Not an inch of Manipur will go to Myanmar: PM

Imphal, Dec 5: After giving a stern reply to Pakistan chief Nawaz Sharif,

on Wednesday assured

leaders that 'not an inch of India's land along the Manipur-

border would be conceded to the neighbouring country'.

Manmohan Singh was meeting a group of all-party delegates from Manipur.

There are wide spread fears that a large part of Manipur's territory will fall into Myanmar in the ongoing controversial border fencing along the Manipur sector.

The all-party delegation, led by chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, went to New Delhi and submitted a memo to the PM to urge central leaders to resolve the border dispute with Myanmar. However, representatives of BJP and Manipur People's Party (MPP) were not part of the 22-member team.

Manipur shares a 398-km border with Myanmar. On August 22, Myanmar troops had attempted to set up a camp at Hollenphai village, 3km south of Moreh police station, claiming that the area lies in Myanmar.

The leaders from Manipur told the PM that the major portion of the border fence was being erected deep within Indian territory,

Manmohan Singh said that he would do the needful to stop the construction of the border fencing and correct the error.In another meeting, Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde noted the gravity of the situation and immediately convened a meeting of all concerned on Thursday afternoon, said a statement issued by the Manipur Information Centre, New Delhi.

Representatives of Assam Rifles, Border Road Organization, Google, Surveyor General of India and the political delegation will attend the meeting, said the statement.

The memo alsop said the fence along the Moreh sector cut through Yangoupokpi-Lokchao Wildlife Sanctuary, which is part of a sensitive biodiversity spot serving as a corridor for Southeast Asian mammalian species, and an alternate corridor must be provided before the fence is constructed.

The memo also demanded that "All issues relating to the India-Myanmar International Boundary in Manipur Sector be dealt with necessarily in a tripartite manner by making Manipur government an essential party."

It demanded a fresh survey, re-demarcation of the boundary and re-identification of border pillers, based on the boundary agreement signed between India and Myanmar on March 10, 1967, with people's participation from both sides.

The memo also urged the central leaders to warn Google to immediately remove the erroneous India-Myanmar border maps from its website or correct the same.

Oneindia News