Somewhere deep in a Myanmar prison camp, a heart cries out for home in utter desperation: “Have they left me to rot in this place?”

Somewhere in a distant land, a daddy lays in the lonely silence with his only company – the memories of his children, family, and home and of his buddies who would, perhaps, never return back again.

And back home, sorrow-filled eyes gaze at a photo on the wall, draped in a traditional robe – a dad, and a husband – whose hope of return dwindles with each passing day.

It has been over four months now that some 21 helpless daily wage earners from Muallum and the surrounding areas within Singngat sub-division in Churachandpur, Manipur were captured by the Myanmar Government for illegally intruding the international boundary. So far no positive developments have come to the surface.

MP Mani Charenamei raised the issue in Parliament and pleaded with the External Affairs and Home Ministry for their immediate and safe release. They were arrested on May 6, 2006 along the Indo-Myanmar border near Aisih village in Tonzang area of Chin State.

It’s true that either side of the border is inhabited by the same ethnic Zo people. They use to cross over the border in search of their livelihood without any disturbances from any quarter as they use to return to their respective homes on daily basis. An international boundary may demarcate them, but deep within their hearts, they are one people.

While the anticipation for a concrete outcome is still running high, a rather disturbing news has emerged. Our worst fear begins to transform into reality.

Reports recently came in that 19 out of the 21-odd persons were sentenced by the Tonzang Township Court to 12 years imprisonment for their alleged timbering activities.

One person was sentenced to 15 years rigorous imprisonment for poaching and Pauminthang, a six-year-old kid, was being freed on humanitarian grounds. The 20 convicted are being incarcerated in the Inndainggyi prison-cum-labour camp in Sagaing Division, Myanmar.

No wonders that the largest democratic Government in the world turns a blind eye to the plight of its citizens all through these months. We are ‘here’, the Government is ‘there’, and the fact that 20 north-easterners get over 10 years jail term out there in Myanmar has nothing to do with the national security.

A similar incident took place last year. This is not the first of its kind and may not be the last either. So, rather than a fire-fighting approach, it is desirable to take a longer perspective. Economically. And ecologically.

Due to relentless jhuming and deforestation for timber trade, our hills are increasingly getting bald-headed. This naturally leads to soil erosion, decreasing fertility, climatic change and landslides.

We clear our forests to provide food for our increasing population. The timber trade exists because of the demand for domestic fuel and brick industry in urban centres like Lamka and Imphal. Without adequate power supply, there is a handsome market for timber and charcoal.

This business has been going for almost a decade within Manipur. Villages in the ‘Zodawn’ area had survived on this trade for a whole generation. Due to the depletion of forest on the Indian side, we are beginning to invade the other side of the border. This eventually leads to embarrassing situations.

While it is crucial to bail out the helpless victims of poverty, it is important to highlight the need to change our attitudes towards our environment. Similar problems confront tribal communities in Mizoram, Madhya Pra- desh and Western China. But many of them successfully overcame these challenges.

With a little help from the Government and training in innovative methods of farming, many tribal communities managed to move out of poverty. Distress migration into relatively better off places across the Tuivai river in Mizoram or into urban areas may be a way of coping with the economic problem.

But this cannot be prescribed as a solution for all. Rural areas or the countryside needs new designing for this. In order to have a viable economy, some kind of grouping may be helpful. But I know the practice of jhuming cannot support big villages.

That is suitable only for scattered families over large tracts of thick forest. But jhuming cannot give any income or even food [generally understood as “rice” among us] for one year.

In another sense, jhuming devastates our environment and drives people into both ecological and economic poverty. This is a deadly trap.

What is important is to shift from jhuming to alternative and more productive methods of farming. Meanwhile, people need something to eat during the transition period.

Moreover, indigenous and outside investors cannot be attracted in rural farming unless the state provides basic infrastructure like roads and health care to our villages. There are entrepreneurs interested in investing in farming and related activities like fishery and animal husbandry.

But they were pestered by some unwanted social elements, who demand taxes and even forced them to move the hell out of our land.

Till the reforms in 1991, our country had been indoctrinated in the doctrines of Nehruvian Socialism. That was totally anti-entrepreneurial.

It was against enterprise-culture. The contempt for entrepreneurs is deep-seated within our society – especially within the church. This resulted in a dependency culture where everyone aspires for Government jobs, sanctions or all kinds of sarkari privileges.

To some extent, we are chained to poverty by our social attitudes and outdated education. While our training in English is the most marketable skills we could get, the outdated content of our education crushes and paralyses most people. It made them utterly useless – or rather harmful – for the society.

The solution for the villagers and townspeople remains the same. We urgently need to develop our infrastructures. Any politicians who can do deserve public support. Election agendas should be dominated by our real economic problems.

And not by some imagined elements, foreign threats or the like. The threat of political corruption is the greatest threat for our helpless villagers along Tedim Road and Guite Road. This threat will surely lead to more economic and ecological poverty, physical and spiritual deprivation, malnutrition and slow death itself.

Meanwhile, far away in the valley of despair, beyond the Guun river, the quavering cries of the 20 helpless victims refuse to die down - all the while being heard by deaf ears, and seen by blind eyes.

(Note: Guun river is the other name for the Imphal river. It enters River Chindwin from Manipur and flows into the Irra-waddy in Myanmar.)