Chumoukedima, July 17: The Chakhroma Public Organization (CPO) on Friday held a peace rally at New Medzhiphema Village over the ongoing land dispute involving Maova Village, accusing the Maova Village Council of adopting long-standing “avoidance tactics” to deny the rights of traditional landowners and alleging government inaction.
During the rally, themed “Protest against non-acknowledgement of traditional Landowners and the Government’s inaction,” the CPO released a public briefing claiming that official communications dating from 2010 to recent weeks demonstrate a pattern of obstruction and legal manoeuvring by the Maova Village Council.
The organisation alleged that the council had historically refused to acknowledge the rights of traditional landowners, citing a 2010 letter in which the council reportedly declined to pay land tax to Tsüüma Village. The CPO also raised allegations of attempts to suppress the rally, criminal charges against a youth organisation, administrative bias, and concerns over the historical militarisation of the area.
The organisation concluded that the rally was a peaceful and democratic protest against the continued non-recognition of traditional landowners and urged the government to take appropriate action to resolve the long-standing dispute.
