The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body representing the Thadou tribe, has strongly refuted the legitimacy of a group calling itself the “Thadou Tribe Council (TTC-GHQ),” which recently circulated a letter dated July 17, 2025, purportedly addressed to the President of the United Naga Council (UNC) in connection with the proposed Churachandpur–Kangpokpi connectivity route.
In a media release issued on Saturday, Manggou Thadou, Joint General Secretary of TIM, stated that the TTC-GHQ is neither recognised by nor affiliated with the Thadou Inpi Manipur. The organisation alleged that the group is a pseudo-entity created by TS Letkhosei Haokip, a government school teacher under the Education (S) Department of the Government of Manipur, with the intent of promoting clan-based and militant-centric propaganda aimed at merging Thadou identity under a broader Kuki nationalist agenda.
TIM claimed that Haokip is also associated with several other unrecognised forums such as the Kuki Reunification Forum (KReF), World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC), the now-defunct Kuki Chiefs Association (Manipur), and a youth organisation named Lomlhang Som (LS). Collectively dubbed the “Federal Council of Five” (FCO5), these groups, according to TIM, operate as fronts serving individual interests under the guise of pan-Kuki unification.
The apex Thadou body also condemned the contents of the TTC-GHQ letter, asserting that it misrepresents Thadou lands and identity as part of Kuki territory. Such claims, it said, undermine the Thadou’s distinct ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identity, recognised under the Scheduled Tribes list of Manipur. TIM described the letter as an attempt to distort historical facts and align the Thadou community with Kuki political and militant narratives.
TIM appealed to all communities — including the United Naga Council, Naga Hoho, Meitei, Zomi, and Hmar — to remain vigilant against the divisive agendas propagated by individuals like Haokip.
The organisation alleged that his actions, driven by personal gain, threaten inter-community harmony and promote an anti-Naga, anti-Meitei, anti-Zomi, anti-Mizo, and anti-Thadou stance.
Reasserting its status as the sole legitimate body representing Thadou interests, TIM rejected all statements made by unmandated bodies such as TTC-GHQ. It recalled its historical roots, beginning with the formation of the Thadou National Council (TNC) in 1984, its transition to the Thadou Tribe Council (TTC) in 1992, and its restructuring as Thadou Inpi in 2015 during the Delhi Thadou Conclave to safeguard the identity and constitutional rights of the Thadou people.
The release concluded by referencing the Thadou Convention of 2024, which firmly stated that “Thadou is a distinct ethnic group of people. Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki, but a separate, independent entity from Kuki. Any organization that incorporates ‘Thadou’ but espouses Kuki and mis-portrays Thadou as Kuki or a part of Kuki is illegitimate and does not represent Thadou people and interest.”