ZUF urges Kuki armed groups to refrain from establishing unauthorised check post

The Zeliangrong United Front(ZUF) has appealed to the Kuki armed groups to refrain from establishing unauthorized check posts and from frisking daily commuters belonging to the Zeliangrong and Naga communities along the Asian Development Bank (ADB) road between Kangchup and Waphong (Talamlong).

“Such actions create unnecessary tension and disrupt peaceful coexistence among neighbouring communities in the region” says ZUF.

In a release issued on October 7, ZUF expresses deep concern over the reported construction of the so-called Tiger/German Road and the cultivation of poppy plants in the foothill areas traditionally belonging to the Zeliangrong and the wider Naga community.

Reiterating that the ancestral land of the Zeliangrong people must not be disturbed or encroached upon by any group of people under any circumstances, the release stated that ZUF has been maintaining patience thus far, refraining from fishing in troubled waters as the entire region continues to suffer under insurmountable ethnic conflict.

However, if the fundamental rights of the Zeliangrong people are violated unabated, the Front will not remain a mute spectator, the release added.

ZUF also discourages poppy cultivation in the Pongringlong (Charoipantongba) and Talamlong (Waphong) areas stating that the cultivation not only harms the environment but also undermines the moral and social fabric of society.