Yangoulen Chief vows to safeguard Manipur's boundary
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Gyanand Naorem

Kakching, December 16 2014: Despite having boundary issues with Myanmar's Tuivang Village in the aftermath of the disappearance of Border Pillar No.66, the Chief of Yangoulen Village Takhulun Haokip has pledged to safeguard Manipur's boundary against all odds.

Yangoulen, formerly known as Pheisanjang, is a village inhabited by the Kuki tribes along the Indo-Myanmar border in Chandel district.

It is located at about 110 kilometres to the southeast of Chamol Village (Tengnoupal Zero) along Imphal-Moreh Road (NH-102).It neighbours with Myanmar's Tuivang Village, which is also inhabited by the Kuki tribes.

Yangoulen Chief vows to safeguard Manipur's boundary

According to the Chief of Yangoulen, the village came into existence somewhere around in 1964.Myanmar's Tuivang Village was also a part of India very much within the Border Pillar No.66 set up by the Boundary Commission in 1967 .

However, the villagers of Tuivang altered the boundary as most of their fields were located within Myanmar's territory.

They (Tuivang villagers) erected a 'false' border pillar by taking over 200 metres on the Indian side, to which the villagers of Yangoulen strongly objected.

The boundary issue has been going on till today, but the people of these two villages are in constant touch with one another without any fear.

Expressing apprehension on the future of these two villages due to the ongoing boundary issue, Takhulun Haokip said that the authorities both India and Myanmar should work together to reinstall the Border Pillar No.66 to demarcate the actual boundaries between Yangoulen and Tuivang.

The Indian Government should not neglect its citizens living in the remote border villages. He maintained that the villagers of Yangoulen would strive to safeguard the boundary of Manipur even if there are no border pillars for the actual demarcation.

Yangoulen has around 55 households with a population of about 700.The villagers are predominantly agriculturalists.

The village still lacks basic amenities for health, education, water supply, road and transport facilities.

Due to deplorable roads and bridges on the Indian side, the villagers of Yangoulen prefer to trade with Myanmar's Bokan Town, which is just about five kilometres from the village.

They mostly use Myanmarese currency notes.

The Chief of Yangoulen Village further appealed to the Central and State Governments to take up necessary development works in the village and resolve the boundary issue at the earliest.