Shillong, Oct 2: The North East Indigenous People’s Forum (NEIPF), a conglomerate of various NGOs and former militants of the Northeast, said that indigenous people in many states of the region were being reduced to the “status of minority”.

Addressing reporters after its first meeting held at Umiam, here on Monday, NEIPF spokesperson, N Ibungochoubi said that one of serious concerns is influx of illegal immigrants to the North Eastern region which is changing the demographic profile in every aspect.

The meeting was chaired by the forum’s convenor,  Anup Chetia, who is the general secretary of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA). The meeting was attended by representatives of the different organizations from across the region including from Meghalaya.

Stating that the forum’s apprehension is that the indigenous population has been reduced to the status of minority in many states, he said that the meeting discussed at length the issue related to international boundary shared by the NE region with countries like China, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

“The distance of this long international boundary is about 5,500 km which is unmanned, porous, and not systematically checked, and the impact of this open porous international border is on all the NE states,” he pointed out.

Ibungochoubi said that the forum would take on all the challenges, find out all inherent issues being faced by the seven states.

“We will discuss and bring it to the highest level of our country whether it is the judiciary or the executive or the legislature in order to protect the rights of the indigenous people,” he added.

 He said that the forum will be a collective strength of all the NE states which will work together in protecting the rights of the indigenous people of the region.

“We will work out the modalities by working with the local indigenous people and once we comprehend, we will initiate our own course of action because our serious concern is the loss of our own identity,” he said.

Ibungochoubi further stated that the forum would strongly oppose the citizenship act if there is anything objectionable to the indigenous people of the region.

Meanwhile, he informed that the meeting also resolved to set up chapters of the forum in all the NE states. According to him, the constitution of the forum will be drafted which is likely to be completed within one month.