Imphal, October 23 2009: All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) has appealed to all intellectuals, parents and guardians, tribe and community based leaders, parents' and students' bodies, and individuals concerned to participate in its proposed meeting at Adimjati Campus here on October 24 at 11 am and share ideas, opinions and suggestions.

A statement entitled 'Public appeal' issued jointly by ATSUM vice-president Hemang Haokip and assistant secretary, Robert Leivon Lamkang observed that the state of affairs in Manipur at present is unenviable with extra-judicial killings, fake encounter killings, threat, unlawful arrest and detention, undermining judiciary body, and silencing civil societies and movements.

While noting that it is high time every section of the society - tribal and non-tribal - stood and fought for the rights in the larger interest of the state, the ATSUM statement asserted that the indefinite closure of all educational institutions in some valley districts in protest against the July 23 incident is uncalled for.

This kind of agitation has gone beyond the limit, the statement opined.

"With no good and established schools and colleges with adequate teachers and infrastructure in the hills, many parents-with their limited resources-are compelled to send their children to Imphal.

These parents are now demoralised as their hopes and aspirations on their children are diminishing in the recent past with the events that unfolded since July 23, 2009," the ATSUM lamented.

"ATSUM also shares the simple opinion that these young kids are not the competent groups to champion the cause of Human Rights," it added.

Though the ongoing class boycott agitation may not seemingly affect the five hill districts, there is deep apprehension that they will be ultimately affected in the long run, ATSUM observed.

It asserted that it is with this deep concern that the students' body proposed to hold the meeting.

Pledging not to politicise the present issue as a conflict between tribals and non-tribals; plains and valleys, the students' body leaves the judgment on the matter to the people.

"Accusations are being hurled at us using some harsh and irrelevant words from some quarters.

We leave the matter there for the people to judge and not react on those unfounded allegations and diatribes," it stated.

The question of supporting or not supporting the state government in this regard also does not arise as we are for the tribal people of Manipur in general and the students' communities in particular, it stated.

The statement added that ATSUM has no permanent friends or foes but take issue on case to case and on merit basis.

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