プレスリリース
2014年2月4日
70th Anniversary Commemoration of the
Battle of Imphal (WWII)
Manipur Tourism Forum and 2nd World War
Imphal Campaign Foundation will be organising the 70th Anniversary
Commemoration of the Battle of Imphal (WWII) from March to June 2014. This is
the period when the Second World War (WWII) was fought in the soil of Manipur
70 years ago. We feel that such a commemoration will allow us to remember and
pay our respects to all those who fell, were injured or affected by the events
of 1944. It will also help to shine a much-needed spotlight on what is
otherwise a forgotten, yet important, chapter of Manipur’s, India’s and the
world’s history.
We are pleased and honoured to announce
that the Honourable Chief Minister of Manipur, Shri O. Ibobi Singh, has agreed
to be the Chief Patron of the 70th Anniversary Commemoration of the Battle of
Imphal. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to him for agreeing to
take on this role, which will enable Manipur to successfully commemorate this
historic event.
The year 2014 is the 70th Anniversary of
the Battle of Imphal of 1944. It was seventy years ago that Manipur was witness
to an epic battle between the British-led Allies and the Japanese and the
Indian National Army (INA). From March to July of that year, over 200,000
Japanese, Britons, Indians, Gurkhas and men from several other nations clashed
in the hills and valley of Manipur in what has since been described as one of
the greatest battles of the Second World War. Indeed, on 20 April 2013, the
combined battle of Imphal/Kohima was named as Britain’s Greatest Battle by the
National Army Museum of the United Kingdom.
The Battle of Imphal is also significant
from a national perspective. It saw Indian soldiers fighting on both sides in
the Second World War – together with the Japanese as part of Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose’s INA and with the British as part of the British-Indian Army. The
area surrounding the Moreh Road is the only place in India where more than
6,000 men of the INA’s 1st Division was deployed and fought during the War. The
INA flag was also hoisted for the first time in the country at Moirang on 14
April 1944.
For Manipur and its people, the Battle of
Imphal in particular and the Second World War in general, was a period of no
less importance. The year 1944 saw destruction and fighting take place on an
unprecedented scale across Manipur. Many thousands were displaced. It was also
for the first time that the land saw such a diverse gathering of nationalities
and people from around the country and the world. Indeed, it would be hard to
find a household in Manipur today that was not affected in one way or another
by the dramatic happenings of 1944 and the Second World War.
Following is a proposed programme for the
70th Anniversary. It involves organising a series of events to mark and
commemorate key dates from the Battle of Imphal:
23 March 2014: Inauguration (Tentative)
26 March 2014: Battle of Sangshak
28 March 2014: Start of Imphal Siege
(Kangpokpi)
4 April 2014: Battle of Kameng
7 April 2014: Battle of Kanglatombi
13 April 2014: Battle of Nungshigum
14 April 2014: INA flag hoisting in Moirang
19 April 2014: Battle of Tengnoupal
19 May 2014: Battle of Torbung
29 May 2014: Observation at Red Hill/
Maibam LokpaChing
7 June 2014: Battle of Motbung
12 June 2014: Battle of Bishenpur
22 June 2014: Lift of Imphal Siege/
Milestone 109
25 June 2014: Fighting on the Silchar Track
28 June 2014: Closing Ceremony
Further the observation of such annual
events will help in bringing the veterans and the family of the officers and
soldiers who laid their life fighting the war to our state and extend them with
a platform to pay homage. We also hope the commemoration will help in promoting
Manipur as a Second World War Tourism destination.
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