Amid clashes in Myanmar 1,650 refugees taking shelter in Manipur

Imphal: The influx of Myanmar nationals (refugees) in Kamjong, Manipur has so far reached around 1,650 amid intense clashes between the military junta and ethnic rebel groups in Myanmar, Manipur government officials said on Thursday.

The refugees, mostly women and children, are taking shelter in various relief camps in the district.
Due to the increased influx of refugees, a biometric capture campaign has been launched for all illegal Myanmar nationals, but due to the winter rains and the unstable situation in the border areas, these campaigns are proceeding at a slow pace.
Out of a total of 1637 refugees, the Kamjong district administration, with the help of the Assam Rifles deployed along the unguarded border, managed to obtain the biometrics of 1592 Myanmar nationals who had taken refuge as refugees in the district till 5 December 2023.
The refugees are currently taking shelter in villages like Humin Thana, Phaikoh, Namlee, Wanglee and Kaka.

The number of refugees increased significantly after the Myanmar military bombarded several villages across the border as part of its actions to flush out ethnic rebels.

Under the directives of the central government, the state government of Manipur has started collecting biometric details for the identification of Myanmar nationals in the state.