The onslaught of immigrants : Need to monitor their movements
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: December 13, 2024 -

It was way back in September 2022, months before the ethnic clash erupted in all its ugliness on May 3, 2023, that The Sangai Express had mooted the suggestion that it would make much more sense for the State Government to follow the model of Mizoram and acknowledge the influx of people from Myanmar and keep them together as refugees.

This observation was made after it came to light that as rr ny as 80 Myanmarese were detected in Churachandpur living as part of the local Iks in June 2022.

The last thing that was h ard of the 80 refugees who were detected was that they have been kept in a hostel mar ed by the State Government.

Fast forward to December of 2024 and no one, least of all the Government, would know where the 80 refugees are or more importantly v ether they have merged with the local population there, which is most likely.

The argument put forward back then was that it would be much easier to officially declare them as refugees, make them live in camps on whatever term one may use and keep close tab on their movement just so that they do not merge with the local population and in due course of time become naturalised citizens of the land.

Back then the Government at Imphal did not seem to listen to any such suggestions, smug in its self assured stand that Manipur would not take in any refugee following instructions from New Delhi.

In contrast the Mizoram Government cocked a snook at the instructions from New Delhi and opened refugee camps to house the large number of immigrants who had fled the neighbouring country.

It was only after the Government needed to crack the whip and evict illegal settlements from a Protected Forest, a settlement which had been christened K Sonjang and the series of protests that followed, that the State Government deemed it fit to constitute a Cabinet sub-committee sometime at the fag end of March 2023.

The Cabinet sub-committee was led by Tribal Affairs ar Hills Minister Letpao Haokip, a Kuki an comprised of Water Resources Minister Awangbow Newmai, a Naga and Education Minister Th Basanta, a Meitei.

A well rounded composition, if one takes in consideration that the sub-committee had members drawn from the three maj communities of the State, the Kukis, Nagas and the Meiteis.

The sub-committee was formed in the latter part of March, 2023 and began their survey.

It was during the survey that at least 2000 immigrants or refugees were detected, people who had settled in lages but who reportedly refused to move to designated shelters that had been set up.

The places surveyed by the sub-committee included Holenphai village in Tengnoupal district, Gamphazol village at Chandel district and Singhat in Churachandpur strict, as per a report from the NDTV quoting the report of the sub-committee submitted to the Government.

It is now nearly two years since the survey was conducted and over 2000 immigrants were detected and today no one knows where the immigrants are.

In all probability they could have merged with the local population and could be playing a key role in the offensives against Manipur, if one goes by what the State. Government has had to say since the violence erupted on May 3, 2023.

Again a line which has been backed by no one less than Union Home Minister Amit Shah in one of his addresses in Parliament in 2023 a d followed suit by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in an interaction programme in the United States.

Again it is a foregone conclusion that the illegal immigrants have joined forces with the Kuki armed roups which are under the SoO pact.

People who matter agree on one point and that is the large scale influx of illegal immigrants from across the border, but the question of greater importance at this point is what steps Delhi has taken to tackle the situation.

Suspending the Free Movement Regime and the decision to fence the border are lines which Delhi and most probably Imphal would point to, to demonstrate that something concrete is being done to check infiltration.

The question however is, how about the people who have already infiltrated into Manipur?

And why are the Central security forces seen to be going soft on the Kuki militants who have joined forces with the illegal immigrants?

A question which Delhi should answer and one wished that Imphal would stop putting Delhi on the pedestal in any public platform and stead question how the SoO pact continue even though it has not been officially extended.