TEZPUR, June 15 - The first three-day indigenous people�s meet held at the Hem Baruah Hall here came to an end on Tuesday.
On the first day, the programme began with the commemoration of indigenous tribal and national heroes like Harjar Barma, Lachit Borphukan and Tikendrajit by the delegates representing the north-eastern States.
It was followed by the opening ceremony, and open session of the three-day programme under the aegis of the president of Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha, Matiur Rahman.
In the conference, delegates from across the region came to a decision to fight together for the birth and legitimate rights over their land. For presenting a united stand in favour of their rights, a committee called Monitoring Committee for North-eastern Region Indigenous People�s Right was also formed with R Win Chiyem Sutong as convener.
The other members of the committee are Lendin Kota Aow (Nagaland Tribal Council), Theja Thora (publicity secretary), Sunanta Jamatia and Jolendra Riyang (member and secretary, Tripura People�s Front), Robert Jun K Johri and Do Boklong K Lingduh (president and general secretary, Honey Trip Youth Council, Meghalaya), Matiur Rahman (Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha), Perom Tsiri of Arunachal Pradesh and president of the North-east India Manipuri Association, Madhu Chandra Singh.
After the formation of the committee, it held its first meeting at the venue of the conference wherein it was unanimously decided to extend full support to the movement of Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha and the PIL filed before the Supreme Court regarding the illegal foreigners� issue for the past many years.
The delegates hoped that the Supreme Court would provide an adequate judgment to the petitioner, thereby paving a way for pushing back the illegal Bangladeshis and other foreigners.
�Under the initiative of Honey Trip Youth Council, Meghalaya, the second meeting will be held on June 27 in Shillong,� convener of the newly-formed indigenous body, R Win Chiyem Sutong said, while interacting with the media after the meeting.
While addressing a press conference, Matiur Rahman, in presence of president of Singpho Jatiya Parishad, Singpho king Bisa Long Singpho, president of the All Assam Nishyi Association, Perom Tsiri, secretary of Moran Sahitya Sabha, Ajit Moran, president of Mising Democratic Right Security Committee, Bhupen Narah and assistant general secretary of Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha, Surendranath Deka, said that if the burning issue of illegal foreigners that has been posing a serious threat to the region, particularly Assam and Tripura, cannot gain priority in the Supreme Court, the indigenous body under the initiative of Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha will approach the UNO.
�We want a political and constitutional safeguard under the Indian Constitution because the illegal foreigners sneaking into Indian soil either from Bangladesh, or from Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan or other parts of the globe, have paralysed our region and hampered our demography and socio-economic status,� said Rahman.
He reiterated that 855 martyrs did not sacrifice their lives for making March 25, 1971, as base year. �The base year 1951, fixed by the Indian Constitution for every illegal foreigner grabbing land in any corner of the country, has to be applicable for Assam also which is admitted in a united voice by all the indigenous tribal leaders of the region,� Matiur Rahman said.
He also said that the legal fight that has been on over the years seeking a positive result in this regard would remain a continued process until and unless the illegal foreigners go out from the soil of Assam.
Expressing his serious concern over the biased data mentioned in most of Assam�s history, he alleged that some so-called historians wrote history according to their own designs neglecting the real facts and figures. �In most of the history, wrong information is given, hurting the image and dignity of the sons of the soil,� he reiterated.
Meanwhile, Singpho king Bisa Long Singpho said that the remote rural areas near Ledo-Margherita where the Singpho community used to stay were in a pitiable condition. �We the Sigphos that once had a kingdom with sound economic condition today have to think of better health facility or road communication as a dream,� he lamented.
