Myanmar group urges Manipur govt to halt deportation

Guwahati: The Burma Refugee Committee-Kabaw Valley, a pro-democracy organisation in Myanmar, on Sunday urged the Manipur government to hold deportation of Myanmar nationals on humanitarian grounds as it could land them in the hands of the military junta. 

The appeal came days after the BJP government in Manipur deported seven Myanmar nationals and said all 77 would be deported in batches.

The Myanmar nationals, who entered Manipur illegally, are lodged in foreigners detention camps, and the government started their deportation in view of the growing anger among the majority Meitei community.

"We are extremely worried that handing the Myanmar nationals to the Junta would prompt the military regime to use them as human shields on the battlefields. We express our utmost concern and sympathy for their safety if they are to be deported as per the plan announced some time ago. For this, we respectfully request the Manipur state government to reconsider the plan on the basis of social, political, and humanitarian grounds," the committee said in a statement on Sunday. 

The committee urged the Manipur government to allow the Myanmar nationals to stay temporarily along the border after being released from the detention centre until they can safely return to their homes.

"We remain indebted to the government and people of Manipur for the kind sympathy and commitment to justice and humanitarian principles on the case. And we would also earnestly like to implore the release of all Myanmar nationals currently lodged at the detention centre in the state without deporting them and handing them to the unhuman and brutal Myanmar Junta as a sign of the healthy, sustainable relationship between the two neighbouring people during this critical situation," it further said.

The situation in Myanmar has remained volatile since the military took over the elected government in 2021 and subsequently launched an armed crackdown against the pro-democracy forces, including members and supporters of political parties. This forced over 40,000 Myanmar nationals, including MPs and MLAs, to take shelter in Mizoram, Manipur, and Nagaland.

While the Mizoram government has provided shelter to the Myanmar nationals, the Manipur government was compelled to take up the deportation following the conflict involving the majority Meitei and the minority Kuki tribes. Meiteis demand that Myanmar nationals be deported as the continuous influx poses a threat to the identity, culture, and land rights of the indigenous communities in Manipur.