Shutdown in Manipur over border row disrupts normal life

A 12- hour shutdown was called earlier this month by the Committee on Protection of Land in Border Fencing to protest against wooden fencing of non-demarcated areas along the Indo-Myanmar border at Moreh in the state's Chandel District.

Markets and business establishments remained closed and all commercial vehicles remained off the road on October 7, disrupted normal life in Manipur.

The frequent strikes have caused inconvenience to the general public.

Chungkham Neelam Devi, a local, said that people are facing a lot of problems due to the shutdown.

"Due to on- going fencing at the border area of Manipur and Myanmar, people have called a general bandh, so we want both the government to settle as early as possible. Due to the shutdown we cannot go and come back for work, and we face lots of problem," she said.

Secretary of Elite Foundation, Manipur, Sushil Singh said that both the government of Manipur and Myanmar should immediately solve the problem of border fencing.

"Both the government of Manipur and Myanmar should solve the problem of border fencing immediately. We ask them not to interrupt us as we are living together and love each other and we want to continue to live like this," he said.

The committee has demanded an immediate end to ongoing fencing work and called for a joint re- survey to ensure an amicable settlement of the border row.

It claimed that the completion of the border fence would lead to a loss of several kilometers of land to Myanmar.

Manipur shares a 398-km border with Myanmar.

In August, following reports of intrusion by the Myanmarese Army into Manipur's Hollenphai Village, the state government had set up a committee to inspect the disputed sites at the Indo-Myanmar border.

Spokesperson of the Committee on Protection of Land in Border Fencing (CPLBF) Brojendra Ningomba said: "We have lost a vast area of land including Moreh town and this map should be immediately withdrawn and even if the map has to be put up, it should be put up after conducting re-survey and re-demarcation of the boundary of Manipur and Myanmar."

State officials had requested the Myanmar Army to stop the construction of their temporary platoon base camp at Haolenphai until the issue was amicably settled, and the government has been trying to settle the issue peacefully.