Medicine Hat, AB, resident Jeremy Williamson said he's happy to be with his wife, Joicy, after she was able to get out of the conflict zone in Churachandpur, Manipur. .“It’s been the strangest year of my life I would say,” said Williamson in a Wednesday interview. .“I wouldn’t want to have to go through it again, and I can’t imagine what other families are going through knowing they have family in Manipur.” .Jeremy said on May 5 he was attempting to bring Joicy and her mother out of Churachandpur amid violence taking place in the area. .READ MORE: Medicine Hat man trying to rescue wife stuck in India.“I was on the phone with her when the gunfire started to be audible,” he said. .The conflict in Manipur stems from ancient ethnic fault lines between the majority Meitei community — which is mostly Hindu and lives in the valley in Imphal — and the Christian tribes that are located in the surrounding hills. The tribes had provisions established where they could not have their land bought up by Indians in the rest of the country. .The Indian military was deployed to Manipur on May 5 with orders to shoot on sight and enforce a curfew as clashes between the groups continued. .This violence forced about 9,000 people to flee their homes. The Manipur government has not given the number of deaths, but at least 20 people have been reported injured. .Mobs of people burned cars and buildings, vandalized stores and hotels, and destroyed churches..The Williamsons were able to speak with Global Affairs Canada a few times during this ordeal, and it encouraged them to go to the airport with police. They did not trust police, because officers were putting tainted fuel in people’s vehicles. .This fuel caused the vehicles to break down in unsafe areas. He heard of a story of three people going with police and having their vehicle break down, which led to a gang targeting them and beating them up. .Joicy got in touch with a cousin, who arranged a driver to take them to neighbouring Indian state Mizoram. It was a 12-hour drive through poor road conditions. .They arrived in Mizoram and stayed at her cousin’s house until they could be flown out of India. They landed in Canada Monday. .Jeremy called their arrival in Canada “quite a stress relief.” His health had been deteriorating, but he felt better as soon as he saw them. .The Medicine Hat resident went on to say he stayed sane because of people praying and support from his family, churches, and his employer. While phone services were cut off in parts of Manipur, he said he was glad he could communicate with her to know what was going on. .He expressed disappointment in Global Affairs Canada. At first, it was nice, but officials offered dangerous advice. .Global Affairs encouraged her to contact police, but it was corrupt and was not acting in people's best interests. He said he “had US senators that were willing to send in a team to rescue my wife, but my own government didn’t care.” .Joicy said this experience has been indescribable. .“I’m still in shock,” she said. .“It feels horrible, and yet I’m really worried for people that are there.” .She acknowledged her husband worked hard to get her out. She has heard indications the situation could worsen. .Jeremy concluded by saying people should pay attention to the Churachandpur conflict because it is a genocide attempt by the Manipur government. .“They’re attempting to force out the entire hill tribe people and kill anybody that stays behind," he said. .Global Affairs spokesperson Charlotte MacLeod said it was aware of a permanent resident in need of assistance in India. ."Consular officials assisted the affected Permanent Resident in contacting local authorities," said MacLeod. ."Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed."
