The Manipur government on Thursday said that the ongoing ethnic crisis in Manipur is a creation of illegal immigrants from Myanmar adding that these migrants after illegally settling in the state started the cultivation of illicit poppies.
The state government in a statement said that Chief Minister N. Biren Singh's 'War on Drugs' has strongly hit the illegal immigrants' illegal activities.
"It is not on account of any religious policy of the state government, as has been falsely portrayed by the Mizo National Front (MNF) and other vested interests, even on foreign soil and in various international fora, through fabricated narratives.
The MNF appears to have also conveniently forgotten that the conflict, on the Kuki side, is funded by narco-terrorist elements," the statement said.
The Manipur government statement comes hours after the MNF demanded that the Chief Minister of the state, N. Biren Singh, resign on claims that he utterly failed in dealing with the over 18-month-long ethnic crisis.
The statement said the Manipur government launched the "War on Drugs" since 2017 till date and seized or destroyed drugs worth Rs 60,000 crores in the international market.
These drugs include 304 kg of heroin powder, 3,775 kg of brown sugar, 1,804 kg of opium, 1,976 kg of Yaba tablets and 422 kg of SP tablets, ice crystal and pseudoephedrine, the statement said adding that 16,787 acres of poppy cultivation were destroyed.
There was a decline of 60 per cent of acreage under illicit poppy cultivation between 2021 and 2023.
On account of the efforts of the state government and assistance of Central government agencies, transit of drugs within the state of Manipur has come down to almost nil at present.
On the other hand, Mizoram has now emerged as the favored route for international transit of illegal arms, ammunition and drugs between India and Myanmar. The MNF should focus on the looming threat on Mizo society from the drug trade instead of passing unwarranted comments on legally justified acts of the Manipur government to combat drug trafficking.".
If requested by the MNF, the Manipur government would offer all possible cooperation to the efforts of the state of Mizoram to curb drugs," the statement said.
It claimed that the MNF has always been expressing its true colour as being an anti-national party owing to its fierce opposition that it has been harboring at every step taken by the Centre to fence its porous borders with neighbouring Myanmar as a measure of curbing illegal immigration, smuggling of weapons and drugs and for national security and defence.
Myanmar is the origin of most of the illegal immigration and drug problems that Manipur has been facing. Going a little further back in history, the MNF had run a secessionist movement in the then Mizo district of Assam," the statement said.
It said that Biren Singh Government has been trying continually to ensure restoration of peace and normalcy and it is feeding over 60,000 persons in relief camps in all across the state who have taken refuge there and being given clothes and house for them too.
The operations of combing up of arms and ammunition lost to law breakers, through loot and plunder at the police armouries also continued successfully from time to time.
Special Investigation Teams constituted by the Centre are to supervise the investigation of the cases, according to the statement issued by the government.
Sensitive cases have been transferred to the NIA and CBI to ensure unbiased investigation. A Commission of Inquiry headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge is conducting an inquiry into the etiology of ethnic conflict.
The statement further said several efforts towards peace, including a meeting of legislators convened have resulted in major developments with the Thadou tribal community, the largest tribe in Manipur, and the Hmar tribe, expressing willingness to end the crisis, with the Meiteis and the Liangmai tribes reciprocating wholeheartedly.
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