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Winnipeg Free Press
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Proud history of honouring returning service people
Winnipeg has a tradition of joyously celebrating the end of Canada's wars and jubilantly greeting its returning soldiers. In 1885, when the 90th Winnipeg Battalion — later known as the Royal Winnipeg Rifles — returned from the North-West Rebellion battlefields, the celebration was 'the biggest day Winnipeg has ever seen.' Streets and businesses were decorated, a victory arch was erected and troops paraded down thoroughfares. On Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918, the Free Press's front page headline read, Winnipeg Celebrates Victorious End of War With Every Manifestation of Joy and Pride. Even the city's sober and solid citizenry 'vied with the younger element making the occasion one that will never be forgotten,' the newspaper reported. As well, on Peace Day (July 19, 1919), a holiday declared throughout the British Empire to recognize the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Winnipeggers, from dawn to dusk, enjoyed 'the greatest joy possible for human beings to experience … in peace celebrations.' Anticipation had been building in the city for many days as the end of the Second World War approached. In early May 1945, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that hostilities would cease within a week; Italy had surrendered and its fascist dictator Benito Mussolini had been executed; Germany's capital Berlin had fallen to Soviet Red Army troops; the German Führer Adolf Hitler was dead by suicide and his armies were surrendering en mass across Europe. The news that thrilled Winnipeggers the most, wrote Free Press war correspondent Maurice Western on May 5, was that in Holland 'powerful German forces, totalling perhaps a hundred thousand fighting men are turning in their arms to veteran Canadian units.' Winnipeg soldiers would soon be coming home. The Rifles had courageously fought on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and then advanced across France into the deadly and gruesome battles of October 1944 to take the Scheldt Estuary and liberate the strategic port of Antwerp, Belgium. During the winter of 1944-45, the Rifles took up positions near the Dutch city of Nijmegen and then advanced toward the Rhine River in Germany. In April and May, they fought their way through northern Holland and helped liberate the Netherlands. The Rifles' War Diary banally describes the regiment's last war days: Friday 4 May 1945 — Sunshine but cool wind. After a very quiet night everyone looks none the worse for their night in the great out-doors. We got the information from Brigade that the city of Aurich had surrendered. This news made us all feel very happy because we had expected to have to assault and take the place. We arrived in Holtrop. We had no sooner arrived than we got two written messages. One was the very sad news that Maj. D.B. Robertson had died of wounds yesterday morning. (Winnipeg's Brian Robertson, who was one of the first to enlist in the Rifles, was the last member to die in Europe.) The other message said that no further offensive action by Infantry including patrolling would be taken. At 2030 hrs we heard over the BBC that resistance had ceased in HOLLAND, NW GERMANY, DENMARK and the FRIESIAN ISLANDS. Brigade sent us the following message at 2250 hrs: CEASE FIRE with effect from 0800 hrs. During the Rifles' time in action in the Second World War, 3,700 men served with 2,339 suffering casualties including 512 deaths. On Monday, May 7, 1945, the Free Press wrote: 'Thousands of Winnipeg citizens went mildly mad Monday morning when the Free Press sirens (which could be heard across the city) announced that victory in Europe has been won.' The paper noted VE-Day would be celebrated the following day, and that the city's beer parlours and liquor stores would be closed for two days. Police announced that drunks locked up in the city jail would be granted 'amnesty' and set free. 'We expect people to celebrate today,' said Winnipeg's deputy police constable, 'and those locked up should be allowed to celebrate.' He added police 'would allow latitude in the celebrations … so long as there is no wilful damage, there will be no trouble. Only when they go too far will there be any interference.' As the 80th anniversary of VE-Day nears, D-Day veteran Jim Parks, now 100, is the last of the Rifles veterans who fought in the Second World War. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of VE-Day in 1995, a Free Press editorial reminded us that, 'The world is still not a perfect place. Buchenwald and Auschwitz may now only be monuments to the memory of evil, but there are other places where what they represent still exists. And while the world may not be perfect, it is a far better place because Canadians and others fought the Second World War. More people in more countries live in freedom, a freedom bought with blood, because Canadians went to war. It is important that the children today remember what their fathers and their mothers did and endured so that we can live in a better world.' This is as true today as it was then. Ian Stewart is a Winnipeg historian.
