Security forces personnel during search operations and area dominance in border and sensitive areas of hill and valley districts of Manipur. File | Photo credit: PTI
The Union Home Ministry has reimposed the Protected Area Regime (PAR) in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram to monitor the movement of foreigners amid “increasing security concerns from neighboring countries”, the Manipur government said on Wednesday.
From now on, foreigners coming to the three northeastern states will have to take prior permission and special permission from the government. The exemption was withdrawn after a gap of 14 years.
According to the ministry’s guidelines, foreigners are not encouraged to visit protected areas unless there are “extraordinary reasons justifying the visit”.
On Tuesday, the ministry wrote to the chief secretaries of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland about the changed criteria for PAR under the Overseas (Protected Areas) Order, 1958. The letter states that exemptions granted under this to Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. The PAR was “withdrawn with immediate effect” and henceforth the entire territories of these states would again fall under the PAR. Earlier, concessions were given for tourism promotion.
In 2010, PAR was initially relaxed for one year in three states bordering Myanmar and then the mandate was extended for five years. The last PAR order was issued on December 16, 2022 and was valid till December 2027, an official said.
The Manipur government said in a press release that the PAR was re-implemented in the three states. “With this restoration, the movement of foreigners visiting Manipur will be closely monitored, and they will be required to obtain the requisite Protected Area Permit (PAP) as per the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958,” it said.
‘strong suspicion’
The statement said that no organization called “Cookie-Joe Council” exists in Manipur, asserting that “the origin and authenticity of this group is highly questionable”.
“There is no district named Lamka, mentioned as the headquarters of Manipur. This raises strong doubts about the external origin of such organizations operating outside the legal and administrative framework,” it said.
The state government has requested the national and local media not to publicize such press releases of unauthorized organizations or individuals. It also appealed to the “Central Government and its agencies to ignore such claims from uncertified organisations”.
A new group comprising members of the Kuki-Jo community on Tuesday warned Chief Minister N Viren Singh not to travel by road through Kuki-dominated Kangpokpi to inaugurate the festival in the Naga-dominated Senapati district.
The statement further said that the police is actively investigating the matter and an FIR will be registered to find out the true nature and intention of such deceptive activities.
“The people of Manipur are requested to exercise caution and not pay heed to the statements or claims of organizations of dubious origin, which have emerged recently with the intention of creating confusion and unrest,” the statement said.
Since May 3, 2023, Manipur has been affected by communal violence between the tribal Kuki-Jo people and the Meitei community. More than 250 people have died in the ongoing violence and more than 60,000 have been displaced from their homes.
published – December 19, 2024 at 12:56 pm IST