Imphal, March 28: “Many Myanmar refugees are taking shelter in different parts of Moreh in the wake of the prevailing conflicts between the Myanmar Army and the People’s Defence Force (PDF) militants, and the Manipur government has decided to shelter them on humanitarian grounds. However, the state government’s decision to shelter the refugees in a fictitious Haolenphai village without the knowledge and approval of the original village authorities is condemnable”, says Nungchim Laban Moyon, Chief of Mangkang Khunthak village, while briefing media persons at Manipur Press Club in Imphal today.
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The Indigenous Moyon people residing in Menkang (Mankang) Khunthak village express discontentment and condemn the Manipur government for not consulting with the community before taking a decision to build temporary shelter homes for Myanmar refugees who have entered Manipur amid the prevailing conflict in neighbouring Myanmar. The Moyon tribe claims that Haolenphai village, where the Manipur government is setting up temporary shelters to accommodate the Myanmar refugees, is originally Mankhang Khunthak village and not Holenphai village. The community appeals to the state government to refer to the place as Mangkang Khunthak village instead of Haolenphai.
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“The proposed fictitious Haolenphai village is originally Mankang Khunthak Moyon village having village code number 270730 under Moreh Block, Tengnoupal Sub-Division. Haolenphai is a fictitious village without due process and not recognised by the government as per Manipur Gazzette, Office Memorandum. Some people who started residing at Mangkang Khunthak village around 1995 renamed the village as Haolenphai,” the village chief asserted.
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Stating that a land-dispute case between Mangkang Khunthak village and Haolenphai village is still pending, Nungchim Laban Moyon says Mankang village Authority appreciates the government of Manipur’s humanitarian initiative to temporarily shelter the Myanmar refugees, but it also condemns the insensitive attitude shown towards Mangkang villagers who are displaced by initiating the construction of refugee shelter in the village.
