Why Did 700 Refugees From Myanmar Enter Manipur Illegally?

As of Monday, around 718 people from Myanmar, including 301 children and 208 women, entered Manipur’s Chandel district.

There are ongoing clashes between the Myanmar Army and civil forces in their country. But their illegal entrance in India’s unrest state is too suspicious.

It isn’t clear that they have come here by themselves or there are anti-national entities behind this. Their illegal & sudden entrance can create more clashes in the state.

The Manipur Chief Secretary, Vineet Joshi, stated that the state government has asked the Assam Rifles (a border guarding force) to send these Myanmar nationals back, as they entered India without proper travel documents. The government wants a detailed report from the Assam Rifles to understand how and why this happened.

The government is taking the matter seriously because it could have international implications, especially considering the ongoing law and order issues in Myanmar.

The Myanmar nationals are currently staying in seven different locations in Chandel district, which are all villages near the Myanmar border.

It’s important to note that this is not the first time such a situation has occurred. After the military took control of Myanmar in February 2021, thousands of people fled to neighboring states in India.

In Mizoram, around 35,000 Myanmarese people are currently staying, and around 5,000 have taken shelter in Manipur. Both Manipur and Mizoram share unfenced borders of 400 km and 510 km, respectively, with Myanmar.

To prevent further illegal entries, the state government has instructed the Assam Rifles to take strict action and ensure that no Myanmar nationals enter Manipur without valid visas and travel documents, following the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

The local authorities in Chandel district have been directed to handle the situation effectively and keep records of all such individuals, including their biometrics and photographs.

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These refugees can create similar situations in Manipur, like West Bengal or Rohingyas across the country. Some political parties use these refugees as their vote banks. Or these refugees create unrest in the country once they settle in the country.