Hostile Moreh locals threat to Act East Policy goal
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: July 28, 2023 -

EVEN before the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, Moreh had been one of the most sensitive and trouble-prone towns in the state with even petty quarrels tending to take communal tone and leading to violent clashes, thanks to its mixed population and crystal clear objective of the Kuki community to establish dominance in the border town.

Moreh town has been a flourishing trade and commerce decades before the central government realised its geographical location to reach out to the resource rich and economically prosperous South East Asian countries subsequently resulting in the formulation of the Look East Police under the Congress-led UPA government which its successor BJP-headed NDA rechristened to Act East Policy to expedite materialisation of the goal to cement trade ties with the south-eastern neighbours.

That New Delhi is keen to find a foothold in Southeast Asia could be comprehended from the heavy investment made to develop transport infrastructure, both land and sea routes in Myanmar.

Though the military take-over stalled the development projects in Myanmar to some extent there has been notable improvement on this side of the border as it evident from the condition of the Imphal-Moreh road finally resembling a national highway in recent years thereby giving the BJP governments at the centre and in the state the bragging rights.

Apart from reducing the travelling hours from Imphal to Moreh and vice-versa the border town had seen local private entrepreneurs venturing into construction of hotels and the government investing in infrastructure development and offices to streamline trade and commerce activities.

In the midst of such enthusiasm from both private and public institutions to spruce-up Moreh town in anticipation of the potential spurt in economic activities, the ethnic violence is posing serious threat to derailing the devel-opmental ambition. With deserted roads and shutdown of commercial activities becoming the order of the day, Moreh has been reduced to a ghost town.

With reports suggesting that some prominent business persons, including from mainland states, already moving out of the town in search of greener pastures it is but natural that the centre might ponder over seriously before making further investment for development of Moreh or the highway connecting it with the rest of the country.

The remaining traders leaving the town could also be safely predicted if the situation remains volatile, a condition that would definitely deter local traders and major commercial agencies from looking or acting east.

Moreover, a large mob of armed Kuki militants and women folks torching around 30 abandoned houses belonging to the Meetei community on Wednesday is yet another testimony that situation in the border town is far from being safe for traders and tourists.

The looting spree that preceded the gunfights between Kuki militants and security forces also rings out the message that the local economy has been badly affected and the civilian residents are struggling to make both ends meet.

The unruly mob specifically targeting warehouses and a shopping mall run by the MANIDCO could be construed as confirmation of the Kuki population paying a heavy price for their hostility towards potential investors.