The Mao Students’ Union (MSU), Senapati, expressed heartfelt gratitude to N.Biren Singh, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Manipur and his esteemed team for choosing Makhel, Senapati District as the construction of Tribal Freedom Fighters Memorial Museum.
In the gratitude message issued on Wednesday, MSU extolled the sacrifices the tribals had contributed in India’s freedom movement, and added that the wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for national building, as mentioned in his 70th Independence day speech, were being materialised.
The statement further attributed that the construction of Tribal Freedom Fighters Memorial Museum at Makhel was a clear indication of “Go to Hill” and “Go to Village”, the mission of the incumbent Manipur Government. It also credited the underpinning construction of the Tribal Freedom Fighters Memorial Museum in Senapati at Makhel despite the infrastructural injustice of the hills in the state.
The gratitude message noted that the Makhel site of the construction “is easily accessible to the public and potential tourists as it lies between NH 2 (erstwhile NH 39) and Trans Asian Highway I (under construction)” and warmly acknowledged the generous donation of 23.6 acres of land for the said project by Makhel village.
With concern to the suitability for construction of the Tribal Freedom Fighters Memorial Museum, Manipur, the statement also cited the historical background of Makhel and its vicinities as a site which was intrinsically linked with the World War II as the Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj (Axis Forces led by Japanese) had built its Transit Camp and Transit War Hospital in and around it. Makhel and its vicinities were turned into battlefields in which some villages were bombarded and burned down to ashes, and some other villages were bombed. Around 2000 hill tribes of Manipur were sent as Labour Corps to France in 1917, out of which 600 Labour Corps contingent were Mao people during WW2, it drafted.
Acclaiming the objectives of Act East Policy in Makhel, the MSU statement adverted to the role of Government of India in vigorously advocating the policy not just as a means of connectivity and economic development for the Northeast Region but also as an important diplomatic tool to connect Southeast Asian nations.
It also indicated that the construction of the Tribal Freedom Fighters Memorial Museum at Makhel would add another War memorial besides War Cemetery in Imphal and would be an additional momentum to strengthen the ties between India and Japan. Retrospecting the already laid foundation stone of the project by N. Kayisii former Minister of Tribal Affairs &Hills, on 13September 2019, in the presence of L. Dikho, Minister, PHED, Government of Manipur, the message attested its reassurance that N.Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur, VunzjaginValte, Minister of Tribal Affairs & Hills, Government of Manipur and the team would complete the construction of the Tribal Freedom Fighters Memorial Museum at Makhel within the stipulated time as notified by the Government of India.
The MSU statement further conveyed that expert team under the Chairperson of Chief Secretary, Government of Manipur, comprising of officials from Departments of Tribal Affairs& Hills, Forest, Tourism, Art & Culture and PWD had conducted a joint field visit sometime in August 2020 with the response to the approval for construction of Tribal Freedom Fighters Memorial Museum, Senapati at Makhel bythe Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.