Imphal/Aizawl, Nov 22 (NationPress) The former Chief Minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, expressed that all states in the Northeast, including Nagaland and Mizoram, have come to acknowledge the serious nature of the illegal immigration dilemma and have initiated stringent measures, despite facing significant backlash from leaders in surrounding states.

Highlighting the biometric registration of Myanmar refugees in Mizoram, Biren Singh stated in a post on his X account that Manipur must not divert its attention from the illegal immigration crisis.

“When we started the process of identifying illegal immigrants and refugees from Myanmar during my tenure in the NDA government, we faced harsh criticism from neighboring leaders. However, today, every bordering state, such as Nagaland and Mizoram, has come to terms with the severity of the situation and has implemented strict actions,” remarked the former Chief Minister.

He referenced a media report indicating that Mizoram is making significant progress in the identification of illegal immigrants.

“Nevertheless, Manipur, the state that initially took charge, is now silent on this pressing matter, citing ‘ethnic violence’,” he noted.

Singh emphasized that this change in focus is deliberate.

“Certain influential groups are intentionally attempting to shift attention from the primary issue of illegal immigration, aiming to ensnare state and central authorities in secondary matters while the primary threat to Manipur is overlooked,” stated the former Chief Minister.

He urged both the Manipur and Central governments to remain resolute against illegal immigrants.

“We must persist in the detection and deportation of illegal immigrants and refugees back to their home countries,” Singh asserted.

Mizoram has reportedly achieved around 58% of biometric verification.

“What progress has Manipur made thus far? The public deserves an answer. We cannot permit anti-national and anti-state factions to distract us. The safety, stability, and future of Manipur hinge on maintaining our focus on the core issue that sparked this crisis,” Singh remarked.

Since the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021, refugees, including women and children, have sought asylum in Mizoram and Manipur, with numbers escalating to approximately 31,300 in Mizoram and several thousand in Manipur.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) previously instructed both the Manipur and Mizoram governments to promptly gather biographical and biometric information on “illegal migrants” in their jurisdictions.

Following MHA's guidance, the Manipur government commenced recording the biographical and biometric data of Myanmar nationals (refugees) last year, while the Serchhip district in central Mizoram initiated the biometric enrollment campaign for refugees on July 30 this year, followed by ten other districts in Mizoram.

Apart from the Myanmar refugees, around 3,000 migrants from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeastern Bangladesh have also taken refuge in three districts – Lawngtlai, Lunglei, and Serchhip – of Mizoram in the past two years.

An official from the Mizoram Home Department confirmed that the state has successfully completed the biometric registration for 58.25% of the approximately 31,300 Myanmar refugees.

The district authorities of Mizoram have also gathered biometric and biographical data for about 11% of the refugees from Bangladesh.