Lamka, June 01, 2006: The Zo ethnic communities of the Hmar Women’s Association, General Headquarters, Churachandpur Manipur today submitted a memorandum to the Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh questioning the the Rajkhowa Commission’s acceptance of the Human Rights Alert (HRA) appeal to cross examine victims of mass rape of Hmar women at Parbung and Lungthulien village by cadres of Meitei armed militants of the UNLF and KCP.
Saying that the Rajkhowa Commission decision is another attempt to rape the victims, this time by the same authorities who should have given them protection in the first place, the association said, it is pertinent to mention here that the HRA itself was one of the first organisations to visit and speak to the victims, and said that it is extremely painful and sad to realize that all the comforting-word and condemnations of therapist that their Executive Director conveyed during their trip were empty words. If their cares so much for Human Rights, they should first respect the rights of the victims by bringing out the facts as they seen and heard and not suppressing it, it added.
In a memorandum to the Manipur Chief Minister, the HWA said, we accept its prerogative to allow cross-examination of the rape-victims and however we demand the process be conduct in Lungthulien and Parbung.
“If the state Home department has optioned that the area is safe enough with the belated presence of security personnel, surely the HRA functionaries can be asked to conduct their cross-examination, if necessary, where the rape victims took place�.
The memorandum said that the authorities should first acknowledge the fact that four months have passed and the victims have neither been given any compensation nor medical assistance or counseling. The women body pointed out that these should have been the first steps that any self-respective Government would have taken.
Source: Zoram.org