Editorial || A Traitor and a Genocide Enabler Can’t Decide the Fate of the Kukis

One’s actions reflect one’s intentions and inner thoughts—thus the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” Anyone familiar with contemporary Kuki political dynamics would know exactly what Michael Lamjathang represents and the many organizations he has created under the name “Thadou.”

To many in the Kuki community, he is seen as someone who divides and spreads enmity within his own people—a pawn used by Biren and his co-conspirators to whitewash their image. He, and anyone associated with him, is regarded as a traitor by the very people they claim to represent.

So, the question arises: What was the meeting in Imphal really about? Was it an alliance between opportunists bonded by a common enemy? Or merely a PR stunt designed to say, “We, the majority community, tried to reach out but failed?”

It is sickening to witness the continuation of dirty politics being orchestrated from Imphal—targeting the Kukis even now. Humanity dies a thousand deaths with every such meeting. They forget that the martyrs—those who lost their lives—were real people, as are the victims whose suffering deepens with each passing day.

A traitor and a genocide enabler cannot decide the fate of those who have suffered at the hands of their greed and communal politics. Nor do they have any moral or political right to represent, discuss, or negotiate on behalf of the victims. Just as a river never flows back to the same place twice, atrocities amounting to genocide cannot be whitewashed.

You cannot brutally kill and rape your neighbors and expect the surviving family members to forget your crimes, coexist peacefully, and simply move on. You cannot negotiate with a traitor and expect the world to believe it is part of a “peace process.”

The recent event in Imphal only highlights how remorseless and apathetic the Meiteis still are toward the horrific crimes that unfolded before their very eyes.

One should never commit a crime whose consequences they are unwilling to bear. The hate forced upon the Kukis under Biren’s regime has brought us to where we are now. As a community and as organizations complicit in that hate-filled agenda, you cannot now pretend to be victims. You have no excuse to claim ignorance—the hate ecosystem was never discreet.

To you, a "united Manipur" is a symbol of dignity that must be preserved at all costs, despite the atrocities committed. But to the Kukis, a "united Manipur" echoes the unanswered cries for justice. Not all of us are like Michael Lamjathang and his followers—gullible wiseacres, greedy enough to fall for your treacherous politics.

Hate us all you want, but your attempts to erase the Kukis and their identity will fail—just like many others who tried before you. No internal divisions, bribes, or political traps have ever forced our forefathers to compromise their legacy and history. We, as their descendants, shall remain just as steadfast.

The "Sheikh Hasina (pre-1981)" figure you think you're giving political asylum to—and negotiating with—is actually the Vidkun Quisling of the Kukis. The political investment you’ve made in this “snake” will yield zero returns, because in a democracy, it is the people’s voice that prevails.

He and a few dozen of his minions, parading under the label “Thadou,” do not represent the Kuki people. They are traitors to the very community whose ancestors they share.