What was earlier said
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 08 2025: Back on December 18, 2023, Chief Minister N Biren Singh had blamed drug mafia and illegal immigrants for the ethnic strife that has rocked the North Eastern State for months, reported by PTI .

Mr Singh also attributed the current crisis to the "failure" of the previous Government in guarding the State's borders.

Nearly 200 people have died and over 60,000 were rendered homeless due to the ethnic conflict between the Kuki and Meitei communities since May.

"The present conflict is engineered by drug mafia groups and illegal immigrants who have suppressed the voice of the original tribes.

The war is not between Meiteis and Kukis, but between the Government and the illegal immigrants," Mr Singh told a gathering at Lilong in Thoubal district.

"Everyday, I keep contact and communicate with my old Kuki friends through phone.

They are helpless and unable to speak the truth as they are being intimidated by guns," the Chief Minister said.

Mr Singh said "more than 6,000 immigrants have entered Kamjong district from Myanmar" due to fighting between the neighbouring country's military and anti-junta groups.

Police teams have been sent to monitor the situation, collect biometric details and make arrangements to provide them temporary shelters, he said.

"We are not against Chin Kuki, but only against those illegal immigrants.

We simply want to identify those illegal sections by taking their biometric details and later have them leave when the situation in Myanmar improves," Mr Singh said.

"Where is the mistake if I stressed on stopping illegal immigration? Will we agree to continous influx and eventual suppression of the indigenous populace...original communities of the state becoming smaller and becoming a minority?" said the Chief Minister.

Again on November 29, 2024, the Manipur Government said that the ongoing ethnic crisis in Manipur is a creation of illegal immigrants from Myanmar adding that these migrants after illegally settling in the State started the cultivation of illicit poppies, news agency IANS reported.

The State Government in a statement said that Chief Minister N Biren Singh's 'War on Drugs' has strongly hit the illegal immigrants' illegal activities.

"It is not on account of any religious policy of the State Government, as has been falsely portrayed by the Mizo National Front (MNF) and other vested interests, even on foreign soil and in various international fora, through fabricated narratives.

"The MNF appears to have also conveniently forgotten that the conflict, on the Kuki side, is funded by narco-terrorist elements," the statement said.

The Manipur Government statement comes hours after the MNF demanded the resignation of the (Manipur) Chief Minister N Biren Singh claiming that he utterly failed to deal with the over 18-month-long ethnic crisis.

The statement said that during the period from 2017 till date, the Manipur Government launched the 'War on Drugs' and seized or destroyed drugs worth Rs 60,000 crores in the international market.

These drugs include 304 kg of heroin powder, 3,775 kg of brown sugar, 1,804 kg of opium, 1,976 kg of Yaba tablets and 422 kg of SP tablets, ice crystal and pseudoephedrine, the statement said adding that 16,787 acres of poppy cultivation were destroyed.

There was a decline of 60 per cent of acreage under illicit poppy cultivation between 2021 and 2023 .

On account of the efforts of the State Government and assistance of Central Government agencies, the transit of drugs within the state of Manipur has come down to almost nil currently.

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