May 5, 2010
To,
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India
New Delhi
SUBJECT: Appeal to intervene AND defuse the current situation honourably and allow Mr. Th. Muivah to visit his home town in Manipur
Dear Dr. Man Mohan Singh,
We write to you as democratic rights activists, trade unionists, women’s rights groups, student groups and other concerned citizens to express our deep concern at the heightened tensions and military presence over the last few days in Manipur and Nagaland, following the Manipur Government’s decision not to allow the visit of the NSCN-IM leader, Mr. Th Muivah to his hometown and other Naga areas in the state.
We believe that the visit of Mr.Th Muivah was planned with Government of India allowing it. But the decision of the Government of Manipur not to allow the visit has created a potentially dangerous situation that directly negates the spirit of the Naga Peace Talks over the last 13 years. The sudden deployment of large numbers of security forces at the state borders, the unprovoked destruction of traditional welcome gates by the forces, and the total blockage of transit of all travelers from Nagaland to Manipur has triggered panic and insecurity among the local people and unnecessarily heightened tensions between different communities in the region.
As you are well aware, such actions by the state will inevitably also impact the many efforts being made by all communities to promote peace and understanding in the region over the years.
We urge you stand by your recent statements that you hope to reach an amicable solution to the Naga Peace Process very soon. It is imperative that you intervene to defuse the current situation honourably and allow Mr.Th. Muivah to visit his hometown and other Naga areas in Manipur without any further delay.
Signed by:
1. Tapan K. Bose, Secretary General, South Asia Forum for Human Rights, Kathmandu
2. Sumit Chakravarty, Editor, Mainstream, New Delhi
3. D. Thankappan, President, New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), Mumbai
4. Rita Manchanda, New Delhi
5. E. Deenadayalan, Bangalore
6. Ravi Hemadri, Social activist, New Delhi
7. Vani Subramanium, Saheli Women’s Resource Centre, New Delhi
8. Bela Bhatia, Writer & human rights activist, Mumbai
9. Jatin Desai, People’s Media Initiative, Mumbai
10. Sukumar Muralidharan, International Federation of Journalists, New Delhi
11. Dunu Roy, New Delhi
12. Sahba Hussain, New Delhi
13. Sumanta Banerjee, Writer, Dehra Dun
Signed by Ravi Hemadri, on behalf of the signatories