scorecardresearch
Friday, March 29, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeIndiaAnger in Manipur border town as 2 Tamil men shot in junta-ruled...

Anger in Manipur border town as 2 Tamil men shot in junta-ruled Myanmar, no trace of bodies

P. Mohan (27) and M. Aiyanar (35), both residents of Moreh on Indo-Myanmar border, crossed over into Myanmar Tuesday morning. They were allegedly killed by a pro-junta militia.

Follow Us :
Text Size:

Guwahati: Forty-eight hours have passed but district officials in Manipur’s Tengnoupal are yet to locate the bodies of two Tamil men who were allegedly shot dead by pro-junta militia after crossing into neighbouring Myanmar.

P. Mohan (27) and M. Aiyanar (35), both residents of Moreh town on the Indo-Myanmar border, had crossed over into Myanmar Tuesday morning. They are believed to have been headed for Tamu, 3 km from Moreh.

The Free Movement Regime (FMR) allows people residing on both sides of the Indo-Myanmar border to travel 16 km into either country without visa restrictions. However, the borders were sealed and movement halted in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In light of last year’s coup in Myanmar, a local official said, residents had been advised to seek permission from the authorities before travelling across the border.

“One of their friends had called them for a birthday party in Tamu. The incident took place in the town itself,” said K.B.S. Maniam, general secretary of Moreh Tamil Sangam, a body of Tamil traders in Manipur.

The two men were killed on Myanmar’s side of the border in the presence of several eyewitnesses, Maniam claimed, adding: “We got to know that the bodies were at the Tamu District Hospital. Following this, there has been no information.”

By some accounts, the two were reportedly “stalked by motorcycle-borne youths” before they were shot “near the Buddhist Temple in Tamu”.

Reached for comment, Tengnoupal deputy commissioner Mannuamching said “the families have filed a missing report and investigation is on”. “But we don’t know where the bodies are,” he said.

ThePrint reached Manipur Director General of Police (DGP) P. Doungel — who reportedly visited Moreh town to inquire about the incident — via call but hadn’t received a response by the time of publishing this report.


Also Read: In Myanmar, a new ‘criminal’ State is rising. And China is paying to build it


Demand to hand over bodies

Maniam told ThePrint that when local residents in Tamu, many of them Tamils, “came to know [about the incident], they called their friends and their relatives saying that two Tamils had been killed”.

Soon after, unverified photographs were circulated on Facebook showing the two Tamil men, who appeared to have been shot from close range, according to reports

“The local people of the area put up pictures on social media saying that these people seem like Tamilians from Moreh… they had identified the body as being of Tamilians from Moreh,” said another member of the Tamil Sangam, who did not wish to be named.

Following the incident, community leaders from Moreh submitted a memorandum to Manipur CM N. Biren Singh Wednesday, urging the government to “initiate immediate necessary formalities” with counterparts in Myanmar to hand over the bodies “within 24 hours”.

Local leaders have also sought compensation for the families of the two Tamil men whose deaths prompted a two-day shutdown in Moreh.

“In case the reasonable demand made above is not met in time, we shall be compelled to resort to any form of agitation and in the event of similar fate and (any) incident that may occur on the Indian side on Myanmar citizens, the state government shall be held responsible,” read the memo, a copy of which has been accessed by ThePrint.

Citing the “situation” in Myanmar since the military seized control on 1 February 2021, Tengnoupal deputy commissioner Mannuamching said the two men “didn’t have any permission from the authorities to cross over”.

“Since the situation is bad, we had also issued an advisory for people to not move to and fro without proper permission from the authority,” he added.

K.B.S. Maniam said people “would come and go [to Myanmar] at their own risk”.

“The government has also been a little lax because these are mostly traders who would cross over for their bread and butter,” he added.

(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)


Also Read: NIA raids in Mizoram over January seizure of explosives ‘meant for’ Myanmar insurgent group


 

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular