ES Reporter

ITANAGAR, Sep 14:The Tangsa Students Union (TSU) on Thursday has appealed the State Government as well as Central government not to play with the sentiments of people of Changlang area by granting citizenship to Chakma-Hajong refugees and affirmed to go to any extent to safeguard the rights of its people.

Asserting that the local indigenous populace has become minority in their own area, Advisor ATSU, Mengpa Haisa in a press conference held this morning at Arunachal Press Club informed reporters that the Chakma-Hajong has outnumbered the local populace presently and becoming a threat to the very existence of the native people.

Demanding the government to confine the refugees in a new designated place, Haisa disclosed that more than a lakh refugees are currently living at Changlang area while local people are numbered only in thousands.

“Their population is increasing day by day as the district administration has failed to check the influx as there is no proper ILP checking conducted in the few checkposts,’ Haisa alleged.

“Even the refugees have started occupying land of the Namdhapa Reserve Forest and they are destroying its ecology. There is also increase in encroachment of indigenous land and fields and crime-related activities in the area,’ he rued.

Moreover, Haisa expressed resentment that despite knowing the plight and suffering of the people, the state government is yet to draw any measures and is still silent on the issue.

Also pointing out biased viewpoints of Human Rights Organization, Mengpa alleged that it is blindly supporting the refugees while neglecting the ground realities and without knowing the suffering of the natives.

When the refugees are creating law and order problems then there is no one to question them. But when we the local populace protest against such atrocities we are labelled ‘discriminatory’, he said.

 “We are peace loving people and maintained enough silence since last few decades thinking the government will solve the issues including the central government. But this time, we will not bow down to the Supreme Court verdict as the decision was not taken considering the interests of the local populace.  We will go to any extent to save our land and rights of our people,” he affirmed.

Furthermore blaming the successive governments for the blunder, he also made an appeal to the political leaders not to indulge in blame-game and work unitedly to protect tribal rights before it’s too late.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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