IMPHAL: Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) – the apex Tangkhul Naga body in the Northeast – has opposed opening of relief camps in Ukhrul district of Manipur.

The Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), on Sunday (July 09), asked the Manipur government not to open any relief camp(s) in Ukhrul district of Manipur.

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The Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) also asked the Manipur government to facilitate early settlements of the displaced people in their places of origin.

Setting up and operation of a semi-permanent relief camp in the Ukhrul district must not accommodate those displaced persons from other districts, said David K Shimray, president of Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), on Sunday.

“To ensure permanent peace in the state, the Manipur government must work out a policy to allocate the displaced persons to their origin place and not scattered in other places,” Shimray said.

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“The TNL also warns that if any displaced person from another district is found being allocated in the Ukhrul district, the TNL will oppose such moves from the state government and any eventualities that arise will be the sole responsibility of the state government,” he said.

Shimray added: “The unrest in Manipur has affected the whole community in the state. The Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) fervently longs for the restoration of normalcy at the earliest.”

Earlier, the United Naga Council (UNC), an apex body of the 20 Naga tribes, had stated that few Naga tribes, who live near the areas that have been affected by the ongoing conflict between the Kukis and the Meiteis in Manipur, are being subjected to harassment and ill-treatment by miscreants belonging to the two communities.

“It is very unfortunate that a few Naga tribes who live in close proximity with both the warring communities at the periphery and foothills have been harassed, mishandled, ill-treated and intimidated to carry out certain tasks involuntarily,” it said.

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UNC stated that the Nagas keep a neutral position in regards to the ongoing violence in the Northeast state of Manipur.

It warned that the Nagas must not be dragged into the ongoing violence in Manipur.

The UNC, in a statement, stated that some organisations with vested interests have been trying to drag the Nagas into the ongoing conflict between the Kukis and the Meiteis in the strife-torn Manipur.

“The UNC has been playing a neutral role without taking any side. One should be mindful that nothing can be hidden in this digital era and the perpetrators involved in exacerbating the deeply rooted conflict is advised to come out clean before the damage is done,” said the UNC.

It may be mentioned here that Manipur has been on the boil since May 3 after clashes broke out between two communities in state and subsequent large-scale violence.

Nearly 150 people lost their lives and thousands of people were displaced following the clashes and subsequent violence in the state.