Manipur govt withdraws 'no food, shelter for Myanmar refugees' order after outrage

New Delhi: The Manipur government on Tuesday withdrew its earlier order against local authorities setting up food and shelter camps for Myanmar citizens entering India due to the ongoing turmoil in the neighbouring country, NDTV reported.

The order which was sent out on March 26 had asked the border officials to "politely turn away" and neither open any relief camps nor provide food and shelter to potential refugees.

In a confidential letter, the Manipur Home department had ordered the deputy commissioners of Chandel, Tengnoupal, Kamjong, Ukhrul, and Churachandpur to ensure that Aadhar enrolment was stopped immediately and the kits used in the procedure were taken to safe custody.

Withdrawing the order, the Home department yesterday wrote again to the same officials on the matter claiming that that the contents of the letter have been misconstrued and interpreted differently.

"In order to avoid this misunderstanding I am directed to convey the decision of the government that it has decided to withdraw the letter dated 26.03.2021 mentioned above," H Gyan Prakash, Special Home Secretary to the state government, said in yesterday's letter.

The Special Home Secretary also remarked that the government has been taking all humanitarian steps including taking the refugees to Imphal and treating the injured Myanmarese nationals. He also assured that the state government is continuing to provide all aid.

The officials had been asked to submit an 'action taken report' on the matter by today.

Myanmar's Ambassador to the United Nations had earlier appealed to India and the various governments of its states bordering the country to provide shelter to refugees given the humanitarian crisis unfolding there.

India has been expecting refugees from Myanmar ever since the neighbouring country's military junta opened fire on protesting civilians in nine regions of the country on Friday, killing scores of people, including children.

The Biren Singh government's order for Manipur had drawn a lot of criticism on social media, with many dubbing it inhuman and going against India's long-cherished tradition of hospitality.