipur's plight was heard, a speech to awaken, to shake the ground, against the silence where injustice was found.

With words like thunder, with truth like a blade, he spoke for the fallen, the fearful, the brave, challenging the blindness, the apathy’s veil, a call to the conscience, a clarion's wail.

"How long will you turn from our cries and our fears?
How long will our pain fall on deaf ears?
In this chamber of power, where justice should reign, we demand your attention, we call out your name."

From valleys and hills, from cities and fields, the echoes of suffering, the stories revealed, he stood as their champion, unwavering, strong, demanding the right, condemning the wrong.

A symbol of justice, a harbinger of change, in the annals of history, his name will remain, for in the darkest hour, a hero arose, to speak for the voiceless, to challenge, oppose.

In the land of Manipur, let his legacy shine, a testament to courage, to the strength of the spine, for in every battle where freedom must stand, there will rise a leader, to heal, to demand.

By
Manipur Matters

AR nattene oja mayam.. Bangladsh Army ni. Mayang sifai khudingmak AR natte!

সেনাবাহিনীর যুদ্ধের ট্রেনিং||Bayonet fighting || bangladesh army training || আর্মি ট্রেনিং || আমাদের চ্যানেলে প্রচারিত হচ্ছে নতুন নতুন ভিডিও আর ভিডিওটি যদি ভালো লাগে তাহলে অবশ্যই আপনার বন্ধুদের মাঝে শেয়ার ...

Understanding FMR

Background: Post-independence India recognized that the India-Myanmar border bisected the socio-economic space of local tribes, disrupting their traditional movement and livelihoods.

26 September 1950: India amended its Passport Rules to allow hill tribes living within 40 km of the border to cross without travel documents. This mirrored Myanmar's 1948 policy permitting border tribes to enter its territory without passports or permits, provided they lived within 25 miles of the border. The arrangement, known as the Free Movement Regime (FMR), allowed Myanmar citizens a 72-hour stay in India, while Indians could stay in Myanmar for 24 hours.

August 1968: India introduced a permit system in, requiring travel documents for border crossing because insurgent groups exploited FMR, using the border's permeability to train and launch attacks from Myanmar.

2004: India further restricted FMR in , reducing the free movement area to 16 km and designating three official crossing points: Pangsau, Moreh, and Zokhawthar because security issues in the Northeast worsened in the 1990s and 2000s, with increased drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and insurgent activity.

May 11, 2018: Efforts to formalize FMR led to the drafting of a Memorandum of Understanding between India and Myanmar. The two countries signed the Agreement on Land Border Crossing, formalizing the previously informal FMR, thereby aiming to balance traditional tribal movements with enhanced security measures.

Complex Alliance in Myanmar's Conflict Zone

Mid-1990s: Meitei rebels sook refuge in Chin state, Myanmer

2004: Meitei rebel groups were alleged to have set up base in Chin state, Myanmar after raids by the Indian Army in Sajik Tampak.

December 2019: Residents of Tedim Township in Chin State protested, demanding the expulsion of Manipuri armed groups in Tonzang Township, Myanmer. The Zomi civil society groups highlighted a surge in o***m farming in areas controlled by Meitei armed groups.
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/chin-groups-call-govt-expel-manipuri-armed-groups-myanmar.html
https://www.indiatodayne.in/amp/international/story/myanmar-citizens-demand-removal-manipuri-meitei-extremists-region-408922-2019-12-05?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0Ur6nPIMknjJ6IQeJksuzxw1kU8L_ncsLx10lejJ3YEtTL_cNiaqJCGyk_aem_AaA7lJ-99bTkipW7mRrW2kjWRZlixen_p_lspP9NRRNoFGdTKPk1RqpXsvYyMbjvnqMGLGIKMEfbjeaBsDP-rRle

1 February 2021: Myanmar military coup

? 2021: The Myanmar military has reportedly formed an informal agreement with two Manipur valley-based insurgent groups. In return for assistance, these groups are supposedly aiding junta forces in operations against PDFs in 'liberated zones' like Chin State and Sagaing Region. Some Manipur valley-based insurgents have reportedly relocated to Chin State, strengthening ties between the Myanmar military and these groups.
https://ukhrultimes.com/myanmar-juntas-secret-pact-with-manipurs-pla-and-kykl/?fbclid=IwAR1bid9Rna6osAn5sNwyfxW9i8DzF7fpOE_2EV3yLW1ObMJhSYSUFTFS6OQ
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/indian-rebels-now-brothers-in-arms-with-myanmar-military.html
https://thediplomat.com/2022/01/indian-rebel-outfits-regrouping-in-myanmar-again/

