More gates to come up at Namphalong, entry allowed only through Gate 1 and 2
Source: The Sangai Express
Moreh, January 18:
Following the twin bomb blasts at Namphalong on January 8 that killed two persons and injured three others, the military junta of Myanmar has taken up certain steps to check such incidents in the future.
Making things more sensitive was the discovery of another bomb at Tamu inside Myanmar on January 14.A reliable source informed The Sangai Express that apart from closing down Namphalong, the Myanmarese Government has decided to erect three/four gates around Namphalong and added that Namphalong market will remain closed until the gates are erected which may take another week or so.
Three/four points have been identified around Namphalong, which can serve as entry points for the gates to come up.
Sources said that Burmese nationals will be checked at the gates which will come up soon.
The military junta strongly suspects that the bombs may have been smuggled from the side of India by some Burmese, said the source.
The Myanmar army has also conveyed to the CO of 24 Assam Rifles posted at Moreh that entry into Namphalong and Tamu from India should be allowed only through Gate number 1 and 2.If anyone is found entering Myanmar other than the stated two gates, then they would be arrested.
Following the intimation from Myanmar, the ADC of Moreh, Th Chothe, has issued a notice today notifying to all concerned that they can enter Myanmar only through gate number 1 and 2.Exit and entry inside Namphalong in the night will be strictly prohibited, said the source.
At the moment bomb experts of Myanmar have been pressed into service at Namphalong to detect other bombs which may have been planted like the earlier two.
Myanmar army and police have been deployed along the road between Namphalong and Tamu and kept on the alert at the border especially along the stretch which are not fenced.
Ever since Namphalong bazar on the Myanmarese side of the border was closed following the twin bomb blasts on January 8, hundreds if not thousands of petty traders who make their living by buying and selling goods across the border have been hit hard.
Moreh town also today resembles a deserted look as traders from Imphal and other places, who usually descend on the border town every day to buy goods from Namphalong have stopped coming.
This has had a cascading effect on petty traders in the town, such as hotel owners.
The suspension of trade has also hit the people across the border hard.
Following the bomb blasts, export and import business between the two countries was stopped from January 8 to 10, said the Superintendent in charge of Customs, DM Das while speaking to the press today.
However the formal business of export and import between the two countries have started and there is no restriction at the moment, added Das.




