Imphal, May 06: The 70th session of the United Nations Committee of Racial Discrimination on 'International Convention on Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination' held at Geneva during February and March this year has recommended to the Government of India to repeal the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 within one year.

Disclosing this during a press conference at the Manipur Press Club here today, convenor of Dialogue Forum, U Nobokishore informed that the meetings of the Committee held at Geneva from February 23 to 26 and on March 6 took serious note of the fact that the Government of India has failed to implement the recommendations of the Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee, set up by the Ministry of Home Affairs, to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and replace it by a more humane Act.

The Committee noted with concern that the Government of India has not implemented the recommendations of the Review Committee to repeal the Act under which members of the Armed forces may not be prosecuted unless such prosecution is authorised by the Central Government and have wide powers to search and arrest suspects without a warrant or to use force against persons or properties in Manipur and other North Eastern States, Nobokishore said.

Subsequently, in its concluding observation, the Committee has urged the Government of India to repeal the Act and replace it by a more humane Act in accordance with the recommendations of the Review Committee set up by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in 2005 and make the report of the Review Committee public, he said.

The Committee requested that the Government of India repeal the Act within one year, he added.

L Miranjan, another representative of Dialogue Forum informed that while discussing on the rights of ownership of land traditionally occupied by tribal communities, the International convention on elimination of all forms of racial discrimination held at Geneva expressed serious concern that large scale projects such as the construction of several dams in Manipur and other North-eastern States are on territories primarily inhabited by the tribal communities.

The Committee strongly felt that these projects result in the forced resettlement and endanger the traditional lifestyles of the communitiesconcerned.

Therefore, the Committee has urged the Government of India to fully respect and implement the right of ownership, collective or individual, of the members of the tribal communities or the lands traditionally occupied by them in its practice concerning tribal people in accordance with ILO convention 107 on Indigenous and Tribal Populations (1957).The Committee further observed that the prior informed consent of communities which would be affected by the construction of dam in the North East or similar projects on their traditional lands should be sought in any decision making process apart from providing adequate compensation and alternative land and housing to such communities, Miranjan said.

The Government of India has also been urged to implement this recommendations of the Committee on land ownership rights of the tribal communities within one year, he added.

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