Border survey by GoI officials dubious: UCM
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 03 2018:
Alleging that the Government of India is yet to accept the territory of Manipur as a part of India, the United Committee Manipur (UCM) has categorically stated that the border survey carried out by Indian officials cannot be trusted.
A statement issued by the UCM appealed to the Chief Minister to give a concrete assurance and take up necessary measures so that Manipur does not lose any part of its territory to Myanmar.
It also urged the Chief Minister to bring out a detail report on the border survey carried out by Indian officials and their Myanmarese counterparts yesterday.
After a meeting was held between Indian officials and Myanmar officials at IG AR (South) a few days back, a joint team of Indian and Myanmar officials carried out a border survey at Moreh yesterday.
Inspection of boundary pillars and boundary line by officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and Survey of India has anguished the people of Manipur because Surveyor General of India Lt Gen Girish Kumar told a team of UCM leaders at Imphal Airport on July 24 this year that he would come back after one month together with all relevant documents and the Indo (Manipur)-Myanmar boundary row would be re-examined together with the State Government and the people of Manipur.
But the way the Indian officials went to Moreh and surveyed the international boundary after bypassing the people of Manipur smacks of an intention to accomplish their 'hidden agenda' by keeping the people of Manipur in total darkness, the UCM alleged.
All the people of Manipur were deeply hurt when Union Home Minister of State Kiren Rijiju misled all the people of India by claiming that there was no border dispute between India and Myanmar.
The joint survey carried out yesterday by Indian and Myanmar officials in the absence of any representative of the State Government or the local authority is highly dubious.
The survey carried out yesterday is rather perturbing, it asserted.
The UCM then appealed to all the people of Manipur to keep a close vigil on border surveys carried out by officials of the Government of India with or without Myanmar officials and any decision taken by them regarding Manipur-Myanmar boundary.
Myanmar is fully aware of the political condition of India and they (Myanmar) have been trying repeatedly to take advantage of the prevailing situation.
There is a map which shows some portions of Myanmar within the territory of India (Manipur) and there is a growing fear that India may accept this map in their efforts to appease the neighbouring country, UCM said.
The border survey carried out yesterday is rather dubious and distressing as it was carried out between Indian officials and Myanmar officials without any official of the State Government.
Even though maintenance of international boundary is a responsibility of the Central Government, the people of Manipur should be given the right to protect its territorial boundary because Manipur was merged into the Indian Union with a clear-cut boundary of its own.
The issue demands special attention of the State Government because the boundary of Manipur was protected by her people for thousands of years.
The State Government should keep a strict vigil on any activity of the Survey of India related to the Indo (Manipur)-Myanmar boundary.
The UCM will soon launch an initiative to present a detail report on the Manipur-Myanmar boundary.
All the activities undertaken by officials of the Government of India since July 24 in connivance with some officers of Manipur who are loyal to them would be exposed to all the people of Manipur soon, it said.
It is unlikely that the people of Manipur will forgive those Manipuri officers who connived with officials of the Government of India on the highly sensitive issue of Manipur-Myanmar boundary, it added.
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