Imphal, March 30: The Manipur government on Monday withdrew an order against local authorities barring them from providing food or shelter to refugees from Myanmar. The order was withdrawn after it had provoked outrage as people of the state claimed that the order was against the principles of humanitarianism. It was issued on March 26.

In its March 26 order, the Biren Singh government also asked border officials to "politely turn away" Myanmarese seeking refuge in India. The controversial order had also asked the local authorities to stop the aadhaar enrolment of the refugees, and the kits should be taken to safe custody. Local officials were also asked to submit an action report on the matter. Myanmar Coup: Pope Francis Urges Military to Release Detained Political Leaders.

Meanwhile, in its revised order, the state government had said that the contents of its earlier order were misinterpreted. Notably, after the military coup in Myanmar, the country's ambassador to the United Nations had earlier appealed to India and the various governments of its northeastern states to provide shelter to refugees.

Notably, the number of Myanmarese nationals taking refuge in Mizoram has crossed 1000 since last month's military coup. On March 10, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had written to the chief secretaries of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh and the Assam Rifles guarding the Indo-Myanmar border to check the influx of people from that country. The four northeastern states share a 1,643 km unfenced border with Myanmar.

The military in Myanmar seized control of the country on February 1, 2021, over the disputed results of the November 8, 2020, parliamentary polls in which the former ruling party, National League for Democracy (NLD), obtained more than 80 per cent of the seats and increased its parliamentary majority. A one-year state of emergency has been declared in Myanmar. President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were detained by the military.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 30, 2021 11:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).