Menghean Red Manja Society
大孟紅卍字會 | |
 | |
| Formation | 1897 |
|---|---|
| Founded at | Federative Republic of Menghe |
| Type | Aid agency |
| Purpose | Humanitarian aid |
| Headquarters | Menghe |
The Menghean Red Manja Society (대멩 홍만자 회 / 大孟紅卍字會, Dae Meng Hongmanjahoe) is the official Menghean chapter of Septentrion's International Federation of Red Sign Societies. Founded in the late 19th century during Menghe's Three States Period, it is responsible for providing relief operations after humanitarian disasters, disease outbreaks, and health emergencies, including treatment for wounded soldiers on the battlefield.
Insignia
In Meng culture, the swastika (만자 / 卍字, manja) is a traditional symbol of harmony and longevity. Generally drawn in its left-facing (sauwastika) form, it originated with Themiclesian Buddhism but later spread to Sindoism and Chŏndoism. It is pronounced as a homonym of man (萬), literally "ten thousand" but also meaning myriad, eternity, or the sum of all creation, and appearing in the slogan manse (萬歲 / 만세, "long live"). By association, the Menghean manja is associated with long life, making it an appropriate symbol for a medical society.
History
The Red Manja Society was formed in the late 19th century, during Menghe's Three States Period. The wars between the states of Namyang and Sinyi saw appallingly high casualties on both sides, a result of the introduction of modern weaponry and tactics, and the task of caring for the wounded far surpassed the resources of local communities. The Menghean Red Cross Society, a Christian organization, had initially worked in the State of Namyang to care for the wounded, but its members were not granted immunity by Sinyi, which still had strict laws against Christian proselytizing.
In an effort to improve protections for medical personnel, the All-Menghe Reunification Committee convened in Junggyŏng to form a new medical and humanitarian relief organization whose members could operate freely in Sinyi and Namyang. Because the red cross had Christian connotations, Sinyi representatives argued for the use of an alternative symbol, and the two delegations agreed on the use of the Manja, which was associated with long life and unity and was easily recognizable on a flag or armband.
After Menghe's reunification and the end of the war, the Red Manja Society was granted official status in the newly formed Federative Republic of Menghe, and its insignia was adopted by hospitals and medical clinics. During the Pan-Septentrion War it increasingly fell under the control of the government of the Greater Menghean Empire, assisting with the treatment of military wounded and later the wounded from Allied strategic bombing, but providing little assistance to Allied prisoners of war. Returned to independent status in 1945, it provided relief to civilians throughout the Menghean War of Liberation, only to fall under state influence again with the formation of the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe.
After the Decembrist Revolution, the Menghean Red Manja Society was given more autonomy, and it played a major role in distributing aid to areas affected by the Menghean famine of 1985-87. Other major efforts have included initiatives to expand medical care in rural parts of Menghe and eradicate preventable diseases, as well as disaster relief efforts. Recently, the Menghean Red Manja Society has expanded its involvement in other countries in Septentrion, delivering humanitarian aid to Vyzhva in the wake of Tír Glas's military intervention there.
Organization and activities
In its current status, the Menghean Red Manja Society is registered and classified as a non-governmental organization, and it is formally independent from the Menghean government. It does have a Menghean Socialist Party committee attached to its upper council, and smaller party committees attached to its local branches; this, on the other hand, is also true of many large private corporations. The Ministry of Public Health also maintains a liaison office to the Red Manja Society, and contributes generous annual grants to its budget. Even so, the Menghean Red Manja Society is officially recognized by the International Federation of Red Sign Societies.
Today, much of the Menghean Red Manja Society's work focuses on responses to natural disasters, which in Menghe include typhoons, floods, and earthquakes. Following rising income and social spending after the Menghean economic miracle, the Society has played a less active role in fighting disease in Menghe, though it still maintains clinics in isolated inland areas.
Use of the Red Crescent symbol
Following Menghe's annexation of the Uzeri Sultanate, a separate Red Crescent Society was established to provide medical and humanitarian aid in the southwest, where Shahidism was the dominant religion and the Manja symbol had little cultural relevance. The Federative Republic of Menghe recognized the Menghean Red Crescent Society as the official Red Sign Society for the Southwestern Federal Region, affording it equal status to the Red Manja Society in the rest of the country. The two societies were merged in 1928, as the Red Manja Society fell under central control.
As part of the DPRM's concessions to the Semi-Autonomous Provinces, the Red Manja Society began using a red crescent symbol in Shahidic-majority areas, though under the same umbrella organization. A red crescent is also generally used when the Red Manja Society sends humanitarian aid to Shahidic-majority countries, such as Ummayah.
Although the Menghean Army stations most of its active forces in the southwest, military hospitals, field ambulances, and medical staff universally use the Red Manja sign.