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    Five Myanmar nationals arrested in Manipur

    Synopsis

    North-eastern states are facing an influx of nationals from Myanmar post military junta who took over the reins of power in the country. A senior police official who does not want to be named told ET, “On intelligence input the arrest was made on Tuesday night from Ngathal Village in Churachandpur district. They were staying in a house in a village.”

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    The 1,643-km long unfenced India-Myanmar border is an open border with a free movement regime within 16 km on both sides.

    Five Myanmar nationals have been arrested in Manipur for "illegal entry".

    North-eastern states are facing an influx of nationals from Myanmar post military junta who took over the reins of power in the country.

    A senior police official who does not want to be named told ET, “On intelligence input the arrest was made on Tuesday night from Ngathal Village in Churachandpur district. They were staying in a house in a village.”

    He added, “These people were not able to produce any document of identity and citizenship. A suo-moto case has been taken up for further investigation," the spokesman said.

    The 1,643-km long unfenced India-Myanmar border is an open border with a free movement regime within 16 km on both sides.

    Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh recently said that to make the monitoring of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system more effective, the government will be launching a comprehensive app in the next 1-2 months.

    Any individual who needs an ILP pass will be made mandatory to download the app, and it will not be necessary to get an ILP pass from the entry points of the state, he said.

    Earlier Singh said that the free movement regime with Myanmar needs to be reviewed. “We need to check the influx from Myanmar and Bangladesh. Influx comes from Myanmar and Bangladesh. The foreigners’ office needs to be strengthened. We will have to check the free movement regime with Myanmar. I have to raise the issue with the Union ministry of External Affairs and home ministry regarding this.”

    In April this year, Mizoram government started issuing certificates to Myanmar refugees who are taking shelter in the state. Over 22,000 refugees are staying in Mizoram.

    The certificate is titled as Temporary Certificate of identity of Myanmar Nationals. Details like name of the bearer, father's name, date of birth, place of origin, present address in Mizoram.

    Union Home Ministry earlier had sent out an advisory earlier to four north eastern states -- Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh that the states and Union Territories have no power to grant "refugee" status to any foreigner, and India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol.

    The majority of those who have taken shelter in Mizoram belong to the Chin community, also known as the Zo community, who share the same ancestry, ethnicity and culture as the Mizos of Mizoram.

    The military seized power on February 1 last year, detaining the country's elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and members of her government. A one-year state of emergency has been declared in Myanmar where power is assumed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing.

    Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga had earlier urged the Centre to provide asylum to refugees fleeing Myanmar.

    He had also opposed the Centre’s order to security forces to stop Myanmar citizens from entering the state and deport refugees.

    The union home ministry in a communique to the chief secretaries of Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, and the director general of Assam Rifles on March 10 last year stated that there was a probability of large-scale illegal influx into the Indian territory due to the current internal situation in Myanmar. It had earlier issued an advisory to these states and the security forces to stay alert and take appropriate action to prevent a possible influx into Indian territory.


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