Irom Chanu Sharmila’s demand for the repeal of Arm Forces Act or AFSPA which has claimed thousands Manipuri dead from the state of Manipur, India will not have greater support and comment from her own country and West unlike the dissident pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s protest against her military junta ruled country of neighboring Myanmar.
Both India’s and West’s deliberate silence on Sharmila’s fast onto dead protest since last ten years has many clear indications. India will not comment on Sharmila following the similar trends of western ‘nepotism’. Sharmila doesn’t have any link with the West unlike Suu Kyi’s, who is wife of a British citizen, of neighboring Myanmar. Manipur, where Sharmila was born, does not have anything to offer to the Western job creator for their own citizens. Obama’s visit to India which was fall during the last week of decade old ordeal of Sharmila has made no ripple to US media on Sharmila story as the President was not going to make any business deal with people coming out from Manipur. Sharmila cannot become Obama’s ‘a hero of mine’.
West stance on Sharmila is very pathetic. Myanmar recent popularity with its natural resources and sham election among the western countries has brought comments on its government from many foreign countries like receiving comments of Birthday on Facebook account of one of its leaders. Only China has truly wished her government. Many of you will think that Chandlers are forgotten now even in Britain, however their story might never fade away from generations to come. Hollywood will be standing now on their gate to make a multi-million blockbuster film on them. Sharmila discourse will occupy data less than a GB on any country database.
India again cannot comment on Suu and her own ‘Suu’ Sharmila issues. The country has been rearing its own Suu at Jawaharlal Nehru hospital for the last ten years through forced nose feeding. So any comment on pro-democracy leader Suu, who was only kept house arrest on her lakeside home, or the neighboring military junta ruled regime will bring similar comments into government of largest democracy of the world.
Sharmila only needs supports from within. Those who are too busy in her own state Manipur should come out and support this outcast dissident who will give security to the state. There are many young widows in the state who cannot follow Sharmila similar ordeal as they have to look after their own fatherless child which AFSPA stands as the root cause. When these children realized their father absence, it will again strengthen the Act and produce more similar of their mothers and themselves.
Yours faithfully,
D.S.Mayanglambam
If you want to hear a funny story, here’s a good one. I write to the Home Secretariat because my permit application has been forwarded from the Resident Commissioner (his assistant then Mr Mor) to the Chief Secretary Mr Poonia. He had passed the file on to his assistant the Under Secretary Home Division. So at the beginning of this month I sent another reminder asking as to the status of my application to visit Manipur and see my fiancee. I address the letter to
H E Sri Somorjit Salam
Under Secretary Home
Government of Manipur
Secretariat – Home Department
Imphal
Manipur 795001
And sent a copy to the British Prime Minister. Wait for this is the funny part.
The speedpost (and therefore signed for delivery) was returned unopened and unread with the comment.
Addressee Left
Return to Sender
Absolutely hilarious. I am writing again to Mr Cameron (the British Prime Minister). They may not have known that they were snubbing him because they did not open the letter. I had already sent another inquiry addressed in the same manner with a copy to the British Shadow Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. All I need is for one of these politicians to catch onto Manipuri humour.
Oh and how we shall laugh.
At present Mr Watson the Chair of the EU/India Delegation at the European Parliament has agreed to take up our case and intervene with both the UK FCO who should have provided better representation for a British Citizen and his fiancee and with the Manipur Home Department who should at least consider the application for a visit on humanitarian grounds.
Once you have one official on your side it forces the others to choose. Of course you don’t have to make a decision unless you are a government official.
[quote: Irom Sharmila is engaged to a British Citizen]
Are you trying to be funny?
I agree wholeheartedly that the problems of Manipur will only be solved by Manipuris.
Things are never as black and white as splitting requires it to be for us. On the silence of the West http://www.grahamwatsonmep.org/ previous is the web page for the Chair of the EU/India Delegation on the right you will see his most recent podcast addressed to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs. I have ready to hand to Sharmila once your Government grants us permission to meet letters from the offices of H M Queen Elizabeth the Queen of England, H E Mary McAleese the President of Eire, Mr Tony Blair former PM of the UK, Sir David Lord Steel former first minister of Scotland, and one from Sharon Bowles the latter among several MEPs who seek to have Irom Sharmila presented with the Sakharov prize. I appreciate these letters mainly pass on sympathy apart from the long correspondence with the FCO on why they aren’t helping a British citizen visit his fiancee something to do with arms sales I believe but I digress.
These are not great things they are little things. But if we all do a little then we will all do a lot. And Sharmila is the Goddess of little things. I pass these facts on because they are facts. I still believe that Manipur will be made prosperous only when Manipuris take action. So go do something good for Manipur today. Once my permit to enter is authorized I shall try to do the same. I’ll come when I am not wanted but needed and leave when I am wanted but no longer needed.
Finally Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is a widow. She is no longer married to a British Citizen. He died waiting for permission to visit her. Irom Sharmila is engaged to a British Citizen. Again purely to correct your facts. Her strength comes from the land of Manipur, from within and from God. And of all the prizes she has received I think I am secretly most proud of the Signature (Beauticians’ Training Centre) Woman of Substance Peace Award.
In the end all these awards will do is save on wallpaper for the Peace Ashram we will build when she and Manipur is Free.
And between us guys I don’t mind being called a drug crazed monkey but it might upset the lady so ease up when she is free. She don’t make fun of your spouses don’t make fun of hers.
Take your own advice be optimistic seize democracy and justice if you want it with malice to none and goodwill toward all. Show the world what dedicated Manipuris can achieve. All shall be well.