Manipur writes to Centre on Myanmar Army’s encroachment

The Manipur government on Monday wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for additional security forces to help curb encroachments from the Myanmar Army. In a letter written to the Joint Secretary (border management) of the MEA on Monday, the Joint Secretary of the Home Department of Manipur, Rehanuddin Chaudhary, referred to an incident of vandalism that occurred on the eve of the state Assembly elections in Chandel district. 

The letter said that on March 3, 2017, near Border Patrol 76 near the village of Haolenphai village in Chandel district, soldiers of the Myanmar Army encroached on Indian soil at around 1pm. “The Myanmar Army came to the house of the village chief and destroyed the saw mill owned by him and took away the machinery. It is also reported that the Myanmar army fired a few shots on the same day,” the letter read.

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A letter that Manipur’s Home Department has written to the MEA states that the Myanmar Army has been terrorising the lives of the villagers in Haolenphai  for the past two years. It also said that the Manipur Cabinet took “serious note” of the army’s encroachment.