Manipur govt resumes biometric capture of illegal Myanmar nationals after Centre's directive
Following a mandate order from the Centre, the Manipur administration resumed its campaign on Saturday to capture the biometric data of all unauthorized immigrants from Myanmar living in the border state’s ethnically divided northeast.
Biometric capture of all Illegal immigrants
The government of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal immigrants in the state as of today (July 29), according to joint secretary (home) Peter Salam, who serves as the state’s nodal officer, “on instructions of the ministry of home affairs, Government of India, to complete the campaign for biometric capture of illegal Myanmar immigrants in the state of Manipur by September 2023.”
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) provided assistance to Manipur officials in the biometric capture exercise on Saturday at the foreigners’ detention center in Sajiwa of the Imphal East district. The NCRB team was sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs to train and support Manipur officials.
The capture to be done in all districts
It said, “The program will continue in all districts until biometric information on all unauthorized immigrants from Myanmar in the state is properly captured. The same is planned to be finished by September 2023.
On July 28, the state’s nodal officer asked all district superintendents of police to start the campaign for the biometric collection of illegal immigrants from Myanmar in the state right away in order to have it finished by September 2023.
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Due to continued fighting at Khampat in the neighboring country, 718 Myanmar citizens — 209 men, 208 women, and 301 children — were seen entering Manipur’s general area of New Lajang under the Chandel district on July 23.
The 60-member state assembly was notified by the chief minister N Biren Singh in February 2023 that 393 people who were citizens of Myanmar had been detained in the state overall between January 1, 2012, and February of this year.
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Following the influx of citizens of Myanmar into Manipur due to the worsening crisis in their neighboring country in March, the state had planned to establish a temporary shelter house with room for some 5,000 illegal immigrants. A 398-kilometer international boundary separates Manipur from Myanmar.
