Noting U.N. Secretary-General, U Thant: “Well so back to the topics of invasion, acute tension developed between India and Portugal on the subject of Goa and other Portuguese enclaves in India. It looked as if an invasion of Goa by the Indian military forces was imminent. U Thant sent identically-worded messages to the Foreign Ministers of Portugal and India requesting them to settle the dispute through peaceful means. This appeal fell on deaf ears and on December 18, Indian troops marched into Goa and completed the takeover of the territory in short order. This left a bad feeling amongst several delegates, who felt that India, a founding-member of the United Nations, had blatantly violated the U.N. Charter.”
We mention this as “an invasion of Goa”, which in reality is what it was and not a “liberation”.
It appears to be documented that “Nehru never forgave himself for yielding to the importunity of V.K. Krishna Menon who thought he would not be able to defeat Acharya Kripalani if he fought the Parliamentary elections before integrating Goa into the Indian Union. He even countermanded his orders at the last moment and bade Menon stop taking the field, an order which Menon says in his memoirs he refused to carry out”
Though Nehru said to V.K. Krishna Menon to retreat the Indian Armed forces, Menon replied to have saying that they’ve already touched Goan soil.
The above mention indicates that the internal political pressures were within India, not Goa, and that too the hurry for this naked aggression was due to “electioneering” rather than to any problems in Goa that needed “liberation”. The invasion an attack of the Portuguese territories of Goa, Damão and Diu, consummated in 1961 by Indian troops, was illegal, illegitimate and against human rights… this is a historical truth.
It is very difficult to ascertain what the majority of Goan’s in Goa truly felt on December 19, 1961. Certainly, large crowds did gather in major cities to welcome the victorious Indian army. In the villages, however, a mood of “wait and see” prevailed. While there was general relief that the Salazar era had come to an end, many Goan’s wondered what the new regime would mean to their own livelihood. Because Goans never bothered about the case of India during those days, it was like a cowardly surprise attack.
But, Would we have jobs? Will the new government discriminate against us? Will life now be more expensive? Will our qualifications be recognised? What will our new bosses be like?; these were some of the most significant questions that were asked by the Goans, to complicate matters, reports began to trickle out about the looting of Goan shops and raping of Goan women. As expected, these criminal acts weren't as widespread as rumored. As expected too, the new administration denied that any of this ever happened.
What was especially disappointing wasn't the fact that rapes and lootings occurred; it is relatively known that they do occur after every military exercise of this nature. The fact that they were committed by a force which had ostensibly come to ‘liberate’ Goans, was (and remains) awful. Even worse were the ‘denials’.
The next few years saw military administration headed by Lt. Gen. Candeth. Many Goans left Goa during this time. They weren’t very certain of what the future held for them in Goa. Besides, life had become 200% more expensive almost immediately (now that the Portuguese subsidies were no longer available), and it continues to increase till today. The stocks too of superior quality foreign goods from the Portuguese era were dwindling.
To its credit, at some point, the Candeth administration effected a smooth transition. But, to his discredit, he started the destruction of the Comunidade System of Goa, which was very atrocious. There was a surprising absence of any serious role in this transitional administration.
Later, The Congress Party of India went on to win the 1962 elections and the election wager i.e. Goa, was now all but forgotten by Nehru. The euphoria of 1961 and 1962 received a severe setback in 1962 when China decided to thumb Nehru and his idealistic 1955 Panchsheel agreement, in the face.
Goa was designated as a Delhi controlled Union Territory. The first democratically held elections in Goa brought a known supporter, Dayanand Bandodcar to the helm. His party, the MGP promised to make Goa a part of Maharastra. Why the MGP wished to do that defies logic; Goa was never a part of the Maratha Empire nor of any Maharastra based kingdom. If anything, that claim should have been made by Karnataka or Hyderabad. Moreover, the areas of Maharastra which bordered Goa were neglected boondocks.
Remember that the present "Nehroo's Empire" has only continued the ‘conquering techniques’ as how the former kings and sultans did, it has not only stolen our Portuguese India provinces but also the Kingdoms of Haiderabad, Junagarh, Manavadar, Khasiland, Sikkim and &c. The Nehru Dynasty shall be responsible for forcibly annexing these territories by surpassing all amicable terms.
This is the reason for our decision to come forward to enlighten Your Excellencies, that it is up to the Goans and it behooves the right sorely belongs to us Goans to decide our future.
We plead, appeal and pray to the U.N. Security Council to hear our entreaties:
For studying and examining historical materials/records pertaining to the Gãucarias/Comunidades of Goa, the ancient establishments of Goa.
For studying and examining historical materials/records pertaining to the colonisation of Goa by Portugal, the treaties signed between the Portuguese and the indigenous people who are natives of Goa, and the atrocities committed by the Portuguese on the indigenous peoples.
For studying and examining historical materials/records pertaining to the illegal annexation of Goa by India and the atrocities being committed on the indigenous people.
For international annunciation of the annexation of Goa by India as illegal.
