The exiled National Unity Government in Myanmar, which is fighting the military junta, has made a public announcement asking refugees in India who had filed their country to live in harmony and appropriately with host communities and follow the religious and social rules in the wards or villages in India where they are residing in.
Northeast Live has accessed an NUG directive that need to be seen in the context of the ongoing ethnic strife in Manipur. The NUG directive called upon Myanmarese nationals who are “temporarily sheltering” in India because of the military crackdown back home to stay away from political issues and ethnic conflicts in India.
The announcement is because Manipur CM N Biren Singh has said several times in the course of the violence since May 3 that the fight is between the security forces and illegal infiltrators from Myanmar. Voices from the Imphal Valley have even said armed Kuki rebels from Myanmar are involved in the fighting.
A large number of Kuki Chin people from the Sagaing region of Myanmar and its neighbourhood have taken refuge in Mizoram and Manipur after the February 1, 2021, military coup in Myanmar.
The NUG public announcement has also advised Myanmar refugees in India “to be cautious and avoid unnecessary involvement in political and administrative matters (eg. political parties’ election campaigns).”
The NUG’s statement also urged the refugees from Myanmar “not to get involved in illegal trafficking of drugs and wild animals and related matters.”
Myanmar refugees have also been accused of being involved in poppy cultivation in the Kuki heartland of Manipur. It is clear that the NUG leadership who are operating from areas close to the Myanmar border are aware of the concerns or the accusations in Manipur.
The review meeting was attended by Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura.
In total, around 1,200-1,400 houses primarily belonging to Bengali-speaking Muslims, were demolished during the eviction…