The Manipur police on Friday arrested 81 Myanmar citizens including 10 minors for illegally entering India and settling in the border district of Tengnoupal.According to police, the Myanmarese people had settled in and around New Salbung village and H Lhangcham village, 7 km south of the Moreh police station.Police have registered a suo motu case under section 14 of the Foreigners Act 1946.
The district superintendent of police informed the state home secretary that the Myanmar citizens would be produced in a local court.The home secretary notified the state police chief to open a foreigner detention centre at a newly constructed building in the Sajiwa prison complex.
The home secretary further directed that the Myanmar citizens be provided security on their way to the detention centre as soon as police obtain a court order and hand them over to correctional department officers. According to police, the Myanmar nationals had settled in and around New Salbung village and H Lhangcham village.
A suo-moto case under section 14 Foreigners Act has been registered by the police and investigations have begun.Following the arrests, police informed the state government that the process of producing the Myanmar nationals before court for further legal process is underway.
In order to house the foreigners, the home secretary notified the DGP, Manipur to open and activate a Foreigner Detention Centre, Sajiwa at the newly constructed unused building in Sajiwa prison complex.
A notification in this regard was issued by the home department that the governor of Manipur has declared the premise of the newly constructed building outside the Sajiwa jail as a foreigner detention centre to house illegal immigrants who enter Manipur.
According to a list of the arrested foreigners provided by the police, all the Myanmar residents are from Tamu district of the neighbouring country.
Since the military coup in Myanmar last year, over 30,000 Myanmar nationals have entered Mizoram where the state government has provided them shelter, food and identity cards on humanitarian grounds.