Fearing “aerial bombardment and attacks”, about 5,400 people from Myanmar have taken shelter in Manipur’s Kamjong district, Assam Rifles Director General Pradeep Chandran Nair told The Hindu.
Lt. Gen. Nair said that the refugees have been staying in temporary settlements in the border district since November last year.
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“There is every likelihood that they would return once the situation normalises in Myanmar; right now, there is a threat to their safety there. The State government is aware of their presence,” he said.
Complex demographics
The issue of undocumented migrants in the Naga-dominated district has added another dimension to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Myanmar between the tribal Kuki-Zo people and the majority Meitei community. At least 221 people have been killed and more than 50,000 people displaced since the conflict erupted in the State on May 3, 2023.
Manipur’s population includes people from 34 Scheduled Tribes, includes the Kuki-Zo-Hmar people and the Nagas.
Kamjong district shares its eastern border with Myanmar. To its west are the Thoubal and Kangpokpi districts, dominated by Meiteis and Kuki-Zos respectively. Since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, many people have crossed over to Mizoram and Manipur due to shared ethnic ties with the people of these States. India and Myanmar share an unfenced border; earlier this year, however, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the suspension of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) with the neighbouring country, added that the 1,643 km border would be fenced. The Assam Rifles is deployed along the Myanmar border.
‘Fear psychosis’
Last week, the United Naga Council, the apex body of Naga tribes, along with civil society organisations, submitted a memorandum to Mr. Shah through the Manipur Governor, highlighting the issues they were facing because of the influx of immigrants in Kamjong and the problems faced by the local population because of Indian military deployments. They requested that the Assam Rifles be removed from these areas.
“The Nagas are aware of the violent conflict in the neighbouring country... But there is no valid reason apart from imaginary threat perception as to why Naga villages should be made a turf for war preparedness. On the pretext of curbing the movement of illegal refugees, arms and drug smuggling, the presence of men in combat camouflage uniform have created fear psychosis and insecurity to the villagers who are already reeling under the impact of a massive inflow of fugitives from across the border,” the Naga body said.
Refuting the allegations, Lt. Gen. Nair said that the deployment of the Assam Rifles has been enhanced in Naga areas to prevent the smuggling of contraband, illegal arms, ammunition and weapons. “With the Moreh border sealed, the crimes pertaining to arms and narcotics smuggling has shifted considerably to Kamjong and nearby areas. The arrival of refugees is only one aspect, we are there to prohibit other illegal activities too,” he said.
‘Detrimental’
In the memorandum, the Naga bodies said that there were over 5,400 illegal immigrants being housed in shelters in eight Tangkhul Naga villages, and “outnumbering the local residents”.
While the Naga bodies acknowledged that over 5,100 of these immigrants had had their biometrics captured, they said, “Monitoring the activities of adult male inmates has become a huge challenge”. Their “prolonged sojourn in our land will be detrimental to our well-being,” they added.
“Increasing activities of anti-social elements is becoming unbearable with no law enforcing agencies to effectively control the same and foreign culture have overwhelmed the native customary practices due to sheer population imbalance,” the Naga body said in the memorandum.
The Naga bodies had submitted this memorandum after having conducted fact-finding visits to the Indo-Myanmar border areas.
‘Ensure safe return’
They added that in addition to this situation developing in Kamjong, the Naga CSOs were “appalled to witness massive military mobilization exercises” being conducted around the border areas. The “belligerent attitude” of the military personnel operating in the area despite the Indo-Naga Ceasefire agreement of 1997, was affecting the “peace and tranquility” of villagers and creating a “fear psychosis” among them, they said.
Expressing sympathy for the plight of the immigrants fleeing violence in Myanmar, the Naga bodies said that their community had extended their hospitality wholeheartedly and that the “State government has done its part well”, but called for the government to find ways to ensure their safe return back to their home country.
Published - June 20, 2024 10:34 pm IST
