Although Government of India authorities define those who arrive in India without required travel documentation as “illegal migrants”, the number of Myanmar nationals fleeing into Manipur to seek refuge from the escalating violence in Myanmar recently surges.
Manipur’s Kamjong district bordering Myanmar has witnessed more influx of Myanmar nationals in the first two weeks of this December as the armed confrontations between ethnic armed organisations and Myanmar military junta remain unabated.
Notably, Kamjong district of Manipur shares an international border stretching about 109km with Myanmar but the region is porous. Five districts of Manipur – Churachandpur, Chandel, Tengnoupal, Kamjong and Ukhrul share a 398km stretch of Indo-Myanmar border.
According to sources, altogether 4052 Myanmar nationals are taking shelter at the relief camps set up at Namlee, Wanglee, Kaka, Kheronram and Phaikoh villages of Kamjong district currently.
Over 2060 Myanmar nationals have crossed the border recently and are taking refuge in Manipur after intense gunfight in the neighbouring country in the second week of December, according to reports quoting Kamjong district administration.
Meanwhile, police sources said that the influx of Myanmar nationals at Phaikoh has increased from 500 to 1448; and from 431 to 1040 at Kheronram. They also said that 1129 Myanmar nationals arrived at Kasom block in the last 2-3 days of December second week.
Reportedly, Myanmar nationals had to flee as the military junta used fighter jets and helicopters to attack the anti-junta armed groups. However, reports said the anti-junta armed groups attacked the Myanmar Army camps at Aungzaya and Thanan in the second week of December. Aungzaya and Thanan villages are located close to Indo-Myanmar border between Border Pillars 92 and 102 near Phaikoh and Skipe villages in Manipur’s Kamjong district.
Kamjong district police are expecting more Myanmar nationals to enter Manipur in the next couple of days as there still is hostility between anti-junta ethnic armed groups and Myanmar Military junta at Myothit, Zeti, Mandi and Pheichang villages of Myanmar.
Myothit, which is about 8 km from Choro village of Kamjong district, is said to be a stronghold of the Myanmar military based in the border region of Myanmar and India.
Most of the Myanmar nationals staying at the relief camps are Shan people and Kukis from nearby villages of Aungzaya, Thanan, Nangmo, Zeti, Phailen etc.
According to credible sources, altogether 1637 Myanmar nationals are currently taking refuge at Humin Thana, Phaikoh Namlee, Wanglee and Kaka villages situated along the border areas of Kamjong district. Over 250 persons including children from Aungiya are taking shelter at the relief camps, reports added.
Reports said that Assam Rifles also assisted in taking biometrics of the Myanmar nationals while Phungyar AC MLA Leishiyo Keishing supervised the whole exercise.
All the Kukis from Myanmar are being lodged at Phaikoh Village separately after identification said the sources. The figures of inmates taking refuge in Kamjong are 623 each at Huimin Thana and Phaikoh, 120 at Namlee, 135 at Wanglee and 200 at Kaka. The inmates are being taken care of by district administrations and local civil society organisations (CSOs).
Meanwhile, reports said that biometrics capturing exercise is still underway at Kamjong to document the details of Myanmar nationals at the relief camps. The Kamjong district administration has captured the biometrics of 1592 Myanmar Nationals taking refuge in the district till December 5. It is also reported that biometrics of the freshly entered Myanmar nationals have been captured and the exercise is still continuing.
“As of December 10, about 2,260 refugees have taken shelter in Kamjong district and biometrics about 1,778 Myanmar immigrants has been captured. Some of them arrived on Sunday (December 10),” added another report quoting a senior district official of Kamjong district.
The Myanmar refugees, mostly women and children, have been provided with food, necessary household items etc since last month at areas under Phaikoh, H Thana/Sangkalok, K Ashang Khullen, Wanglee and Namlee villages, reports said.
Reports also quoted Additional District Magistrate of Kamjong District, Kamjong HL Jain who is also the SDO in-Charge of Kasom Block as saying that 1129 more Myanmar nationals entered Indian side recently apart from those (435 refugees) who have been taking refuge already since November 22 and they have been sent to the relief camps set up at Wanglee, Namlee and Kaka villages under Kasom sub-division.
Notably, Manipur BJP MLA Rajkumar Imo who is also son-in-law of Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren took to social media about the identification of the Myanmar nationals who entered into Manipur and said: “Many have been asking if the state government has been identifying illegal migrants across the state. I would like to reaffirm to all concerned people, yes, all identification work is being taken up by the State government; that is why it was extended up to March 2024. Thus, all such identification of illegal migrants/refugees are being done/will be done across the state including Kamjong and other places where there were recent reports of more people coming in from Myanmar.”
Earlier, a report by a Sub-Committee of Manipur Cabinet, headed by Tribal Affairs and Hill Development Minister Letpao Haokip, revealed in March-April, 2023 that 2,187 illegal immigrants from Myanmar set up settlements in 41 locations in four districts – Tengnoupal, Chandel, Kamjong, and Churachandpur – since the military coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021. Letpao Haokip, a BJP legislator, is one of the 10 tribal MLAs who demanded a Separate Administration for the Kuki-Zomi tribes following the outbreak of violent conflict on May 3.
Furthermore, around 718 Myanmar nationals including 209 male, 208 female and 301 children entered into Manipur and found settled at New Layang, Yangnomphai saw mill, Yangnomphai, New Samtal, Bonse, Aivomyang and Layang in Manipur’s border districts in July 22 and 23 during the period when the violence in Manipur was raging.
Manipur Chief Secretary Vineet Joshi on July 24 sought to know from the Assam Rifles how the Myanmarese were allowed to enter India without proper travel documents and asked the border-guarding force to push back the illegal immigrants immediately.
Notably, on February 24, 2023, Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren informed the Manipur Legislative Assembly in reply to a question asked by Congress MLA Kangujam Ranjit that 393 Myanmar nationals who entered the State illegally of which 210 during 2022-23 had been identified since January 2012 till February, 2023.
However, in contrast to the number of Myanmar nationals identified as illegal immigrants by Manipur government, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) the number of Myanmar refugees living in Manipur as at May 1, 2023 after the military coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021 is 8,250 while more than 10,000 Myanmar nationals were reported to have been taking refuge after the military coup in Myanmar before the May 3 violent conflict.
The Myanmar nationals entering into Manipur share close ties with the minority Kuki-Chin-Hmar-Zomi-Mizo tribes in Manipur and they can easily mingle with them and difficult to detect them, which created a sense of marginalisation among the non-tribal Meitei community.
Had there been a documentation process of the Myanmar nationals who entered into Manipur seeking refuge by the Government with an open policy or decision to deal with the humanitarian crisis respecting the UN Refugee Convention 1951 or its 1967 Protocol and UDHR, the identification of exact number of Myanmar nationals sheltering in Manipur would have been easier.
Before the violent conflict between the Kuki-Zomi militants and Meiteis erupted on May 3, 2023, the Meiteis and Nagas in Manipur (COCOMI and UNC) were already feeling outnumbered by the significant refugee influx into the State since the military coup in Myanmar. The Meiteis in Manipur consider illegal immigrants as a threat to their sociopolitical situation.
The illegal immigrants from Myanmar have been a compounding factor in the ongoing eight-month violent conflict between the Kuki-Zomi militants and the non-tribal Meiteis. It also adds to the complexity and volatility of the situation for refugees from Myanmar in Manipur.
Nevertheless, even as the violent conflict continues in Manipur for about eight months, the number of Myanmar nationals fleeing into the State surges recently.
Senior Editor: Imphal Review of Arts and Politics
