The United Committee Manipur (UCM) along with villagers and a team of media persons inspected India-Myanmar border pillar 103 in Kamjong district Tuesday, and said it will submit a report to the Centre.
Pointing out that Manipur is losing its land spreading from 2 km to 5 km along the India-Myanmar border, the UCM alleged the Centre of being indifferent towards the border issue despite Myanmar encroaching on Manipur’s land along the border.
As villagers have also raised concern that Myanmar has been encroaching upon Manipur’s land along the Border Pillar 103, committee members along with experts measured the latitude and longitude of the border pillar to be verified with the coordinates in record.
Speaking to the media during the inspection, UCM president Joychandra Konthoujam said that UCM with the help of experts will compile a report of the disputed border pillars and submit the same to the Prime Minister, the Union Home minister and the government to mount pressure to verify and resolve the border issue. UCM will also submit a fact finding report to the state government, he added.
Joychandra said that it is the right time to settle the border issue since Manipur’s MP RK Ranjan, who is also an expert in the matter, is the Union minister of state for external affairs.
He stated that such an opportunity should not be allowed to slip away and drew attention of the MoS to fulfil his assurance of verifying the disputed border pillars by October.
It may be mentioned that UCM has been inspecting the border pillars, starting number 76 in Moreh, Tengnoupal district. The committee president said that even the border fencing carried out by BRTF under the Ministry of Home Affairs is being done by compromising 5 km of the land safeguarded by Manipuri forefathers.
He lamented that apart from erasing traditional boundaries marked on trees, Myanmar has shifted the border pillars by erecting the same inside Manipur’s land.
The UCM further pointed out that after much pressure by UCM, the coordinates of border pillar 96 erected at Kangpat Khullen in Kamjong district have been rectified in Google Map.
Contending that there are instances of Myanmar Army personnel having imprisoned and tortured villagers who try to defend the state’s territory, he urged the Government of India and the state government to take necessary measures at the earliest to prevent such incidents.
The UCM president added that it is prepared to launch agitations along with the people anytime to safeguard Manipur’s territory.
“The Government of India and the state government must bear responsibility if any untoward incidents when people’s emotions explode,” he added.
Meanwhile, UCM secretary general Ngangom Deva questioned whether India is turning a blind eye to the border issues affecting Manipur as if Manipur is not a part of India when it is flexing muscles at Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh.
He further noted that the effectiveness of the task force formed by the state government to safeguard Manipur’s border is yet to be seen and there is no reflection of any steps taken in this regard. Kamjong police personnel also accompanied the team during the inspection.
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