Latest news with #TaiAhom
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Atasu protests for ST status, land rights
Guwahati: Thousands of All Tai Ahom Students' Union (ATASU) workers on Wednesday staged protests in Guwahati as well as in Sivasagar district, raising their longstanding demands. These include the granting of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Tai-Ahom community, land rights for indigenous people, and the eviction of suspected illegal immigrants from Assam. Over 1,500 members of ATASU and supporters from various districts across the state participated in the protest in Guwahati, waving community flags and raising slogans that reverberated through the streets leading to Dispur. The students' union submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as well. The student body reminded the govt that the Tai Ahom people, despite gradual cultural assimilation with other Tai groups such as the Khamti, Phake, Khamyang, Aiton, and Turung, have preserved their distinct language, culture, and traditions. The union emphasised that this unique identity must be safeguarded through constitutional recognition and protection. ATASU President Chow Milan Buragohain said that neither the central govt nor the state govt has given heed to grant the ST status to the community despite repeated assurances they gave. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gold Is Surging in 2025 — Smart Traders Are Already In IC Markets Learn More Undo "The central government introduced the ST Bill in the Rajya Sabha but failed to table it in the Lok Sabha. This signals deliberate neglect. Our demands have been reduced to mere election promises," he added. He further stated that the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma-led present state govt has also continued the trend of ignoring the demands of the community like its predecessors. "We have been continuously betrayed. This government too, under your leadership, has sidelined our rightful claims," he added. ATASU, reiterating its faith in peaceful democratic protest, appealed to the state govt to take decisive action to fulfil the long-pending constitutional demands of the Tai-Ahom community. Buragohain added that the Ahom community is a significant group in upper Assam, playing a crucial role in forming the state government. "Congress and Assam Gana Parishad engaged in politics involving the community to fulfil their vested political interest. Similarly, the current state govt is also seen playing politics and manipulating the emotions of millions of Ahom people," he added. The union has accused the BJP govt of deceiving the community under the guise of tribal recognition and has politically marginalised the Ahom community by redrawing legislative constituencies. MSID:: 123000914 413 |
Bangkok Post
07-07-2025
- General
- Bangkok Post
Diminishing roots of Tai Ahom language and its links with Thailand
The influence of ancient Tai culture in India and Thailand is evident in their language. People from Assam, a state in the northeast of India, for example call themselves "axomiya", with roots from the Tai Ahom community. Tai language belongs to the Tai Kadai family and has three branches; Southwestern, Central, and Northern. Thai falls in the Southwestern group. Everyday terms have been retained in both Tai Ahom and Thai, illustrating the deep linguistic connection between the Tai peoples of Northeast India and Thailand. The Tai Ahom trace their origins to the Mong Mao region, located in present-day Dehong, Yunnan province of China, or the Hukawng Valley in Myanmar. Their settlement in Assam and subsequent assimilation with local peoples created an enduring cultural and historical bridge between the Tai world of Southeast Asia and Northeast India. However, their traditional language is diminishing as modernisation remains a threat to indigenous culture. Dr Damrongphon Inchan, the dean of the Faculty of Archaeology (Department of Anthropology), Silpakorn University, and also co-author of Festival Of Joys: Dai/Tai/Thai Songkran And BohagBihu Of The Tai Ahomstates, said: "Ahom people cannot communicate in Ahom language except the priest who can read ancient scripts and practise rituals. It is not commonly spoken now. Only some people who get training can speak to the priest's family." The paper was presented at the 3rd Colloquium on the Dai's History and Culture (CDHC) in Yunnan, China, in April. Dr Damrongphon also participated in an international seminar titled "Recent Archaeological Pursuits In Burial Traditions Of South Asia And Southeast Asia" in Assam, India, in May. Despite later assimilation with the local Assamese population, Tai Ahoms retained certain customs, rituals and festivals, some of which remain similar to those practised by Tai peoples in Thailand, such as the New Year "Sonkranti festival" and Assamese Bihu. The Tai Ahom connection to both Thailand and Northeast India is rooted in their origins as part of broader Tai migrations from southern China and northern Southeast Asia, which included the territories of present-day Thailand. In the early 13th century, a Tai prince named Sukaphaa led a migration from this area, moving through northern Myanmar and eventually settling in Assam, India, in 1228. This migration was part of a broader movement of Tai peoples during the 11th to 13th centuries, when various Tai groups dispersed from southern China and northern Southeast Asia into regions that now comprise Thailand, Laos and Northeast India. The reasons for these migrations likely included pressures from the expanding Chinese empire and the search for new lands suitable for wet-rice cultivation. The Tai Ahom established a powerful kingdom in Assam that lasted nearly 600 years (1228–1826), paralleling the rise of Tai-led kingdoms in Thailand such as Sukhothai and Ayutthaya. The Tai Ahoms brought with them traditions, language and wet-rice agriculture -- cultural features shared with Tai groups in Thailand and neighbouring regions. The Tai Ahom community's advancements in literature shows a record of their history. The Buranjis chronicles reveal their history and culture written in their language and later translated into modern-day Assamese. Dr Damrongphon said that he wants to revive Ahom language and history. He believes that through conferences and collaboration with the Tai community, their language and culture can be revived.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tai Ahoms protest in Sivasagar over unfulfilled ST status demand
