Free Movement Regime with Myanmar suspended to control illegal influx: Manipur CM
Manipur CM said that the government has resolved to continue the functioning of a three-member cabinet sub-committee which was formed with minister Letpao Haokip as its chairman to check and identify illegal immigrants, to protect and safeguard the indigenous population
Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Saturday said the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar which allows people on either side to travel up to 16 km inside the other country.
He added that Manipur has also requested the Centre to “permanently close the FMR in the state”.
“Because of this FMR, we’re not able to control the illegal influx from Myanmar, so we’ve requested the Union home ministry,” Biren Singh said while addressing a press conference in Imphal on Saturday.
Singh, accompanied by ministers Govindas Konthoujam(Works), Th Basantakumar(Education)and MLA Kh Joykishan, announced on Saturday at a press conference.
“Our government’s priority is to stop illegal influx from Myanmar for that we need immediate border fencing. Now Union home minister already sanctioned and I’m told that the work order has also been issued to BRO (Border Road Organisation) for about 60 km (border fencing activities) subject to confirmation,” said the Manipur CM.
He added that the government has resolved to continue the functioning of a three-member cabinet sub-committee which was formed with minister Letpao Haokip as its chairman to check and identify illegal immigrants, to protect and safeguard the indigenous population.
As biometric recording is necessary as preliminary to the NRC (National Register of Citizens), the state government has urged the Centre to extend the time for the biometric process by a year in the state, said Singh.
Showing concerns regarding the prevalence of alcohol and substance use among youth in the state, Singh expressed the need to strengthen the war on drugs campaign in Manipur.
A joint committee of the Narcotics Control Bureau and Narcotics and Affairs of Border (Manipur police) have been constituted to continue the surveillance as well as the destruction of the poppy plantations, he added.
The chief minister further announced that as a precautionary measure, the state government had imposed a ban on the internet in the state, but it will be restored for the public from Saturday.
On the Manipur unrest, he said that the central government has provided an adequate number of paramilitary forces “…and accordingly we have deployed it at vulnerable areas that are the reason why no unwanted incidents were reported in the last one month.”
On the rehabilitation of displaced persons, he said, the unrest and turmoil in and around Imphal in the recent past has hampered the rehabilitation and resettlement activities.
The ethnic conflict that has engulfed Manipur since May 3 has claimed 175 people till date, 1,108 others injured, 32 missing and nearly 50,000 people were displaced besides burning a number of villages and localities.
