FREINDS report finds immigrant influx threatening

IMPHAL, Sep 10: The number of illegal foreigner immigrants and outsiders has tremendously increased in Manipur, said the Federation of Regional Indigenous Society, FREINDS in a memorandum submitted to the state chief secretary urging for appropriate action to redress the issue.The border town of Moreh and Jiribam have become a haven for the foreigners while among the hill districts Senapati has the maximum number of outsider influx, observed the memorandum submitted today.The memorandum further observed that the lifting of the permit system by the government in November 1950 was the root cause of the tremendous rise of immigrants in Manipur, while demanding introduction of the inner line permit system in the state.Other demands of the society include detection and deportation of the illegal foreign migrants within 20 days, identification and deletion of the names of foreigners and unauthorized outsiders from the electoral rolls and creation of a department for immigrants in the state.The number of illegal foreign immigrants and outsiders have tremendously increased in the state of Manipur, the society said citing a report prepared by experts.Quoting a report from the “Influx of Migrants into Manipur - A threat to the indigenous Ethnic People, United Committee Manipur”, the memorandum stated that the percentage of influx along with offsprings in 2001 reached an alarming proportion of 30 percent of the total population.The immigrants have settled extensively almost in all districts of Manipur and most of them are from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar, FREINDS stated in the memorandum.The immigrants settled in the state have entered their names illegally in the electoral rolls and significantly many of them are even elected in the panchayat bodies, the society said giving reference to the Manipur Gazette Extraordinary of 2002.The border town of Moreh and Jiribam have become a haven for the foreigners, the society stated in the memorandum adding that these immigrants who infiltrated into India stealthily have come without womenfolk.When they settle in the state these immigrants get married to the local women of various tribes and stake claim over landed property, etc. and within a short period of time they have become defacto citizens of India, the memorandum observed.Immigrants also heavily infested the metropolitan urban constituencies. The peripheral constituencies are also taken over by them, it said citing that in an instance Jiribam constituency located adjacent to Assam had 60 percent of the total population believed to be migrants.More than 200 Arkanese foreigners were found at Moreh during a recent survey conducted by the society, the FRIENDS said adding that they were found well settled along with Manipuri wives.While picking out Senapati district with maximum migrants, it observed that Nepali foreigners have almost taken over the economy and land assets of the district.In such a situation, the society while expressing fear of becoming another Tripura, said Tripura state has been in a pitiable situation with out of 32 lakhs population more than 25 lakh being foreigners and outsiders.The root cause of the tremendous increase in the number of immigrants in Manipur was the lifting of inner line permit system from the state, the society in its memorandum said adding that the population of the state jumped to 2.29 million in 2001 census from 1.84 million. The growth rate is 24.86 percent against India’s growth rate of 21.35 percent.It is a bounden duty under the Constitution of India to safeguard and protect the lives and interest of the indigenous Manipuris and take up redressal measures with regard to illegal migrants issue in the state, it said. (Courtesy:IFP)