Imphal/Aizawl: The Manipur government Saturday started the process of collecting biometric details of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the northeastern border state following the Union ministry of home affairs directive, a senior official said.
“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 government of Manipur has resumed its campaign for biometric capture of all illegal immigrants in the state from today (July 29),” joint secretary (home) Peter Salam, who is the state’s nodal officer, said in a press release.
“The campaign will continue in all districts until biometric data of all illegal Myanmar immigrants in the state are successfully captured,” it said. “The same is targeted for completion by September 2023.”
More than 30,000 Myanmar nationals have taken shelter in Mizoram since February 2021 after the Myanmar military junta staged a coup in the neighbouring country, news agency PTI reported.
A pilot project of recording biometric data of Myanmar nationals was launched in all the 11 districts last week, the PTI report said quoting David H. Lalthangliana, state home department officer on special duty. Lalthangliana said the exercise was being conducted in relief camps.
In April, the union home ministry had asked Mizoram and Manipur to collect biometric details of illegal immigrants. In June, the ministry reminded both the states to complete the exercise by September 30.
Lalthangliana said the exercise could not be undertaken immediately as the original format needed to be altered to collect data from Myanmar nationals.
Earlier, the Zoramthanga government in Mizoram had conducted profiling of the Myanmar nationals on its own and issued identity cards to them.
Chief Minister Zoramthanga had also objected to the instruction of the Centre to deport Myanmar nationals from the state as the illegal migrants belong to the same ethnic group and he had to provide shelter on humanitarian grounds
Majority of the Myanmar nationals live in relief camps, while some stay in rented houses and others have been accommodated by their relatives.
The Mizoram government, NGOs, churches and villagers provide food to the Myanmar nationals, who also support themselves on daily labour.
