In a historic gathering of international significance, the Zomi International Conference 2019 convened in the cosmopolitan city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from February 17th to 19th. The conference was a collaborative effort by Zomi Inkuan USA (ZIUSA) and the Zomi Association of Malaysia (ZAM), attracting over 73 representatives from various Zomi political, social, religious, and cultural organizations, as well as thought leaders from Myanmar, India, the United States, Canada, and Japan.
Presided over by John K. Ngaihte, Chairman of the Zomi Council in Manipur, India, the conference culminated in the adoption of the Declaration on the Future of Indigenous Zomi: Political Status and Socio-Economic Development of Zogam 2019.
The conference served as a platform for consensus building and reaffirmation of the Zomi movement, taking into account the current political developments in India and Myanmar that impact the Zomis and the ancestral Zomi inhabited areas in the Indo-Myanmar borderland.
The conference facilitated in-depth discussions on the political roadmap of the Zomi movement, pressing socio-economic challenges, and specific agendas relating to peace and security of Zomi inhabited areas. It marked a significant milestone in the Zomi political movement, laying out a strategic roadmap for the future.
The Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the Future of Indigenous Zomi: Political Status and Socio-Economic Development of Zogam 2019 was unanimously adopted following focused deliberations and discussions by all participating members. The declaration was based on the proposals of ZIUSA and complemented by the proposals, comments, suggestions, and advice of all participating Zomi organizations, leaders, and intellectuals as follows:
- “We reaffirm our Zomi identity as an indigenous people; and resolve to continue working towards achieving our political goal of establishing a self-administered Zogam for the Zomi nation with a renewed commitment.
- To establish a Zomi Parliament under the framework, guidelines, and parameters of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to protect, promote, and propagate the emotional, social, cultural, and political integration of Zomi people across the world.
- To collectively work together towards strengthening and advancing the interest of the Zomi movement and realizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the socio-economic upliftment of Zomi-inhabited areas through our respective capacities at appropriate forums.
The Conference also made fervent appeals about the need to make greater strides to all Zomis living in India, Myanmar, and across the globe to encourage one another, strengthen the Zomi movement, and collaborate to achieve the long pending political aspirations and socio-economic development in Zogam.”
The declaration was signed by respectful leaders including:
- Pu Chin Sian Thang, President of the Zomi Congress for Democracy (ZCD), Myanmar; Pu John K. Ngaihte, Chairman of the Zomi Council, Manipur, India;
- Pu Go Sawm Khup, Chairman of Zomi Inkuan USA (ZIUSA);
- Pu Kam Suan Mung, President of the Zomi Youth Association (ZYA), Myanmar; and
- Pu Kap Za Khup, President of the Zomi Association of Malaysia (ZAM).
This marked a significant step forward in the advocacy for the political status and socio-economic development of the Zomi people.
