Several residents of Moreh Town in Manipur fled to Myanmar after ethnic clashes broke out in the northeast state in May 2023. Chief Minister N Biren Singh has announced on X that 212 Meiteis who were taking shelter in Myanmar for so long have returned to Indian soil. He also thanked the Indian Army for bringing back the Manipur residents safely from the foreign land.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh wrote on X, previously known as Twitter, "Relief and gratitude as 212 fellow Indian citizens (all Meiteis) who sought safety across the Myanmar border post the May 3rd unrest in Moreh town of Manipur, are now safely back on Indian soil."
Advertisement
Further thanking the Indian Army, Singh wrote, "A big shout-out to the Indian Army for their dedication in bringing them home. Sincere gratitude to GOC Eastern Command, Lt Gen. RP Kalita, GOC 3 Corp, Lt Gen. HS Sahi and CO of 5 AR, Col. Rahul Jain for their unwavering service."
Why did people flee to Myanmar?
After the ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities broke out in several parts of Manipur, Moreh town was one of the worst-hit areas after Churachandrapur and Imphal. Moreh town is located about 110 km from the state capital Imphal.
The town is resided by people of the two rival communities along with Tamil-origin people and several other communities.
Advertisement
Now that the Meiteis are back, the state government has not made it clear if they will reside in their homes or the relief centres and about further clashes that may arise between the communities in the area. The Kukis have demanded separate administration in Manipur as they claimed that cohabitation with the Meiteis were not possible anymore.
Reportedly, the Meiteis who were located in hill areas that are majorly resided by Kukis have demanded the state government that they are sent home safely.
There's no clear timeline for returning people to the hills and valleys, as security forces are holding on to what they call "buffer zones" in sensitive areas that Meiteis and Kukis can't reach.