Dibrugarh: Hundreds of activists from the Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad, Assam (TAYPA) staged a massive protest in Sivasagar town on Monday, demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for their community, the creation of a separate "Ahomland" and an Autonomous Council for Tai Ahom people. Waving placards and shouting slogans, the demonstrators marched through the town before being stopped by heavy police barricades near the DC's office. Tensions flared as protestors attempted to push through the blockade, leading to brief scuffles with security personnel. Leading the agitation, TAYPA president Diganta Tamuly issued a warning to the ruling BJP govt ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. "For over a decade, we have waited for the BJP to fulfill its promise of granting ST status to the Tai Ahom community. We will not tolerate this betrayal any longer. If our demands are not met soon, the Tai Ahoms will boycott the BJP in the 2026 Assembly polls. The BJP has banked on Ahom support in past elections. If they fail to act now, they will face a major backlash," Tamuly said. The BJP had pledged ST status for six Assam communities — Tai Ahoms, Mottocks, Koch Rajbongshis, Sooteas, Morans, and Tea Tribes — during PM Narendra Modi's 2014 election campaign. However, the Tai Ahoms, who ruled Assam for six centuries under the Ahom dynasty and the five other groups remain excluded from the ST list despite repeated assurances. The demands presented by TAYPA extend beyond ST status recognition. The organisation is pushing for the establishment of an autonomous council specifically for the Tai Ahom community, which would provide them with greater administrative control over their affairs. Perhaps most ambitiously, they are calling for the creation of "Ahomland" — a separate territorial entity comprising areas with significant Ahom populations. "The Tai Ahom community holds significant electoral influence in upper Assam, particularly in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Golaghat, Tinsukia, Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts. Alienating them would cost the BJP dearly in 2026," the TAYPA leader added.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tai Ahoms protest delay in ST status, threaten BJP boycott in 2026 polls
1 2 Dibrugarh: Hundreds of members of the Tai Ahom Yuba Parishad, Assam (TAYPA) took to the streets in Dibrugarh on Monday, demanding the immediate grant of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Tai Ahom community. The protestors, carrying placards and banners, marched to the district commissioner's office, raising slogans against the Central govt for the prolonged delay in fulfilling their long-standing demand. TAYPA president Diganta Tamuli, leading the demonstration, expressed deep frustration over the govt dilly-dallying over the ST issue and issued a stark warning to the ruling BJP ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. "For over a decade, we have been waiting for the BJP to honour its promise. The Tai Ahom community will not tolerate this betrayal any longer. If our demand is not met soon, the Tai Ahoms will boycott the BJP en masse in the 2026 Assembly elections," Tamuli said. Tamuli's warning carries substantial political weight, given the Tai Ahom community's numerical strength and historical influence in Assam's electoral landscape. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 75% off installation for LeafFilter LeafFilter Gutter Protection Learn More The community's support has been crucial for the BJP's electoral success in the state. "The Tai Ahoms are a significant voting bloc in the state, and their support can make a difference in the upcoming elections. If the BJP government continues to ignore us, they will face the consequences in 2026," the TAYPA president added. The roots of the current agitation trace back to 2014, when the BJP promised ST status to six ethnic communities during the Lok Sabha election campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself had assured the communities of ST recognition during his campaign rallies in Assam. However, more than a decade later, the promise remains unfulfilled, leading to mounting frustration among the affected communities. The ST demand encompasses six ethnic groups currently classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC): the Tai Ahoms, Mottocks, Koch Rajbongshis, Sooteas, Morans, and Tea Tribes. These communities argue that ST status would provide them with better access to educational opportunities, government employment, and political representation through enhanced reservation benefits. Monday's demonstration concluded with TAYPA leaders submitting a detailed memorandum to Dibrugarh District Commissioner Bikram Kairi, addressed to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The memorandum urged immediate action on their long-standing demand.
