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Kuki outfit demands statehood
Published on Sun, Oct 08, 2006 at 08:00, Updated on Thu, Nov 23, 2006 at 14:52 in 
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South-East Manipur: Soldiers of the armed wing of the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) undergo training inside the jungles of Manipur close to the India-Myanmar border.
The Kuki militia is 1,500 men strong and is armed with an array of weapons. "At present, we use AK-47, M16, DC and 60mm mortar," says Major DJ Haokip of the KNO.
The KNA, the armed wing of the KNO, is under a ceasefire agreement with the Indian Army since August 2005 and is said to be a product of Manipur's ethnic wars.
"In Manipur, there are three communities: Kukis, Nagas and Meiteis. So you can't have a solution for one and ignore the other, if you want the entire region to be in a situation where there is peace, stability and tranquility," says spokesperson of KNO, Seilen Hoakip.
The Kukis, primarily hill tribals, say the British divided the traditional Kuki land between India and Myanmar. The KNO wants statehood for Kuki dominated areas in Manipur within the Indian Constitution
"If India wants us to be part of the Indian union, we are happy to do that. Then recognise our territory by way of statehood. The KNO's objective, as I mentioned, is to find solutions within the framework of the Indian Constitution. We firmly believe in being Indian," says Hoakip.
The pro-India stance of the KNO allows them to carry arms and keep training despite the ceasefire. The Kuki militia does what the army can't - protect Kuki villages from the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and National Socialist Council for Nagalim-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM).
Not surprisingly, this militia is tiny but tough and recruits who fall out of line, invite harsh punishment. "They didn't follow the rules and regulations in the training camp," says the instructor as he stands by the offenders.
KNO recruits are young, many of them just 15. And a strong sense faith is crucial to motivate them. Many of them can be often heard singing the gospel song -
He gives me love and happiness, gives me comfort while I am on earth. Nobody but Christ can make me happy. He gives me love and happiness.
At all KNO camps, the Bible and the Gun stay side by side. "We are doing this to gain God's blessing," says a cadet.
Isn't it a failure of Indian democracy that young Kuki boys are training to fight an enemy they hardly know and against a country that claim them to be its own?
(With Rajesh Bhardwaj)
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