Manipur students' ultimatum

By Barun Das Gupta

GUWAHATI, JULY 5 If the Centre does not revoke the extension of ceasefire beyond Nagaland before July 31, the All Manipur Students' Union (AMSU) will ``start a movement for Manipur's separation from India.''

This was announced by two AMSU spokesmen, Mr. Th. Hemchandra Meetei and Mr. Sougaijam Rakesh, at a press conference hosted by the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) here today.

The AMSU leaders said that if the extension of the ceasefire to Manipur was not revoked, ``we shall demand the pre- merger status of Manipur.''

Before its merger with India on September 21, 1949, Manipur was a princely State. The AMSU leaders explained that they were not seeking to revive the monarchy. Manipur will continue to be a democratic State. They, however, parried the question whether ``separation from India'' meant a sovereign Manipur.

The AASU leaders who were present at the press meet clarified that while they, like AMSU, also opposed the territorial extension of the ceasefire, Manipur's separation from India was the AMSU's demand, not AASU's.

The AASU president, Mr. Prabin Boro, and the general secretary, Mr. Amiya Bhuyan, said they were totally opposed to the Tarun Gogoi government's decision to file a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court against the repeal of the IM(DT) Act and the NDA Government's proposal to issue work permits to Bangladeshis illegally staying in Assam.

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