: Vulnerable border areas root cause of Manipur crisis
IMPHAL, Sept 20: The United Committee Manipur (UCM) has raised an objection to the union home ministry’s reported decision to halt fencing works in the Kuki-inhabited areas of the Indo-Myanmar border for the time being.
Addressing a press meet on Thursday at its office at Lamphelpat, Imphal, UCM president YK Dhiren denounced the union home ministry’s reported decision, calling it a double standard.
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He said that the government of India should primarily focus on fencing the vulnerable areas of the Indo-Myanmar border from where the illegal immigrants and narco traders have been infiltrating to the Manipur side if the government really considers resolving the ongoing crisis.
Dhiren also pointed out that the Indo-Myanmar region, bordering the Sagaing Region/Division and Chin State of Myanmar are basically the porous and sensitive areas where the security forces failed to prevent the illegal immigrants from entering Manipur.
He also said that the union home minister has cited the infiltrations of illegal immigrants and narco-business from the Indo-Myanmar border as the root causes of the ongoing Manipur crisis.
The UCM president stated that it welcomed and considered the ministry of home affairs’ initiatives of removing the Free Movement Regime (FMR) and Indo-Myanmar border fencing as significant measures to curb the menace created by illegal immigrants and narco-business coming into Manipur from the Myanmar side.
“However, the reports carried in many newspapers about the Union Home Ministry’s decision to halt the Indo-Myanmar border fencing in Kuki-dominated areas is strongly condemnable and the UCM objects to it,” he added.
Dhiren went on to maintain that the UCM has never stood against the Indo-Myanmar border fencing work, except for asking the authorities concerned to initially conduct a proper and systematic survey in the disputed areas along the same international border areas so as to avoid loss of Manipur’s territory.
He then conveyed that the UCM will soon submit a memorandum to the government of India, exerting pressure to withdraw the union home ministry’s reported decision to halt Indo-Myanmar border fencing in the Kuki-dominated areas. (NNN)
