KSO's balm for displaced villagers
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 22: The Kuki Students' Organisation has distributed relief material to the displaced villagers of Khengjoi and its surrounding villages like Molkon, Moldennom, Songdom and L Bungjoi.

The villagers were taking shelter at Moreh and Sugnu after fleeing from their homes following gun fights between MPA cadres and security forces in their area.

On receiving information that the displaced villagers had gone back to their respective villages some 4/5 days back, a team of KSO and some reporters headed to Khengjoi area to provide relief material to the hapless victims.

The visiting team also included representatives of All Tribal Students' Association, Manipur.

Volunteers of Kuki Students' Organisation out to provide relief material to the villagers of Khengjoi village

The team reached Khengjoi yesterday.

However, four trucks carrying the relief material could not advance upto Khengjoi due to poor road condition.

The relief material were handed over to village chiefs at a place some kilometres away from Khengjoi today.

The relief material included 140 quintals of rice, 3340 number of blankets, 10 quintals of dal, 5 quintals of common salt and 15 pieces of tarpaulin.

The materials were contributed by BDO Khengjoi, KSO Khengjoi Block and Kuki Chiefs' Association, Dingpi Block.

Speaking to reporters at Khengjoi, chief of Khengjoi village Thongkhothang Haokip and Molkon village chief Thangkhohem Touthang said that they came to Khengjoi on December 18.At present, villagers of Molkon, Moldennom, Songdop and L Bungjoi villages are staying together at Khengjoi as they have been prevented entry into their respective villages by security forces saying that they (army) have set up camps in these villages, said the chiefs.

The displaced villages were brought to Khengjoi in five Shaktiman trucks from Moreh by Kuki Chiefs' Association, Moreh Block on December 18.After 350 villagers including women and children were dropped at Khangburol village, some 20 kms North of Khengjoi, the villagers proceeded to Khengjoi on foot.

However, the villagers were still panicky as there were firings between the security forces and the UG cadres from time to time.

Preoccupied with the constant fear that they may suffer casualties in the cross-fire, the villagers used to sleep at secured places away from their homes.

The primary desire of the villagers is removal of the army camps from the surrounding villages of Khengjoi so that the villagers can live in their villages peacefully.

They also conveyed their wish to enable them work in their fields by January 20.Saying that if they don't till their fields now, agricultural activities would prove a failure next year, the villagers also drew attention of the State Government to enable the villagers go on with their simple lives freely.

The reporters also came across villagers on the way to their villages from Sugnu today.