IMPHAL, Mar 21: Appre-hending reprisal from the ca- dres of Kuki National Army (KNA) organisation, two particular families have left their Moreh town houses seeking safer haven here in the State capital.
Speaking to newsper-sons at Manipur Press Club today in the presence of their husbands, Hoikhotin Haokip w/o Semjathang Haokip and Veichin Lhun-gdim w/o Ngamjathang Lhungdim said they no lon-ger feel safe staying at the border yown for the KNA is likely to resort to acts of violence to punish them in the aftermath of the two family making public the armed outfit's insistence on percentage deduction out of the land compensation amount supposed to be pro-vided by the state Govern- ment.
Some residential areas of Moreh town had to be shift-ed to other places to acco- mmodate construction of Integrated Check Post in connection with expansion of the Indo-Myanmar border trade.
Families affected in the land acquisition process have been assured compensation commensurate with the acquired land for which an Integrated Check Post Joint Committee had been formed to expedite and streamline payment of the compensation amount.
Semjathang Haokip is the Committee chairman and Ngamjathang its secretary.
After the two Committee functionaries expressed op-position to the KNA's per- centage deduction move there had been charges and counter allegations against one another.
As per comments of Hoi-khotin and Veichin the KNA allegedly issued threats to them compelling them to flee from Moreh.
Clarifying that they had never ever commented regarding their husbands being taken captive by an armed group in connection with the compensation wra-ngling, they also rejected re- port in certain section of the media of their spouses han-ded over to an armed group by president of Chandel District Chiefs' Association Nehthang Haokip.
Semjathang and Ngamjathang, who were also present during the media briefing said inclusive of 30 percent solatium the compensation amount was fixed at Rs 95 per square feet out of which the KNA insisted that each of the compensated family fork out Rs 57 per square feet to the outfit.
In case the affected families in compliance to the KNA's insistence pay at the rate of Rs 57 out of the total of Rs 96 per square feet, there is no way any of the family could purchase new land or construct houses. They suggested the compensation money be distributed at such a place which would be free from intervention by the KNA activists.