Imphal, May 2: Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Tuesday stated that Myanmar immigrants are responsible for deforestation, poppy cultivation, and drugs menace in the state.
“To protect the state, the government has launched a green Manipur campaign, identified the occupied reserve forest lands, promoted fruits and vegetables farming and destroyed all the hidden poppy fields. The drive against narcotics is now in full swing,” CM Singh said.
In a series of social media posts, the Chief Minister said the state government will continue to give utmost priority to the protection of Manipur and its entire indigenous people.
Attaching photographs of two arrested drug peddlers, the Chief Minister tweeted: “These are the people who are destroying our generation. They are destroying our natural forests to plant poppy, and further igniting communal issues to carry out their drugs smuggling business.”
— N.Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh) May 1, 2023
The Chief Minister’s assertion is significant as incidents of violence, including arsoning and vandalization of government properties, were triggered last week after the tribals launched fresh protests against the state government’s action of destroying poppy fields in the forest land, especially in the reserve and protected forests in the hilly areas.
Meanwhile, night curfew continued for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday in Manipur’s Churachandpur district even as no fresh incidents of violence have been reported from the mountainous district in the last 72 hours.
Different tribal bodies, including the Naga Students Union Chandel, Sadar Hills Tribal Union on Land and Forests, Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong, and Tribal Churches Leaders Forum announced their support for the “tribal solidarity march”.
The ATSUM said in a statement that the rally will be organised to express protest against “the persistent demand of the Meitei community for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe category” and “the need for taking appropriate measures to collectively protect the tribal interests”.
