Chief Minister N Biren Singh thanked the Army for bringing back safely over 200 Indians who had gone to Myanmar from the border town of Manipur. The Chief Minister tweeted on Friday (August 18) that 212 Indians who had fled from Moreh town of Manipur to neighboring Myanmar after ethnic violence broke out on May 3, have returned home safely.

N Biren Singh thanked the Indian Army for the return of these people. All of these people belong to the Meitai community. The CM said that many thanks to the Indian Army for bringing these people home. Many thanks to GOC Eastern Command, Lt Gen RP Kalita, GOC 3 Corp, Lt Gen HS Sahi and CO of 5 AR, Col Rahul Jain.

Moreh most affected by violence

Moreh, located about 110 km from Imphal, the capital of Manipur, was one of the most affected areas by the violence. Moreh has a mixed population of Kukis, Meitais and even Tamils. There are people from other communities here as well. The Chief Minister also said that it is very important to restore peace and normalcy in the state which is suffering from caste-conflict.

Violence erupted on May 3

Significantly, on May 3, violence broke out in Manipur during a tribal solidarity march organized to protest against the demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meitai community. According to the news agency PTI, so far more than 160 people have lost their lives in the violence and hundreds of people have become homeless.

In the total population of Manipur, the number of people of Meitei community is about 53 percent, who live in Imphal Valley. Whereas the tribal Naga and Kuki community constitute 40 percent and they mostly live in the hilly districts.