June 2021: ZRA attacked two camps operated by local youths opposed to the regime.
September 21: Another attack by ZRA conducted. The Chinland Defence Force, one of the anti-junta group, warned that it would take serious action against the ZRA if it continued to “bully” the local defence forces.
ZRA-EC's supposed ties with Meitei rebel groups from India, alleged for supporting the Myanmar military, hint at their motives. The Myanmar military allegedly approached ZRA-EC and Naga rebel groups to join "clearance operations" against resistance fighters, with ZRA-EC supposedly accepting and receiving weapons in return.
https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/zra-attacked-in-tedim-after-alleged-meeting-with-junta-officials/
https://www.thechindwin.com/revealed-how-zomi-revolutionary-army-eastern-command-becomes-the-puppet-fighters-of-myanmars-military-council/%3famp=1

December 2021: The India's Foreign Secretary's visit to Myanmar in December 2021, where both sides reiterated their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other.
https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/34723/Visit_of_Foreign_Secretary_Shri_Harsh_Vardhan_Shringla_to_Myanmar_December_2223_2021 #:~:text=certificates%20sub%20links-,Visit%20of%20Foreign%20Secretary%20Shri%20Harsh%20Vardhan%20Shringla%20to,December%2022%2D23%2C%202021)

January 2022: Troops from the Chin National Army (CNA) supposedly attacked a camp housing 120 rebels from the PLA and “at least one other allied Manipuri rebel faction” near the village of Senam, located about 10 kms southeast of the Burmese border town of Tamu. The calculated offensive demonstrated that India can rely on the CNA as a strategic ally, much like it did during Operation Golden Bird in 1995. https://barbedwires.substack.com/p/is-the-myanmar-junta-facilitating
Operation Golden Bird: https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/myanmar-chin-armed-groups-rivalry-with-indian-rebel-outfits-dates-back-decades.html

June 2022: PLA and ZRA-EC from Manipur, India are accused of collaborating with the Myanmar's Military Junta, although they deny the allegations.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Myanmar-Crisis/Insurgents-from-India-add-fuel-to-fire-in-Myanmar-s-restive-north

July 2023: Defence secretary Giridhar Aramane concluded his official visit to Myanmar from June 30 to July 01. “Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to ensure that their respective territories would not be allowed to be used for any activities inimical to the other,"
https://www.livemint.com/news/india/indias-defence-secretary-concludes-official-visit-to-myanmar-discusses-security-and-bilateral-cooperation-11688212648339.html

September 2023: ZRA (EC) was declared a terrorist organization by the Chinland Joint Defence Committee (CJDF) for attacking anti-Junta forces. They've been accused of extortion, abduction, and drug trafficking, operating in Manipur, Mizoram, and Myanmar's Chin state. ZRA supposedly maintains a close relationship with Myanmar's Military Junta, raising concerns about their activities in the region and their alleged involvement in supplying arms and narcotics into India. They are often called as Border Guard Force (BGF) for India by anti-Junta forces. Border Guard Forces are subdivisions of the Myanmar Armed Forces consisting of former insurgent groups in Myanmar under the instruction of Regional Military Commands.
https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/india-based-zomi-armed-group-raids-chin-resistance-camps-in-northwestern-myanmar/
https://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=38..250923.sep23

November 2023: Myanmar's PDF and KNA-B allegedly dismantled hideouts of alleged pro-Junta insurgent groups, including the UNLF and Valley-Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs), in Upper Sagaing, Myanmar. The operation allegedly resulted in the capture of the notorious Thanan Concentration Camp and the recovery of substantial arms and ammunition.
https://www.indiatodayne.in/amp/international/story/myanmars-peoples-defence-force-busts-insurgent-group-hideouts-in-upper-sagaing-region-718189-2023-11-29

**Disclaimer:**
This article attempts to understand the current conflict based on information from various news agencies. The content herein is intended for informational purposes only. The writer does not suggest or accuse any individual or group of any actions or behaviors mentioned in the article. All information is presented as reported by the sources cited, and the writer remains neutral, refraining from drawing any definitive conclusions about the parties involved. Readers are encouraged to seek additional information and form their own perspectives.

Myanmar Junta’s Secret Pact With Manipur's PLA And KYKL | Ukhrul Times The Myanmar military in countering the formidable People's Defense Forces, which comprises of hundreds of civilian resistance groups from various ethnic

"In Order to Capture, One Must Let Loose…
Without an escape route, the enemy's desperation will bolster their bravery. Allowing them the opportunity to escape drains their strength and morale, ultimately diminishing their resolve."
-Chapter 3 (Offensive Stratagems, 攻戰計, Gōng zhàn jì) of 'Thirty-Six Stratagems'

"When you surround an enemy, you must leave an outlet for him to go free. Do not press a desperate enemy too hard"
-Chapter 7.36 (Maneuvering) of 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu.