Assam's Surrendered UGPO warns Meghalaya not to harass Gorkhas living in border area

A team of United Gorkha People's Organization (UGPO), which surrendered recently this year visited Assam's Lumpi area under Boko LAC in Kamrup district (some 100 kilometers far from Guwahati city) along the Assam- Meghalaya border area on Friday. Suresah Ghemeray, the chairman of the SUGPO, and six-member groups visited the Lumpi area. 
 
During his visits, He reacted, “We laid down our arms on 27th January of this year and after that, we visited different places where our people were living helplessly in Assam. So we are bound to protect our people and place because this is the land of Assam.”
 
“In the Lumpi area, before Independence, since 1920, Gorkha people living in this area with the grazing permit through the British and after the independence they are here, but several people got harassed after 1972 and they left our places and ran to some other places in Assam. But, the Gorkha people are still here and we are facing our problems.”
 
"I know the government is ready to help us, but we couldn't take advantage. I appeal to the government, please see the area and try to develop the area as soon as possible. We also request to upgrade the administrative power including police, as we have seen they have very less power”, Ghemeray added. 
 
He also added, "But we surrendered, UGPO is very ready to come forward with our Gorkha people. But if any problem arises in our community, we are ready to fight with that problem, we will face the problem and also we request other communities to come forward to save our land.”
 
Ghemeray also requested the chief minister of Assam Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma to develop the Lumpi area in the tourism sector and other sectors, because there is a lot of potential which can develop our state too. 
 
It is to be mentioned that around five thousand Gorkha community people are living in the Lumpi area including Lower Lumpi, Upper Lumpi, Harshnagar, Makoibari, etc. 
 
Both Assam and Meghalaya state Chief ministers recently in the last month decided to settle the long pending border dispute in the second phase which includes Karbi Anlong parts too. 
 
“Suresah Ghemeray, the chairman of the SUGPO expressed his reaction towards the Khasi people living in Meghalaya, as he said, "I have finished my study life in Shillong itself, so I knew the Khasi people living in Meghalaya”.
 
“They are less in numbers, but it is not that they harassed our Gurkha people. I request the Khasi Students' Union and government of Meghalaya, let's cooperate, stay peacefully and unitedly develop our nation”. 
 
“But not with the inch of land they will come and acquire or we will go and acquire their land. It is not our motto, don't think that if you are going to harass our people, don't think that we Gorkha people are only peace lovers”. 
 
“We know how to take necessary steps. We only laid down our arms, it's not that we gave up all these things, we are the people still living and we will live here till our death, we will fight for our community, for our state and nation.”

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