Imphal, October 19: The workshop on International humanitarian laws in the context of armed conflict in Manipur which was held yesterday at Cheirap Court Complex has recommended to urge upon the Govt of India to sign, ratify and nationally legislate upon the Protocols I and II, 1977 additional to the Geneva Convention, 1949, Rome International Criminal Court Treaty, 1998 with a view to fulfilling national and international obligations and preparing grounds for peace building everywhere.

The workshop organised by All Manipur Bar Association with the initiative of Centre for Humanitarian Law Students and Research, Gauhati University also recommended for amending the Geneva Convention Act, 1960 by inserting �or by any aggrieved person in a situation of armed conflicts� after the last work �specify� in section 17, chapter-V of the Geneva Conventions Act, 1960 (Act 6 of 1960) in order to render the 1960 statute meaningful and effective, which otherwise had remained a dead letter for decades.

After a detailed deliberation on the issue, the workshop attended by around 300 members of Manipur State Bar and Bench further decided to urged upon the Government of India to grant access of the ICRC to Manipur and North Eastern Region as much as the ICRC has been allowed access to the State of Jammu and Kashmir, in order to maintained transparency of the occurrences in the region and to re-affirm credibility of the Governmental efforts to maintain peace.

The other recommendations of the workshop include requesting the Indian National Red Cross Society to work in Manipur, to call upon the dissidents, organised armed forces of the Non-State entities � the �liberation guerrilla/insurgents� to comply with the common Article 3 of the Four Geneva Conventions, 1949 without any prejudice whatsoever to their legal status in the greater interest of humanity caught in difficult situation.

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