Newmai News Network
IMPHAL, Jan 14
“ [dropcap]E[/dropcap]ven the cruelest war happening in the world follows specific designs and principles beyond which both the parties should abide”, said executive director of Human Rights Alerts (HRA) Babloo Loitangbam while speaking at the one day workshop on International Humanitarian Law and Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) held at the Manipur Press Club in Imphal.
The workshop jointly organized by the United NGO Mission Manipur (UNMM) and All Manipur NGOs Forum (AMNGOF) was attended by Ch. Jamini Devi, former chairperson, MSWC, Professor L. Sdananda Singh, general secretary, SCS and Y. Surchandra Singh, president, AMNGOF as presidium members. Chinglen Meisnam, Irengbam Arun and U. Nbakishore were the resource persons at the workshop along with Babloo Loitongbam.Babloo Loitongbam, in his speech, said that the uproar which happens frequently in Manipur can be categorized as nationalism and racism. Speaking against the draconian act AFSPA, he said that the act is not a necessity in the state, as it tortures the civilian in many ways. A group of politicians and segment of people try to fulfill their ulterior motive the act. There are a number of state leaders who require AFSPA to quench their political thirst, he maintained. The affairs of the state should be maintained and solved by the people of the state themselves and this can happen only when the people are honest in their approach, he added.
It can be noted here that certain recommendations were made to the government of India which includes the demand to repeal AFSPA 1958 in North East India, particularly in the state of Manipur, to respect and implement the Geneva Conventions, 1949’s common Article 3 and Additional Protocol II of 1977, to establish Truth Commission and Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate into all cases of rape, torture and killing of innocent civilians, women and children and deliver justice to the victims.
The recommendation further sought punitive action against the culprits involved in the crimes as per law of the land-being the largest democracy in the world, to initiate reconciliation among ethnic communities in the state for long term sustainable peace in the region, to punish human traffickers and rehabilitate victims of trafficking, to establish independent commission against corruption and to immediately stop torture and summoning of civilians by security forces.
The recommendations to “political armed opposition groups” include to respect and implement the Geneva Conventions, 1949’s common conventions, 1949’s common Article 3 and additional protocol II of 1977 and to reconcile among the factions and stop inter-factional fighting in the interest of the common people.
