Made In China?

Indian intelligence agencies and the Army say China might have orchestrated the military coup in Myanmar to use the subsequent crisis to push drugs, arms and terrorists into the northeast through the porous India-Myanmar border

- Rabi Banerjee/Moreh

A dawn visit to Moreh, Manipur, could yield many surprises. The majority of the local population in this border town are from the Kuki tribe, and most of them are Presbyterian Christians. There are also a few Hindus—mostly Tamilians, Nepalis and Marwaris. Just like the Christians in Moreh, the Hindus, too, have marked Sunday as their preferred day of worship.

Around 5km from the Myanmar border—closed since March 2020, because of the pandemic and the growing tensions in Myanmar—there is a tunnel, which looks like a huge manhole with concrete steps leading inside. A large number of people could be seen stepping out of the tunnel in a single file. All of them were from Myanmar. Some have come to India to buy and sell goods, some just wanted to pray in peace, while a few made the cross-border trip to visit their loved ones.

Maw Maw, a young girl from Tamu, a border town in Myanmar, said she had come to India to meet a friend and also to pray. “I am a Christian and I find this place safer,” said Maw, as she disappeared into the tunnel. She was carrying a basketful of stuff purchased from Moreh.