79 Rohingyas arrested in Manipur so far - CM

Our Correspondent Imphal, Feb. 27 (EMN): Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday informed the ongoing state assembly that 79 illegal Rohingyas were arrested under Foreigners Act during 2011-18. Replying to a question by opposition congress MLA K Ranjit Singh of Sugunu constituency in the day’s assembly session, Biren said that 52 illegal Rohingyas have been sent back after the completion of their legal procedures while the remaining 27 are still continuing their respective legal procedures. Reacting to another supplementary question, he also informed that two local persons, who were involved in providing duplicate Aadhaar cards to the arrested illegal Rohingyas, are absconding. The two absconders were involved in two separate cases at Moreh and Jiribam, two important entry points of Manipur bordering Myanmar and Assam’s Cachar districts. He also assured the House of 60 members that both the accused will not be spared. Biren who is the leader of the house further admitted that the state government has written to the centre to introduce NRC (National Register of Citizens) in the state to help in the identification of the local residents and also to check the influx of the illegal migrants. On the present precautionary measures, he said that police are kept under strict vigil along the border areas of Moreh while regular patrolling using motor boats apart from frisking in the river near the border of Jiribam are pressed into service. Besides 50 additional State Police personnel have been sent to the Jiribam district to tighten the security especially in the border areas, he added. In October last year, seven Rohingya immigrants from Myanmar who were previously at a detention camp in Assam’s Silchar were deported back via Manipur’s border town Moreh, about 110 km south of Imphal.