For nullifying the treaty signed between Portugal and India concerning sovereignty of Goa.
For facilitating legitimate de-colonisation of Goa from the Portuguese Rule, while capacitating Goa to be a fully self-governing sovereign independent territory. And to return the Isle of Angediva to Goa free of any Indian Naval or Army presence in and around the Isle and on Goan soil too.
For facilitating the indigenous native people of Goa to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination in conformity with the UN General Assembly Resolutions.
For conducting proper surveys to clearly demarcate territorial boundaries and jurisdictions, as per reliable records and declarations.
For restoring and re-establishing Comunidades of Goa to its original stature and structure.
For granting The Comunidades of Goa, a world heritage status.
We, under whatsoever circumstance don’t want Goa to become a ‘Special Administrative Region of the Republic/Union of India’ (e.g.: Macau), nor do we want Goa to be established as a dominion and become a ‘Free State of the Republic/Union of India’ (e.g.: Anglo-Irish Treaty and the Irish Free State). If the Supreme Court of India, in the judgments of ‘Vinodkumar Shantilal Gosalia v. Gangadhar Narsingdas Agarwal and Others’ (August 26, 1981), and also in the case of ‘Rev. Mons. Sebastiao Francisco Xavier dos Remedios Monteiro v. State of Goa (March 26, 1969), one can roughly state that the territories comprised of Goa, Damão and Diu under the Portuguese rule were annexed by the Government of India by means of military conquest on December 20, 1961, and by virtue of Article I (3) (c) of the Constitution of India, these territories became a part of India. We have been colonised over centuries and have also witnessed the Republic/Union of India ruling over us at present, what we want and need is a complete de-colonisation of Goa by the Republic/Union of India.
Land grabbers almost always claim that the territory was historically theirs and they are only righting a wrong. One of the more ancient claims to righting a territorial wrong arose in 1961 when Indian sent its troops into Goa, then administerd by Portugal. India claimed that "it was merely moving its troops into a part of India that had been under illegal domination for 450 years". (Schachter, supra note 18, at 1627. Military Law Review - Volume 162, December 1999. U.S. Dep't of Army Pamphlet 27-100-162.)
We, the undersigned representatives of ‘Movimento para a Libertação e Independência Total de Goa/Movement for the Liberation and Total Independence of Goa’ (MLITG), along with other aggrieved ‘Indigenous Peoples who are native to Goa’ wholeheartedly acclaims the U.N. action in the de-colonisation process and the U.N.’s efforts to eradicate colonialism.
The ‘Movimento para a Libertação e Independência Total de Goa/Movement for the Liberation and Total Independence of Goa’ (MLITG), along with other aggrieved ‘Indigenous Peoples who are native to Goa’ therefore, draws your kind immediate attention to the above-mentioned facts and the evidence of colonialism, thrust upon the people of Goa by the Indian colonial power and its occupational forces by dispatching a “VISITING MISSION” to Goa on war-footing and for hearing the Liberation Movement’s in the appropriate forums of the U.N. de-colonisation Committee, among others, of the U.N. General Assembly.
The ‘Movimento para a Libertação e Independência Total de Goa/Movement for the Liberation and Total Independence of Goa’ (MLITG), along with other aggrieved ‘Indigenous Peoples who are native to Goa’ holds the opinion that the U.N.’s endeavor to eradicate colonialism shall be materially achieved only after de-colonising proximity or, neighborhood colonialism in Asia-Pacific, beyond the scope of the classical European Salt-water colonialism. In this sacred U.N. Mission, the U.N. cannot leave the world half-de-colonised and half re-colonised. Indonesia and India, which are considered to be world-leaders in neutrality movement or, in some contexts, had non-self-governing territories or, colonies like East Timor in Indonesia and Goa in post-1961 India.
The ‘Movimento para a Libertação e Independência Total de Goa/Movement for the Liberation and Total Independence of Goa’ (MLITG), along with other aggrieved ‘Indigenous Peoples who are native to Goa’ beseeches and petitions all the appropriate U.N. authorities to answer our entreaties and do adequate justice by granting the indigenous people of the sovereign territory of Goa, their right to self-determination and independence.
The U.N. should understand that we don’t have rebel organisation’s to gain independence for now, as most of the Goans have moved/migrated to other parts of the world, we won’t have enough force to conduct Guerilla warfare’s, and if so done we will surely lose (defeated) as the Indian Government has a mighty force. But we Goans from times immemorial have adhered to all laws and principles of non-violence; hence we will only fight for our liberation/independence and sovereignty only through peaceful means/methods and not through Guerilla warfare or by acts of violence.
Therefore, as per moral and international laws, it is the duty of the U.N., to sign a treaty by which the Republic/Union of India compromises the Indian Union/Republic to restore and respect the sovereignty of Goa and Angediva.
This is what we are crying for,
Yours Sincerely,
The signatories of the respective committees;
Movimento para a Libertação e Independência Total de Gôa:
(Names withheld due to political pressure)
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