The Kuki-Zo civil society organisations of Sadar Hills, in a joint review meeting held in Kangpokpi district on Sunday, resolved to observe the 3rd of every month as Remembrance Day.
As part of the resolution, a complete shutdown will be enforced on every Remembrance Day, including government offices, educational institutions, private establishments, and commercial activities. The community will also refrain from farming, travel, and routine activities as a mark of mourning, according to the CoTU Joint Secretary.
Members of the Kuki-Zo community gathered at the CoTU Office, Brig. M. Thomas Ground, in Kangpokpi on Friday night to solemnly observe the day in memory of those who lost their lives in the ongoing ethnic violence.
The observance aims to express solidarity with Kuki-Zo internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have suffered the destruction of villages, loss of property, and the deaths of family members due to the ethnic conflict.
The observance will be held simultaneously at five locations across the district: Martyrs’ Cemetery, Phaijang; Saikul Public Ground; Twilang Area; Leimakhong; and New Keithelmanbi Area.
The CoTU said the meeting also reaffirmed that May 3 will be observed annually as Separation Day, with the central programme to be held exclusively at Martyrs’ Cemetery, Phaijang, accompanied by a 12-hour total shutdown, including all vehicular movement.
During the observance, Kuki-Zo civil society organisations reiterated their demand for a separate administration in the form of a Union Territory with a Legislature, urging the Government of India to recognise and implement what they termed a legitimate and constitutionally justified demand.
