Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said illegal immigration is a grave threat to the state’s indigenous people and asserted that those who entered after 1961 should be deported with Central Government’s help.
In response to a query from Naga People’s Front legislator Leishiyo Keishing in the Assembly, Singh described the situation as “alarming,” and stressed the need for unity in addressing illegal immigration.
He remarked, “It is an alarming situation. Illegal immigration has caused demographic changes but some sections do not believe it. Without unity, it is not possible to deal with the issue.”
Singh said the State has a 398-km porous and unguarded international border with Myanmar, which complicates the detection of illegal immigrants.
He recalled that a Cabinet sub-committee led by Tribal Affairs and Development Minister Letpao Haokip had been formed to investigate the issue. The sub-committee, working with the Home Ministry, identified nearly 2,480 illegal immigrants, though this figure is subject to correction, he said and added that detecting these immigrants is challenging when they blend with local populations.
The Chief Minister mentioned that new villages have been set up by illegal immigrants, with some areas inaccessible due to local conflicts with the Myanmar-based People’s Defence Force (PDF). He said anyone sheltering illegal immigrants would face punishment under new orders.
Previously, 140 to 150 immigrants from Churachandpur district were detained and moved to a shelter in Imphal, said the Chief Minister, adding that satellite data has revealed new villages forming after May 3, 2023, the day when the ethnic clashes started.
The implementation of the Inner Line Permit system is based on the year 1961, he said.