Manipur to release detained Myanmar nationals, rights group cautions against deportation

Guwahati: The Burma Refugees Committee - Kabaw Valley (B.R.C.K) has welcomed the Manipur government's decision to release 77 Myanmar nationals currently held in a detention center in Imphal. However, the BRCK has expressed serious concerns about the plan to deport the detainees back to Myanmar, which is currently under military rule.

"We are taken aback by the following statement of sending the 77 Myanmar nationals back to Myanmar by handing them over to the military junta. The military regime has recently imposed the Conscription Law in the country on February 10, 2024, triggering large-scale among the people in the entire country. We are extremely worried that handing the Myanmar nationals to the Junta would prompt the military regime to use them as human shields on the battlefields," BRCK said in a statement.

The rights group urged the Manipur government to reconsider the deportation plan and instead allow the detainees to choose whether they want to return to Myanmar or remain in Manipur until the situation there improves.

The BRCK has also requested that the Manipur government allow the released detainees to stay in border areas until they can safely return home.

The rights group praised the Manipur government for its commitment to humanitarian principles and urged the release of all Myanmar nationals currently detained in the state.

The BRCK has also offered to cooperate with the Manipur government in implementing policies concerning Myanmar nationals in the state.