Imphal, October 16 2010: The United Tribal Liberation Army (UTLA) will never bow down to the divide and rule policy of the Indian political leaders, General Secretary of UTLA, Abu Nidal has declared.

In a statement titled "Tribal�A Race Destined for Freedom", Abu Nidal narrated that during the years from 1772-74 the Thadous with some other tribes like the Gangte, Vaiphei, Simte, Zou, etc.

migrated into the present Lushai hills being subordinated to the Lushai chief Lallula who unified the whole tribes including the Ngente (Hmar) under him.

The customs, traditions, culture, etc.

of these tribes were more or less the same.

Abu Nidal's statement says, as Grierson puts it, Kuki is an Assamese or Bengali term applied to various tribes such as the Lushai, Hrangkhol, Thadou, Paite, Hmar, Zou, Kom, Anal, Gangte, Muyon, Monsang, Chothe, Lamkang, etc.

Thus it does not signify a particular tribe as Kuki.

Dun writes, "The origin of the term Kuki is not certainly known; but it is said to be derived from a word applied to a system of cultivation by the Bengalese.

The whole of the wild tribe who dwell in the mountain district contained between Bengal and Burma, Bangladesh, Cachar and Manipur and Arakan, have received this designation" .

"The unification of the tribes under one potentate proved to be a source of power.

The Raja of Chittagong sought the help of Warren Hastings, the then Governor General of India (1777) when he was threatened by the allied forces.

The British took the long awaited chance of extending their authority over the region east of the Bay of Bengal for the stability of the eastern wing of the British India.

Lallula was no match for the well trained British army with their superior arms and ammunition" .

The statement says, "The Tribals who moved up along and through the west of the Barak River were utilized by the British against some kindred tribe and vice-versa.

Thus the British instigate the tribal of the north east to fight among themselves, thereby creating a big vacuum of internal conflict which does not wane till date.

In short, the divide and rule policy of the British facilitated the establishment of a conflict and discriminations which had paralyzed the unity and the integrity of the whole tribal region.

The success of the British policy of the divide and rule was continued by the Indian political leaders.

The United Tribal Liberation Army will not and shall never bow down to the divide and rule policy of the Indian political leaders" .

"The British policy to control the hill people more closely necessitated the imposition of land revenue, house tax and forced labor which fundamentally contradicted with the then existing laws of the natives.

The sending of the expeditionary forces against those villages which were responsible for head hunting that jeopardized the hill areas of Manipur though earned the appreciation of some minor tribes and smaller villages, the big and powerful villages considered them as an absolute interference in their own internal affairs.

The Whiteman's laws created in the minds of the Tribals that the British were 'exploiters' and so they reacted violently against the British rule in 1917 which brought about tremendous political, economic and social changes into the history of the Tribals in particular and of the Manipuris in general," UTLA General Secretary Abu Nidal pointed out.

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