Imphal: In an alarming development, at least 5457 illegal immigrants especially from Myanmar entered into the Indian state of Manipur over the last few weeks.
The entry of illegal immigrants from the eastern neighbour comes at a time when Manipur was facing ethnic strife between the Meiteis and Kukis over illegal immigrants and large-scale deforestation for the cultivation of poppy in the large swath of hill ranges in the state.
Nearly 300 people have been killed, and nearly 70,000 people have been rendered homeless and are taking shelter at various relief camps run by the state government due to the conflict that began on 3 May last year.
Most of the immigrants were detected in the Kamjong district of Manipur as of May 7th, 2024. Out of the total, the biometric data of 5173 such illegal immigrants have been collected so far. The deportation process is underway, Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced in his X handle on Wednesday.
“We have been giving humanitarian aid to all the illegal immigrants detected. Despite being an alarming situation, we have been handling it with utmost sensitivity,” Biren Singh added.
Earlier, the Chief Minister declared that the unnatural growth of 996 new villages due to illegal immigrants is a threat to not only indigenous people but also the national security.
Asking whether anyone will accept the unnatural growth of new villages and population that massive changes to the demography in their own state or state, Biren said that we’re confronting a serious issue within our nation, especially in Manipur, where several new villages have emerged due to a massive influx of illegal immigrants from Myanmar since 2006 till date.
During this period, massive forest cover has been destroyed to establish settlements as well as carry out poppy plantations, he warned.
