Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 18:
Barely 24 hours after more than 300 villagers from Khengjoi area who had taken refuge at Moreh 'disappeared' yesterday, another 30 displaced villagers arrived at the border town today to seek refuge and shelter.
Interestingly it is still not clear where the new batch of the displaced villagers have been put up at the border town.
Sources said that the new batch of displaced villagers came from different villages including Selton, Phoilen, Changjal, Bajang, Gumnung, Kavang, Tuitung, Old Somtan and S Bongjoi.
Though members of the Meitei Council, Moreh gathered to extend all possible help to the newly arrived villagers, members of the Hill Tribal Council, Moreh whisked them away to an unknown destination.
Volunteers of the Apunba Lup and the medical team which had been camping at Moreh were also not allowed to meet the newly arrived batch of refugees.
The Hill Tribal Council also stopped Family Welfare and Health Minister Dk Korungthang and MLA K Ranjit to meet the new batch of refugees.
The Minister and the MLA had gone to Moreh for some other official work.
When media persons approached the Hill Tribal Council to meet the newly arrived villagers, the HTC stopped them and explained that there was something fishy as there were no women and children amongst the refugees.
If they were really on the run from the clash between militants and security force, then surely children and women would have accompanied them, they reasoned.
Before the new batch of refugees were whisked away by the HTC, one of them, a village chief informed The Sangai Express that about 500 villagers are still camping at Tuilen village near Molcham after abandoning their homes.
Asserting that the villagers have been facing untold sufferings in any stand off or duel between militants and the security force, the village chief alleged that earlier in 2004 too they were at the receiving end with some of them being used as human shields by the security force.
This time they have abandoned their homes for fear that they may be used as human shields, added the chief.