IMPHAL, Dec 16 ? Out of over 200 ethnic tribals who took shelters in Myanmar due to large-scale fightings between the troops of Indian Army and frontline United National Liberation Front along the porous border, 110 including women and children were handed over to the Indian authorities at Moreh, India?s gateway to the South-east Asian countries.
Official sources here said on Wednesday that around 90 tribals still in Myanmar, are to be handed over soon. The refugees who have been handed over include 52 males and 58 females and are being lodged at the Moreh Ward No. 2 Super Market where an emergency relief camp has been opened, Moreh Meitei Council joint secretary Thoiba Ningthouja told this correspondent over phone on Wednesday.
The secretary of Tamu?s District Peace and Development Council Major Aungthura has handed over the refugees to Moreh SDC and the police OC. They were brought in three buses. More than 200 villagers from Old Somtal, New Somtal and Seljang villages in Chandel district of Manipur fled to Myanmar particularly in Bokkan and Tamu in Saigang division of the north western Myanmar after sporadic gunfights in their villages on Sunday.
Moreh Hill Tribal Council vice-president H Mate said that the relief committee distributed rice, blankets, dal, salt and mustard oil, provided by the State Government as relief material, to the refugees currently taking shelters. Relief material to the tune of ten kilos of rice, two kilos of dal, 500 ml of mustard oil and 500 mg salt per individual was distributed.