Imphal, Jan 5 Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Sunday said that 26 Myanmarese nationals, who had earlier entered India through the state's border, were deported to their country.
Biren Singh, who also holds the Home portfolio, in a post on X said: "A group of 26 Myanmarese nationals who entered India through Manipur's porous border were deported to their home country today.
"The government of Manipur reaffirms its commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to those fleeing war, ensuring their care and dignified departure. However, the state maintains a firm stance against allowing illegal migrants to stay back in Manipur."
A senior Manipur Home Department official said that the Myanmarese were handed over to the authorities of the neighbouring country by Manipur police and the central forces deployed along the bordering Moreh town.
Since March 8 last year, 141 Myanmarese nationals, including women and children, in four different phases have been deported to their country.
In coordination with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and central security forces, last year deported 115 Myanmarese nationals, including women and children, in three phases.
After the military junta seized power in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, around 35,000 people, including women, elderly people and children, from the neighbouring country took shelter in 11 districts of Mizoram.
The Myanmarese are staying in more than a hundred relief camps in six districts while several thousand others live in relatives or friends' houses as well as in rented accommodation, a Mizoram Home Department official said.
Over 6,000 Myanmarese nationals took shelter in Manipur’s different bordering districts. Mizoram and Manipur have 518 km and 400 km of unfenced borders, respectively, with Myanmar.
The MHA earlier in 2022 asked both the Manipur and Mizoram governments to undertake the recording of biometric and biographic data of all the Myanmar refugees.
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