Yet again border incursion is likely to have taken place along the Indo-Myanmar in Manipur’s Tegnoupal district. The matter came to light after Myanmar authority blocked an ongoing PMGSY inter-village road construction connecting Kwatha Khunou, Molphai and Nongkam Satang along the international border in Manipur, alleging that the road being constructed encroaches 230 metres into Myanmar’s territory. 

Villagers of Nungkam Satang, where the international border pillar no. 82 stands, claimed that Myanmar authority had shifted and re-positioned the border pillar, moving 300 metres into Indian territory from its original position.

“When we were young, the border pillar no 82 used to be around 300 metres into Myanmar from its present position. During the Nga-Kuki ethnic conflict in the 80’s and 90’s, Nungkam Stang was abandoned for security reasons. During this period, the Myanmar authority shifted the pillar and erected it on its present location,” said TK Kothil, a village elder of Nungkam Satang who alleged that by re-positioning the border pillar no. 92, Myanmar authority has taken over large tracts of India’s territory. Kothil further said that even though concerned state authorities had been informed about the re-positioning, none paid any attention.

On July 5, the Myanmar authority came near Nungkam Satang village, about 1 Km away from border pillar no. 82 and demanded to halt the cutting of hill slopes for the construction of a road under PMGSY to connect Kwatha Khunou, Nungkam Satang and Molphei on the ground that the road alignment runs 230 metres within the territory of Myanmar.

Following the impasse, the government of Manipur and Myanmar authorities on July 11 conducted a joint survey of the contested site using GPS.  The survey team which included six-Myanmar officials was led by the Tegnoupal district deputy commissioner, H Rupachandra.  The DC said that the spot verification found that the alignment of the road which would connect Nungkam Satang, Molphei and Kwatha Khunou deviates 230-250 metres towards Myanmar, lending support to the villagers’ claim.

Contradicting this finding is 12^th Assam Rifles, the paramilitary forces guarding the Indo-Myanmar border on Indian side. The paramilitary force claimed that the controversial border pillar has not been shifted. This conclusion, it stated, was the result of examining the coordinates of  the border pillar no. 82 on the Indo-Myanmar boundary using GPS. 

As expected local villagers rejected the Assam Rifles’ claim.

Meanwhile United Committee Manipur (UCM), an influential civil society organization, demanded a re-survey of all controversial  border pillars along Indo-Myanmar Border to settle all recurring border disputes and lay down a clear cut international boundary line between the two neighbouring countries. UCM president, Sunil Karam further highlighted that at least 10 international border pillars along the border are shrouded in one disputes or the other. Urging the state government to put pressure on the centre to conduct of a joint re-survey, Karam warned the government of not taking this issue lightly as the people of Manipur are ready to defend the state’s borders if the central government fails to do so.

Incidentally around the same month last year, Kwatha Khunou, the frontier village along the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur had raised a similar issue of Myanmarese army deliberately shifting the position of the international border pillar no. 81, 300 metres into India territory. Due to the strong public protest over the issue, the Surveyor General of the Survey of India had to conduct a spot verification. Even as resolution is yet to be struck, the state is grappling with another border incursion issue.