SUMMARY
PREPAK’s main goal was to achieve independence for Manipur (“Kangleipak”), a state located in northeast India. The group also claimed to represent the interests of the Meitei ethnic group, which unlike many other minority groups was not recognized as a Scheduled Tribe or had its rights protected by the Indian Constitution. In general, many Meitei armed groups, including PREPAK, utilized the popular grievances generated by the perceived “forced merger” of the Kingdom of Manipur and India in 1949. PREPAK also drew considerable inspiration from Maoist ideology, and stated as one of its goals to abolish capitalism. Another objective of the group was the expulsion of all “outsiders” from Manipur. PREPAK has for example attempted to ban Hindi-language movies, as they were deemed a threat against Manipur’s socio-cultural values. During the 1990s, the Meitei armed groups also began campaigning against Bengali immigrants and the Pangals, which were the Muslim population native to Manipur.
R.K. Tulachandra founded PREPAK on 9 October 1977 and became the group’s first commander-in-chief. Following his death in 1986, he was succeeded by S. Wanglen. PREPAK’s Secretary General, Lumbeban Masunga, was killed on 19 May 1993. PREPAK suffered from severe internal fractionalization during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but a leader named Urrikhinbam Sarat (“Meiraba”), whose exact tenure as group leader is unclear, was accredited with restructuring and unifying the group. As of the 2000s, the Chairman of PREPAK was Achamba, while Tajila occupied the position as commander-in-chief. Other important leadership figures at this time included Vice-chairman Naba, and Secretary General Subhash (“Paliba”). As of 2011, it was suggested by an unverified source that Achamba had been removed from his post, and that the Chairman position was vacant.
Following its restructuring in the 1990s, PREPAK maintained a relatively sophisticated organizational structure, where a “Central Committee” approved all vital decisions. The Chairman was in charge of the group’s political wing, while the commander-in-chief led the armed wing, which was called the “Red Army”. The armed wing was also divided into several districts, each with its own chain of command. The group also maintained a women’s wing. The agreed upon estimation of PREPAK’s cadre strength as of the 2000s was around 200, even if some sources claimed that the group may have had as many as 500 fighters. PREPAK has also on several occasions been accused of recruiting or abducting children into its ranks. The main recruitment base of the group was Manipur’s Meitei ethnic group. PREPAK also had access to sophisticated weapons, and was known as a capable armed group.
During the 1980s, PREPAK's area of operation was largely confined to Manipur’s Imphal valley. During the 1990s, it became increasingly active in the Chandel district, and also spread to the areas in Manipur bordering Assam and Mizoram. PREPAK has also been known for maintaining sporadic activities in other states, particularly North Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland. The group’s main base of operations was believed to be located in the Sajik Tampak area of Chandel district, and it had training camps in Churachanpur district. It is worth noting that these areas not only included violent activities, but refers more generally where the group had any form of presence. PREPAK’s primary sources of income were extortion, particularly businessmen, contractors, and state employees, and “taxation” from the areas in which the group operated.
In 1980, PREPAK splintered as Maipak Sharma broke away from the group to form his own faction; confrontations between the PREPAK and the Sharma faction contributed to weakening the group. Also in 1980, a faction led by Y. Ibohanbi broke away from PREPAK to form the KCP; it should be noted that some sources claim that KCP was a splinter faction of the PREPAK-Maipak Sharma faction. A PREPAK splinter faction broke away and merged with factions from KCP and UNLF to form the Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) in May 1994.
In relative terms, Manipur has seen a quite substantial number of extremist groups. The insurgency was strengthened by the ability of several of these groups to establish joint armed fronts, or at least not waste resources by battling each other for supremacy, as has often been the case with insurgency movements elsewhere in northeastern India. For example, PREPAK was for long periods able to collaborate loosely with thePLA and the UNLF, and the groups worked out geographical allotments among themselves in the hinterland and operational areas. On 1 March 1999, PREPAK together with PLA and UNLF created the Manipur People's Liberation Front (MPLF), an umbrella organization intended to unify the fragmented separatist movement in Manipur, and to increase the momentum of the liberation process. UNLF’s leader Sana Yaima was the “convener” of this umbrella organization, while the RPF/PLA Secretary General Sanasam Gunen (“Phalguni”) served as “publicity-in-charge” of the MPLF.
During the 1980s, PREPAK received training and weapons from the armed Burmese group Kachin Independence Army (KIA, see KIO). Later, PREPAK fighters were known to have received training from both the Isaac Muivah (NSCN-IM) and Khaplang (NSCN-K) factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland; the group’s ties to NSCN-IM were particularly strong during the 1990s. Furthermore, PREPAK did at some point coordinate its operations with the Kuki National Front (KNF), and the Zomi Defence Volunteers (ZDV); it was also known to have ties, albeit unspecified, to the ATTF, the NLFT, and to the Mizoram-based Hmar Peoples Convention - Democratic (HPC-D).
The Government of India has accused Pakistan of providing secondary support to the rebel groups in Manipur through ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) officials stationed in Bangladesh; the Government of Pakistan has refuted these allegations. However, allegations of ISI-involvement with Indian militant groups should always be considered carefully, given the contentious relationship between India and Pakistan.
In 2015, PREPAK merged with several other armed groups from India’s northeast to form the UNLFW, fighting for the independence of what it referred to as "Western South East Asia". This territory incorporates the areas previously claimed separately by its constituent groups. With that, PREPAK ceased to be a unique actor in UCDP data.
