Guwahati: Myanmar-based NSCN-K Yung Aung and the ULFA (I) have announced a total shutdown on August 15, rejecting what they term as India’s “false Independence Day” across the states of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
Through a joint statement shared by NSCN-K YA’s deputy kilonser self-styled Col Joseph (Retd), the groups declared the shutdown from 1 AM to 6:00 PM with exceptions made for emergency services, media, and religious activities.
The groups called on the citizens of the Wesean region to support the boycott by staying indoors. Under the slogan “One People, One Region, One Vision,” the organisations urged all “freedom-loving Wesean citizens” to reject the Independence Day celebrations, which they claim are being imposed on the region under military coercion.
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The statement criticised the Independence Day celebration as a “colonialist symbol” intended to deceive the world and perpetuate what they describe as the “illegal domination” of the region by India. The groups allege that India’s efforts to present an image of normalcy in the region are a facade, masking a reality of “brutal military oppression, endless human rights violations, and cruel assimilation policies.”
“This imposed celebration has nothing to offer our region except a sorrowful reminder of another year under India’s brutal occupation,” the statement read, adding that August 15 will continue to be observed as a “Black Day” in the history of the Wesean revolution.
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