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IMPHAL — With the deportation of 38 immigrants from Manipur to Myanmar on Thursday, a total of 77 illegal Myanmarese migrants, including 55 women and five children, have been deported to their country since March 8, officials said.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said in a post on X: “Without any discrimination, we have completed the first phase of deportation of illegal immigrants from Myanmar with 38 more immigrants leaving Manipur today through Moreh.”
He added: “A total of 77 illegal immigrants have been deported in the first phase. One Indian national was also brought back from Myanmar during the handover ceremony. The state government is continuing the identification of illegal immigrants and at the same time, biometric data are also being recorded. Let’s keep our borders and country secure.”
𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐋 𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐌𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐌𝐀𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐀𝐘
— N.Biren Singh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@NBirenSingh) May 2, 2024
Without any discrimination, we have completed the first phase of deportation of illegal immigrants from Myanmar with 38 more… pic.twitter.com/KSXZtZeGVV
A senior official said that the first batch of seven Myanmarese was deported on March 8 through the Moreh border town in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district.
The Myanmar nationals fled to Manipur after the military junta seized power in the neighboring country on February 1, 2021.
The Manipur Chief Minister had said earlier that although India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, it has given shelter and aid to those fleeing the crisis in Myanmar on humanitarian grounds with a systematic approach.
Since the military took over Myanmar more than three years ago, over 5,000 Myanmar nationals, including women and children, have taken shelter in Manipur while over 32,000 people have taken shelter in Mizoram.
A majority of the refugees in Mizoram live in relief camps and government buildings, while many are accommodated by their relatives.
A large number of Myanmarese also live in rented accommodations.
Besides civilians, a few hundred Myanmarese soldiers also fled to Mizoram in phases after their camps were captured by the armed pro-democracy ethnic groups in Myanmar, who stepped up their battle against the army in October last year.
However, these soldiers have been deported to Myanmar in phases.
Following the advice of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Manipur government has been collecting the biometric details of the Myanmar nationals sheltered in the state. The Mizoram government, however, turned down the MHA appeal to collect biographic and biometric data of the Myanmar refugees.
Meanwhile, Governor Anusuiya Uikey convened a meeting with Biren Singh, along with Chief Secretary Dr Vineet Joshi at Raj Bhavan on Thursday evening.
The governor was apprised of the efforts made by the government in extending assistance, particularly essential items, to the displaced people residing in various relief camps across the state. They also discussed matters in connection with construction of houses for the Internally Displaced Persons and disbursement of financial aid to them.
On the disappearance of Khangenbam Apamba Singh of Thangmeiband Khomdram Selungba Leikai, Imphal West District, the governor stressed the need to trace the missing person and to strengthen check posts in the fringe areas in order to deter cross-over by the people of both sides through effective coordination among law enforcement agencies.
Additionally, the accommodation predicament faced by medical students of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) was also discussed. The governor urged the CM to arrange suitable accommodation for the students.