More than two hundred Burmese refugees have not yet been released from Manipur prisons
In 2021, Myanmar war refugees fleeing to Mizoram state on the Myanmar-India border. When we met on November 20.
People helping refugees say that more than two hundred Burmese refugees who were arrested for violating immigration laws in India's Manipur state, bordering Chin State and Sagaing, have not yet been released. They were arrested in more than two years after the military coup.
There are currently 55 Myanmar nationals in Impha prison. Helpers said there are more than 150 in Lam Kaa prison. Among those more than 150, there are more than 30 children under the age of 18, including infants and toddlers born in prison, and 48 women, said U Thang Sein, who works for Burmese war refugees.
"I don't like being in prison. Even water is not enough. "One turn, one turn. "
Among them, 80 refugees have completed their sentences from the courts of the Manipur state government, but they have not yet been released, he said.
"25 boys who have already been sentenced by the court and have already been sentenced. There are 80 girls in all, 55 girls. five months imprisonment A fine of one thousand has already been imposed. Five months of imprisonment A fine of one thousand has already been spent. But he has not been released and is still being held."
Some Burmese refugees paid Indian lawyers 300,000 rupees to be released from prison on bail. Aid workers said that refugees who cannot afford to pay 105,000 Myanmar kyats are just waiting for the state government to release them.
2021 Burmese refugees said that two Burmese refugee women died in Lam Kaa prison in March, and on February 25, 2023, a 32-year-old man died in Ko Lang Khochon Impha prison.
On September 27, two Burmese refugees from Impha prison were released on bail. Kosai Lai, who was released, told RFA that they had to bathe once or twice a week in the prison and lived on a mat in the bathroom, and faced racism.
"I don't like being in prison. Even water is not enough. One turn and one turn. Even if you have to take a shower every other day, Like that once or twice a week. They are also a lot of racists. There are no human rights in prison. They only gave me a blanket and a mat on the sleeping place. As for the children, four, five, or six-year-old children, Children of the month Two children were born before we escaped. Two babies were born with big bellies. They are a lot of inconvenience. As for the news, outside the news, I don't know anything inside the news. "It's dark."
There is a conflict between the Ket and Kuki people in Manipur state. State government officials have often accused the problem of being exacerbated by people fleeing Myanmar.
The founder of the India For Myanmar group Salaid Dokhar said that the Manipur government is using Myanmar refugees politically.
"There is one thing that worries about the continuation is that there is no time limit. It's like being sentenced to life imprisonment. Their condition is quite bad. The root of the problem is the state government's inhumanity. In the state of Mizoram, it is also evident that asylum is being granted. I see this as a way that the Manipur government and the Chief Minister of Manipur are using all of this for their political purposes."
U Thang Sein, who works on refugee affairs, said that if the refugees are sent back to Burma, there is a risk for them.
Due to the political situation in Myanmar, I have been taking refuge for a while, A Burmese refugee, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said that he had no intention of settling in Manipur.
“We did not come in to sneak and smuggle. He came in after being arrested by the military in a coup d'état. Because of the battle, the war refugees fleeing for their lives because they are afraid of dying, so they only flee the war for a short time. Their Indian No one wants to stay strictly on the Manipur side. The day the revolution was won, If we make it today, we will return today. Even if they ask to stay, they don't stay. own land I will go back to my house"
India's action is not in line with international human rights standards, said Salai Menharelian, managing officer of Chin Human Rights Organization CHRO.
"As far as we know, there is no protection under the law. We know that they were forced to return home. As a government, we should not In terms of humanitarianism, which is not worth doing, It can be said that it is not in line with international human rights standards."
The Burmese Embassy in New Delhi, India, regarding the issue of arrested Burmese war refugees. RFA has emailed the Indian Embassy in Yangon and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in New Delhi, India, but has yet to receive a response.
India is a good neighbor, National Unity Government NUG Presidential Office Spokesperson U Kyaw Zao told RFA that they asked to help the refugees.
"We have been consistently asking for assistance for refugees who have fled outside of Myanmar. NUG government to cooperate with all neighboring countries including India. We offer to work together to solve problems in a good neighborly manner. I would like to reiterate that I am ready.”
Mizoram, which borders Manipur state, has helped refugees from Myanmar by issuing legal residence permits and identification cards.
According to Chin civil organizations, there are nearly 60,000 people who have fled to the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur due to armed conflicts in Chin State and Sagaing. Out of them, more than five thousand are taking shelter in Manipur state.