The number of illegal Myanmar nationals living in shelter homes in eight villages has outnumbered the locals, a Manipur MLA has claimed in a letter to the state Chief Minister. Notably, Leishiyo Keishing, the MLA from Naga People’s Front (NPF), an ally of the BJP-led government in Manipur, wrote a letter to Chief Minister N Biren Singh on 9th May. The letter stated that the illegal immigrants are involved in murder, kidnapping, and other criminal activities.
‼️Alarming situation: Refugees from #Myanmar outnumber local residents in Kamjong and Kamson Khullen #Manipur, beat local residents over disputes, writes Naga MLA @ErLeishiyoKeish to @NBirenSingh
— Meitei Heritage Society (@meiteiheritage) May 13, 2024
‼️Calls for urgent deportation to #Myanmar or arrange alternate arrangement, and… pic.twitter.com/z3Z4rhDpRc
In the letter to the state CM, MLA from Phungyar (ST) assembly constituency, Leishiyo Keishing has raised alarms about the threats posed by the large influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar into the state. He has also urged the Chief Minister to deport the illegal immigrants back to their respective places. The MLA has also demanded that the government should increase the strength of the armed police personnel at the border.
The NPF MLA has highlighted concerns about the continuous influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar particularly since November 2023. The letter added that the influx of illegal immigrants has exacerbated law enforcement challenges in border areas. It added that many untoward incidents have been reported where local residents were beaten up over tussles on petty issues. In his letter, Keishing said, “The police are unable to detain the troublemakers and control the situation as they don’t have enough personnel in the border area.”
The letter added, “… Even local customary law cannot control/bind them because of the foreign custody beliefs of the refugees. There have been numbers of incidents of killings and kidnappings of local residents committed by the immigrants, but the culprits could not be apprehended as they abscond and cross the border where neither customary law nor Indian law could be enforced.”
In his letter, Keishing has quoted data that was earlier announced by the state government. Recently the state government revealed that the number of immigrants from Myanmar stood at 5,457, out of which the biometrics data of 5,173 has been recorded.
The MLA also stressed the need to deport the illegal immigrants so that the history of 1968 is not repeated. Incidentally, in 1968, 1,500 Kuki immigrant families from Myanmar who came to Manipur the previous year were allowed to settle permanently and they were granted Indian citizenship.
The letter argued for deportation of the illegal immigrants so that the government could avoid current situation like crisis/unrest in the state in the future.
Manipur BJP MLA, Rajkumar Imo Singh, supported his request to deport the illegal immigrants from the state. Taking to X, Rajkumar Imo Singh, who is also the son-in-law of the Chief Minister, wrote, “… Let us all secure our border and the people of the state, for which the government is taking up all legal and appropriate measures to protect its people.”
As highlighted by Kamjong MLA Mr Leishiyo Keishing, the total number of illegal influx touched 5800 in the area of Kamjong District, outnumbering the local populace, detection of such illegal migrants along with capturing of biometrics has been done for more than 5100 of them.… pic.twitter.com/08mIVhEWTn
— Rajkumar Imo Singh (Modi Ka Parivaar) (@imosingh) May 13, 2024
It is pertinent to note that on 8th May, the Manipur government announced the completion of the first phase of deportation of illegal immigrants from Myanmar “without any discrimination”. On Sunday, Chief Minister N Biren Singh highlighted the pressing issue of illegal immigration from Myanmar and added that the deportation process is underway in the state.
Speaking with media, CM Singh said that the Manipur government has detected as many as 5,801 illegal migrants in Kamjong district to date, while 15 individuals have tragically succumbed to natural causes and 359 have voluntarily returned to Myanmar.
