GUWAHATI, Jan 21 � Twelve militant outfits of the North East region have given a call to the people to boycott the Republic Day celebrations as a mark of �resistance against Indian occupation of the region.�
The militant outfits have also called upon the people to observe general shut down from 1 am to 5.30 pm on January 26. The release said that during the hours, all trade and commercial activities, all forms of public entertainment and all forms of public and private transportation should not operate in the region. However, emergency services, essential services, media and religious activities have been exempted from the strike.
The joint statement said that the Republic Day celebration legitimizes the colonial oppression of the North East region by India. As the people of the North East are not Indians, there is no reason for celebration of the Republic Day. �We have every right and reason to fight against and overthrow the Indian colonial regime to regain our lost sovereignty and independence,� the statement added.
The statement further said that a spontaneous boycott of the Republic day would force India to realize the truth and withdraw itself from the North East.
The joint statement has been issued by the hard line faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Coordination Committee of Manipur�s seven parties (CorCom), HNLC of Meghalaya, Kamatapur Liberation Organization (KLO), National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT) and Tripura People�s Democratic Front (TPDF).
The statement also proved that the Manipur based militant groups have joined hands to form a coordination committee and efforts are also on by the militant groups of the North East to come into a common platform. In the joint statement, the militant groups also made it clear that united struggle is the key to their success. They further said that they would unite to overthrow the Indian colonial rule.
