How many immigrants detected: MMTU
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 01 2025: The Meetei (Meitei) Tribe Union (MMTU) has asked the PR Government what steps it has taken with regard to the directive issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to identify and repatriate all illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar from May 19 to June 19 .

The MMTU has also asked the PR Government to bring out a white paper if the MHA's directive was not implemented in Manipur.

As the Government has failed to identify and deport illegal immigrants, MMTU would launch a mass campaign to drive out illegal immigrants.

The MHA's directive specifically mentioned the influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar into Manipur, the MMTU said in a statement.

The MHA's directive said that security forces and military personnel must be roped in for identifying and repatriating illegal immigrants.

However, no sign of any exercise to identify illegal immigrants was seen in Manipur, MMTU said.

Asserting that the MHA's directive was not complied with by the PR Government in Manipur, the MMTU asked whether Manipur is not a part of India.

The Ministry of Home Affairs categorically stated that India is not a dharmasala of illegal immigrants.

But the Government of India has been watching silently when Manipur has been made a dhannasala for foreign Nationals coming from Myanmar and Bangladesh, it said.

It then accused the Government of India of adopting double-standard with respect to Manipur.

The MHA's directive was translated into action in the neighbouring States of Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya.

There are reports of identifying and deporting 330 illegal immigrants from Assam till June 9 under the Immigration Expulsion Act, 1950.In Mizoram, identification and collection of biometrics of illegal immigrants from Myanmar is going on in full swing, it noted.

There are reports of immigration of a large number of Bangladeshi Nationals to Manipur during and after the Bangladesh War of 1972 .

After military coups in 1962, 1988 and 2021 in Myanmar, tens of thousands of Myanmarese immigrated to Manipur and settled in the hill areas illegally.

Now many places in the hill areas have been dominated by these illegal immigrants.

After clearing large tracts of forest areas, the illegal immigrants have been engaging in large scale poppy plantations and they have been setting up drug factories in Manipur, the MMTU said.

As per a report given by Indian intelligence agencies, more than 50,000 hectares of forest areas have been cleared for poppy plantation.

It is speculated that the annual income earned from poppy plantations is over Rs 40,000 crore.

This is much bigger than Manipur's annual budget.

This huge drug money is used in sustaining acts of narco-terrorism and facilitating the influx of more illegal immigrants from Myanmar.

The same drug money is also funding the project of dismembering Manipur and creating a Kuki homeland, the MMTU said.

Moreover, the immigrants from Myanmar have been enlisted in the voters' list and granted all the rights entitled to an Indian citizen.

In addition, they are being protected by the Government of India by enlisting them in the ST category unlawfully, it asserted.

If the Government of India and the State Government are really identifying and collecting biometrics of illegal immigrants, they must inform the public how many illegal immigrants have been identified so far, it said.

The MMTU added that it would soon launch a mass campaign on the alarming status of influx of illegal immigrants in Manipur and how they should be driven back.

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