IMPHAL, Oct 25 ? Myanmar military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has made positive efforts to have close ties with India through the north-eastern states particularly in Moreh, India?s gateway to the South East Asian countries with the releasing of eight Indian nationals from the NE states who were languishing inside a jail in Myanmar after being arrested on charge of drug trafficking and entering Myanmar without valid documents.
The good gesture from the Myanmar authorities has been made ahead of the India-ASEAN car rally scheduled to be started from Nov 22 next, passing Nagaland, Assam and Manipur, which will finally reach at Batam in Indonesia on December 11 after crossing several countries, including Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. The handing over of the Indians were also made ahead of the Myanmar?s military ruler, Senior General Than Shwe, who arrives in India on Sunday on a landmark visit to strengthen economic and political ties with India.
Known to have persistently been cracking down on drug trafficking along the Indo-Myanmar border, the SPDC has handed over eight Indian nationals to the Indian authorities at Moreh, India?s gateway to the South East Asian countries.
The Indian nationals ? seven from Chandel district of Manipur including two tribal women and one from Tripura were arrested on charge of drug trafficking and entering Myanmar territory without valid documents. They were handed over to Indian Immigration officer at Moreh on Saturday, official sources said here on Sunday.
These Indians who are now in a jail in Kalemyo (Myanmar) belonged different communities of Manipur and Tripura. Thangsa Dev Varman, 27, is the resident of West Tripura. The others, Letkhoneng Khongsai, 35, Tai Khongsai, 35, Letkhongam Haokip, 33, Nunkhopao Lungdim, 40, Hengkholen Hangsing, 28, Ngamthang Paite, 28, and Lenkhogin Kipgen, 29 are from Chandel district of Manipur bordering Myanmar. They were arrested from different places in Myanmar during the past few years, the sources said.
Kalemyo, which is about 170 km from Moreh, international trade centre in Manipur sector, is the capital city of Saigang division, north western Myanmar bordering North eastern states of India. Drug traffickers arrested from different places in Saigang division are dumped for military trial at Kalemyo jail.
Myanmar authorities have taken up stern actions against those drug traffickers following report of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency stating that Myanmar alone produced 2560 metric tons of raw opium last year. Myanmar alone produced over 70 metric tones of pure heroin after being refined it from the raw opium of which 30 percent of the bulk has been smuggling out to the mainland of India through Mizoram and Manipur which have been reduced to the direct victims of the notorious ?Golden Triangle?? world?s most heroin refinery area composed of northern Thailand, northern and eastern Myanmar and western Laos.
Strict measures against drug traffickers along the 1664-km Indo-Myanmar border have mainly been stepping up since 1997 ? the year the military Junta State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) changed its name into the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). However, during the period of SLORC from 1988 to 1997, several stray incidents of arresting the Indians on the fictitious charges and impounding their vehicles engaging for the transportation of teak wood from across the border particularly in Ukhrul and Chandel districts of Manipur have been reported. Those arrested Indians were released in due course.
Since then the number of Indians languishing inside Myanmar jail has narrowed down from 70 to 22, the sources said.
The international drug traffickers have persistently been continuing their shady business across the porous Indo Myanmar border at New Somdal, Behiang, Molcham in Manipur sector and Champai in Mizoram. These contraband goods have been smuggling through the form of packed after passing through various sensitive places of Myanmar and finally reached its destinations in the north-eastern states of the country. Later, the goods have also been transported to the mainland the country.