Govt extends timeline to identify illegal Myanmar migrants
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 02 2023: The state government has extended the time for completing verification and identification of illegal Myanmar immigrants staying in the state till September 30.Joint Secretary (Home) Mayengbam Veto Singh said that the timeline for the verification and identification was earlier set for completion by March 31 .

In an order, the joint secretary said that senior IAS officer commissioner Pradeep Kumar Jha will discharge the duty and assignment as chairman of the committee during the period of leave or absence of fellow commissioner Shailesh Kumar Chourasia.

It said that the committee has started visiting the districts concerned from Tuesday for monitoring the activities of capturing biometrics of the illegal immigrants who have entered the state including the recently-reported 718 fresh cases who had crossed over along the India-Myanmar border illegally.

The state government on the advice of the Union Home Ministry last week began collecting the biometric data of illegal Myanmarese immigrants in the state and the exercise would be completed by September.

A team of officials of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), deputed by the ministry of home affairs, assisted the state government officials in collecting the biometrics of illegal immigrants at the Foreigners' Detention Centre at Sajiwa in Imphal East district on July 29.The exercise would continue in all districts until the data of all illegal Myanmarese immigrants in the state are collected.

As many as 718 people from Myanmar, including 301 children and 208 women, had entered Chandel district on July 22 and 23 due to the ongoing clashes between the Army and the civil forces in the neighbouring country.

The Myanmarese are now staying in seven locations of Lajang, Bonse, New Samtal, New Lajang, Yangnomphai, Yangnomphai Saw Mill and Aivomjang under Chandel district.

A report by a sub-committee of the state cabinet headed by Tribal Affairs and Hill Development minister Letpao Haokip in March and April tnis year has revealed that 2187 illegal immigrants from Myanmar have set up settlements in 41 locations in Tengnoupal, Chandel, Kamjong and Churachandpur districts.

Before the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, the state government had decided to identify the Myanmarese nationals who had earlier sought asylum in the state, and keep them at the designated detention centres.

Around 5000 immigrants, including women and children, had fled from the conflict-hit Myanmar, after the military took power in February 2021 .

Chief minister N Biren Singh had said that infiltrators from across the border and militants have caused the ongoing unrest in the state and it is not an enmity between two communities.

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