Hong Kong, Mar 17 :The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the Human Rights Alert (HRA) organized a protest rally today in Hong Kong calling upon the Government of India to initiate steps to end the culture of impunity in Manipur.
Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman, speaking on behalf of the AHRC in the meeting said: "The ongoing violence in Manipur can end only if the culture of impunity ends in that state."
"The region, and Manipur in particular, is marred with violence committed by both state and non-state actors ... the issues in Manipur are intense and long-pending, that for several reasons Manipur could be said as the Tibet of India..." Ashrafuzzaman added.
The protesters gathered at Charter Garden at 11am today and marched to the Indian consulate. At the consulate, the protesters submitted a petition addressed to the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, to the Consul General of India.
The petition urges the government to initiate steps to end impunity in Manipur. Several persons participated in the rally. The Consul General accepted the petition and promised that he would transmit the petition to the prime minister's office in New Delhi immediately.
Contrary to the practice of their counterparts in India, and to the surprise of the participants of the rally, the Hong Kong Police department ensured that the rally does not interrupt the traffic and further informed the Indian consulate about the rally and the intension of the rally organizers to submit a petition to the Consul General.
The petition submitted to the Prime Minister of India by the AHRC and the HRA has been part of an online campaign marking the birthday of Ms. Irom Sharmila, the iron lady of Manipur. The HRA has also organized a similar campaign in India.
Speaking to the media, Ashrafuzzaman said: "Sharmila represents the voice of the voiceless in India, and in particular, the people of Manipur. Her fast is not just to pressure the government to withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 from the state, though the Act in itself is one of the major reasons for perpetual violence in the state…The protest today is a call to the government to withdraw this draconian law from Manipur."
"Sharmila's struggle is a strong call to end impunity in Manipur, for which both the state as well as non-state actors have a role to play. Unless the state ends its acts of violence, it has no morale to expect the militant groups operating in the state to stop committing violence.
The atrocious acts of violence committed by the state and its agencies with impunity have only worsened the situation in the state." "Counter militancy operations must be conducted within the framework of the Indian Constitution, and the domestic and international law that binds India.
AFSPA negates all these legal premises, which unfortunately has been receiving legal and moral support even from the Supreme Court of the country." Ashrafuzzaman added.
via srilankaguardian
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