Author: ANI
Publication: Newkerala.com
Date: January 31, 2010
URL: http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-41944.html
Manipur businessman staged a sit-in protest
recently against frequent extortion demands made by militants.
They said that militant activities have severely
affected trade and business in the state.
Businessmen of Kakching Bazaar shut down their
business establishments the after a banned outfit demanded an annual tax from
them and threatened them.
The monetary demands ranged from 1500 to 4000
rupees.
"Militants are threatening us all the
time. We can't live in peace. We are hiding most of the time. All the shops
have been shut down in protest. We are suffering immensely at their hands.
Living a normal life is difficult for us," said N.Landhoni, a local.
Over 120 business establishments stopped functioning
during the two-day shut down protest held by Kakching Bazar Business Welfare
Organization.
The market place wore a deserted look as shops
and business centers, basically hotels remained closed.
"Many militant organizations are troubling
us with monetary demands. We are small-time businessmen. We earn just enough
to make both ends meet. We don't have extra money that we can give to them,"
said Thokchom Bhudhi, a businessman.
Different militant organisations have been
making extortion demands and hampering normal life and developmental activities
in the state.
Earlier,around 40 chemist shops and medicine
distributors had stopped functioning in the state against extortion demands
of Rs. 10 lakhs by the Kangleipak Communist Party (military council) (KCP-MC)
militant outfit.
Militant outfits like KYKL, KCP-MC, PREPAK
have also demanded 30 percent of the amount sanctioned under State Finance
Commission and 12th Finance Commission from various gram Panchayat's in the
state.
In yet another incident monetary demands led
to stoppage of the construction work at the High Court complex Chingmeirong
in Imphal.
In the same month, militants damaged several
towers of private telecom services like Tata Tele services and Airtel due
to failure of the telecom service providers to meet their extortion demands.
In December, two employees of Airtel were
abducted by KCP-MC militant outfit for a ransom of one crore.
