Land of Jewels (Sana Leibak)

Need to go beyond addressing physical needs Imphal, Dec 24: Manipur have seen much violence and turmoil since the 1950s. Secessionist movements and ethnic strife have kept life in Manipur unpredictable and violence-ridden. While the entire communities suffer the consequences of armed conflict, women and girls are particularly affected because of their status in society and their sex. Health and education services and facilities are disrupted and local economies shattered. Thiyam Gita, now 48, from Moirang Oksongbung, is still picking together the pieces that were shattered by armed violence. One evening, back in January 2000, Gita was among the group of people gathered around a bonfire opposite Moirang Boys High School discussing the upcoming municipal election. Suddenly two jeeps filled with armed youths stopped there and asked for one man called Bokul to surrender to them. The armed people assured that they will not attack anyone and even persuaded the women to bring along Bokul for ...

Manipur 2nd most conflict ridden state in NE: Imphal, Dec 11: With 361 deaths till November 30, Manipur remains the second most conflict ridden state in the northeast, behind Assam with 388 fatalities, says a report of the South Asia intelligence review (SAIR). With a month to go before the end of 2007 the figure of fatalities has already surpassed the 311 militancy-related fatalities that occurred in Manipur in 2006. While fatalities among the militants in 2007 have remained more or less comparable to the previous year, it has certainly worsened among the civilians and the security forces. According to the currently available data, civilian deaths have already increased by over 42 per cent and those of security forces by 39 percent. According to a report of the Institute of Conflict Management, ministry of home affairs, during the year 2007 upto November 30, out of the 361 deaths, 137 were civilians, 39 were security men while 185 were militants of different outfits. During 2006, the ...