The Hindu
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Manipur ethnic conflict: Security heightened ahead of second anniversary
Security in Manipur has been heightened amid calls for a shutdown to mark the second anniversary of the ethnic conflict between Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities that broke out on May 3, 2023. Security personnel intensified patrolling in the 'buffer zone' – the foothills around the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley – and frisking of vehicles in vulnerable locations in the valley as well as in the adjoining Churachandpur and Kangpokpi hill districts dominated by the Kuki-Zo people. 'Separation Day' At least two students' organisations belonging to the Kuki-Zo group of tribes called for a shutdown of all educational institutions, shops, and commercial establishments on Saturday (May 3, 2025), which an apex tribal organisation said would be observed as 'Separation Day'. 'The event will be a day of reflection and remembrance for the victims of the ethnic conflict that has deeply impacted the Kuki-Zo communities. It will feature a series of programmes, including prayers and exhortations for the victims and their families,' the Indigenous Tribal Leaders' Forum said. The Kuki-Zo community has been demanding a separate administration as the 'only solution' to the ethnic conflict that has claimed more than 250 lives and displaced about 60,000 people. People's convention In the Imphal Valley, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity will organise a people's convention where civil society organisation leaders, scholars, eminent personalities, and internally displaced people will deliver speeches. A candlelight tribute will be paid to the victims of the conflict. 'Peace Day' The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), an apex body of the Thadou community that resents being clubbed as Kuki, has appealed to the people of the State to collectively observe May 3 as 'Peace Day' every year, instead of creating 'antagonistic' and 'communal' vibes. 'As we observe May 3 this year and pray for peace, we honour the memory of those who have fallen victims to the tragic violence and extend our deepest empathy to the survivors and their families,' the TIM said in a statement. 'Although being the most affected yet silenced victims of the two-year-old violence, the Thadou community has shown a remarkable resilience in advocating for peace through mutual understanding and respect among all indigenous communities who call Manipur home,' the organisation said. Divided State The ethnic conflict erupted after tribals took out a solidarity march to protest the Manipur government's alleged move toward granting Scheduled Tribe status to the Meiteis. The Kuki-Zo and the Meitei people have stayed apart since, unable to go into each other's areas. On March 8, the Centre tried to ensure 'free movement' on the State's two arterial highways, but opposition from the Kuki-Zos made it an exercise in futility. The highways, connecting the Imphal Valley to the country beyond, pass through Kuki-Zo areas. The attempt to open the highways came a month after Nongthombam Biren Singh stepped down as the Chief Minister on February 9, a day before his government was to face a no-trust motion and a floor test in the 60-member Assembly. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to reach a consensus on his successor, leading to the imposition of the President's Rule in the State on February 13. A few days ago, 21 MLAs of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah demanding the immediate installation of a 'popular government' in Manipur. They said there had been no visible actions to restore peace and normalcy under the President's Rule.
New Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Manipur tightens security ahead of second anniversary of ethnic violence
GUWAHATI: Security has been heightened in Manipur on the eve of the second anniversary of the state's ethnic violence. Police have intensified the frisking of vehicles at key locations in the Imphal Valley, Churachandpur, and Kangpokpi districts in an effort to thwart any untoward incidents, officials said. Kuki-Zo organisations will observe May 3 as 'Separation Day,' while two student organisations from the community have called for a shutdown of all educational institutions, shops, and commercial establishments in Kuki areas on that day. In the Meitei-majority Imphal Valley, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity will organise a people's convention, where civil society leaders, scholars, eminent personalities, and internally displaced people will deliver speeches. A candlelight tribute will also be held to honour the victims of the conflict. Meanwhile, the Thadou Inpi Manipur, the apex body of the Thadou community, has appealed to the public to collectively observe May 3 as 'Peace Day' each year, instead of different communities commemorating it in an antagonistic and communal manner. 'As we observe May 3 this year and pray for peace, we honour the memory of those who have fallen victim to the tragic violence and extend our deepest empathy to the survivors and their families,' the tribal organisation said in a statement.
