Thadou Convention 2024, jointly organised by Thadou Community International (TCI) & Thadou Students’ Association (TSA), was held at Guwahati from November 1-2, 2024. The convention, participated by Thadou leaders and delegates from different parts of the country and the world, representing the voice and interest of the Thadou community, reaffirms our collective identity and resolve to preserve and protect our God-given distinct Thadou identity and unique heritage. The first day was graced by Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) President, Pu H. Lalthianghlima and the 2^nd day by Manipur HAC Chairman, Pu Dinganglung Gangmei MLA.

The 2-day convention with the theme ‘Unyielding Furtherance’ adopted a 10-point declaration, the main ones being that Thadou is a distinct ethnic group of people, that Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki or part of Kuki, but a separate, independent entity from Kuki, and that any organisation that incorporates “Thadou” but espouses Kuki and mis-portrays Thadou as Kuki is illegitimate and does not represent Thadou people and interest.

The convention rejects and condemns all colonial and post-colonial connotations and writings that gave rise to the misidentification of Thadou as Kuki and the continued imposition of Kuki on Thadou. The convention demands posthaste removal of the fake Kuki tribe (Any Kuki Tribes/AKT) – designed for any people from anywhere in the world – that came into being fraudulently in 2003 for political reasons. Removal of AKT (Any Kuki Tribes) from the Scheduled Tribes list is in the larger interest of the Indian nation and of the Indigenous/Native tribes and people, and this will do great justice and right the wrong and is critical to solving or preventing related problems now and in the future.

The convention calls upon all, including government authorities, media, civil societies, academics, other communities and international organisations, to correctly and respectfully identify Thadou as Thadou, with no prefix or suffix, to stop the imposition of Kuki or referring to Thadous as Kuki, and to make needed rectifications. It also denounces and condemns outright all forms of cultural appropriation, theft and misrepresentation of Thadou language, cultural attires, dances, literature, and history as Kuki. Kuki is not the name of a tribe, language or specific group of people and has no cultural attire or dance.

The convention also rejects and condemns the historical and ongoing escalating Kuki supremacy and Kuki supremacist agenda, policies, human rights violation, all kinds of anti-Thadou propaganda, disinformation, indoctrination, hate speech, violence and organised annihilation campaigns and crimes perpetrated against Thadou since the 1970s by Kuki supremacist individuals and groups, including Kuki armed militant groups, politicians and Kuki civil society organisations.

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