Thadou leaders, mainly chieftains in particular, in the region have now come under serious threat, intimidation, and diktat from armed Kuki groups such as the KIA, Kuki Liberation Army (KLA/O), and Kuki militants under SoO for their open and bold declaration as a distinctive tribe, not having anything to do with the Kuki.
The Thadou Students’ Association (TSA) firmly and unequivocally expressed condemnation of repeated interference by the KIA, KLA/KLO, and Kuki SoO militants in Thadou affairs and demanded the withdrawal of their statements and action against such acts.
Chief of the KLA/O, Kaiminthang Thangew, after the meeting (Road to Peace Covenant of Understanding) in Imphal, subjected five Thadou leaders residing in Assam to the customary ritual “Salamsat” as a form of penalty before the Kuki Inpi Assam. TSA condemns such an act as completely illegal, illegitimate, and utterly unacceptable to the Thadou people.
The Thadou leaders were called for a public consultative meeting at Songpijang Community Hall, Haflong, on 11th August 2025, organised by the Kuki Inpi Assam and the Kuki Students’ Organisation, Assam (KSO-A), under the duress of KLA/O’s Kaiminthang Thangew. Earlier, there were also instances where Thangew tried to intervene in organising the Hun-Thadou Cultural Festival, 2025 in Guwahati.
The Thadou Students’ Association appeals to the Kuki Inpi Assam, KLA/KLO, and all related entities to refrain from any interference in Thadou interests, matters, or internal affairs. It also demands the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the statements and actions made on 11th August 2025 by the Kuki supremacists and calls upon the government to take prompt and decisive action to ensure justice and fairness.
