Rasheswari Pala to tour Myanmar
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 04 2014 : A team of Rasheswari Pala will embark on a tour to Myanmar for bridging emotional ties with Manipuri people settled in Mandalay and Yangon cities of the neighbouring country.

The team is comprised of 18 women members of Rasheswari Pala and three males.

The male members would be led by Indo-Myanmar Friendship Alliance president RK Shivchandra while the female members would be led by Rasheswari Pala president Dr Jamini.

Speaking to media persons today ahead of the 12-day tour, RK Shivchandra said that visas have been granted for travelling up to Mandalay and Yangon on terrestrial routes.

Earlier visas were granted for going to the two cities by air through Kolkata which was very costly.

During the tour, the team would make its best efforts for unification of Manipuri people settled in Mandalay.

They would also give offerings to five Meitei temples.

Earlier, Mandalay had a substantial number of Meitei population but the population got reduced drastically after a large number of Meitei women married Burmese men.

Meitei people belonging to 250 different surnames were found at Rangoon earlier.

But the number of surnames has declined to just four.

The whole Meitei population no longer speak Meiteilon.

The team would spare no efforts to bring unity among Manipuri people settled in Myanmar and the team would employ Umang Lai Haraoba as one of the platforms for unification of Manipuri people settled in the neighbouring country, RK Shivchandra said.

Saying that the tour has no element for trade and commerce, Shivchandra decried that the Government of Manipur is not active enough towards opening Indo-Myanmar border.

Till date, no passport office has been opened at Moreh and the Government is still unable to introduce Imphal-Mandalay bus service.

Connectivity with South East Asia is crucial for economic development of Manipur, he asserted.

Dr Jamini said that the tour is about tracing the Manipuri diasporas of Myanmar and preservation of Manipuri culture.

The tour is also an attempt to understand the socio-economic condition of Manipuri people settled in Myanmar.

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