NE Dispatch: New Border Points; Electoral Revision of Bru Refugees; Assam 'Magic Rice'
Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty /11/AUG/2018
Manipur/Mizoram: International entry and exit checkpoints in two states bordering Myanmar opened
The government of Myanmar officially opened its border in two northeastern states by installing international entry and exit checkpoints on August 8. This action of the neighbouring country has taken India government’s Act East Policy a step closer to reality. R.K. Shivchandra, convener of Act East Policy Committee, soon after the inauguration of the two land border points, reportedly said that they were the last to officially open in entire Southeast Asia, meaning ease of crossing land borders between various countries on that route.
As per the new modalities, the special land entry permission, which visitors entering Myanmar via land routes in the Northeast had required to fetch till now, would be replaced by visas, making them official international entry and exit points. While one such entry/exit point was opened at Tamu, the Myanmarese border town touching Moreh town of Manipur, the other point inaugurated on August 8 was at Rih village in Myanmar’s Chin State bordering Zokhawthar village in Champhai district of Mizoram.
The India-Myanmar agreement on land border crossing was approved by the union cabinet this past January 3. Both the countries already have a free movement regime for people living on either side of the border within the aerial distance of 16 kms. The government of India is already pursuing the process of issuing identity cards to the residents within this distance not just in Manipur and Mizoram but also in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh. While Manipur and Mizoram share 398 km and 510 km long border with Myanmar respectively, Nagaland has 215 km and Arunachal Pradesh 520 km border with that country.
India is keen to sign a memorandum of understanding with Myanmar as per which it will also distribute I-cards to its residents within the 16 km stretch to have a regulated movement of people residing on either side. However, Myanmar has “indefinitely deferred” signing it.
On August 8, India’s Consul General in Myanmar Nandan Singh Bhaisora and R.K. Shivchandra were joined by Myanmarese officials to inaugurate the checkpoint at Moreh-Tamu. Later, a conference of officials of the two countries were held in Moreh to exchange views on the opening of the international checkpoint which would boost not only trade and tourism but would also increase movement of people of the two neighbouring countries.
In Rih-Zokhawthar sector, Mizoram’s commerce and industry minister H. Rohluna crossed the bridge over River Tiau, which officially marks the international border, to join Chin state chief minister Salai Lian to formally inaugurate the checkpoint. Later, the two leaders took part at a function at Zokhwathar, expressing hope that it would led to better ties with the two countries.
Mizoram: ECI backtracks on state govt request, now to do electoral revision of Bru refugees in their relief camps in Tripura
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has reportedly gone back on its earlier decision to adhere to the the Mizoram government’s suggestion to conduct electoral revision of the Bru or Reang refugees after they are resettled in the state, and has instead decided to do it in their relief camps in Tripura itself.
Locals news reports quoting state government officials said though the ECI initially “accepted” the home department’s suggestion, it later decided to undertake a summary revision work in the six relief camps in Tripura itself, stating “lack of enough time as Mizoram is going to polls at the year end”.
As per reports, there are 32, 876 people from Bru tribe displaced from Kolasib and Mamit districts of the state in 1996 due to ethnic violence, residing in these camps. Though on July 3, the Central government announced an agreement with the Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum, as per which they were to begin moving back to Mizoram before September 30, they later refused to accept it stating the community’s pressure on them to reject some of the conditions to the delivery of the central benefits to be granted to them if they repatriate to their place of origin.
However, Mizoram home department officials were quoted in news reports from Aizwal on August 8 that the repatriation would be carried out this August 14 and would be completed by September 10.
On August 8, addressing a meeting of various political parties and civil society organisations held with the state home department officials on the preparedness of repatriating the refuges, home minister R. Lalzirliana said his government “is still firm on conducting electoral roll revision of the Bru tribals once they are repatriated”. He also said that the government had requested the ECI to allow the refugees the right to exercise their franchise only in Mizoram.
“The government has to agree with the ECI to conduct revision at relief camps before repatriation as we have to respect the democratic nature of our country,” the minister was quoted as saying in Mizoram Post.
Civil society groups reportedly expressed “severe opposition” to the ECI’s decision and decided to write it about the issue.
Reports said the refugees would be resettled in 46 villages in Mamit district, 40 in Kolashib and four villages in Lunglei district. The deputy commissioners of these districts have already chalked out a plan for their resettlement. Principal secretary of the home department L. Chuango is already in Tripura to take part in a meeting of the monitoring committee involving the Centre and the Tripura government at Damcherra to finalise the modalities for their transfer to Mizoram.
A soft variety of rice, which doesn’t need cooking and is unique to Assam, has been granted the GI (geographical identification) tag, as per the Intellectual Property India (IPI) website updated this past July 30. Popularly known as Kumol Saul or Boka Saul, the recognition of this natural produce from the state has come after the grant of GI status to yet another rice variety, Joha, known for its distinctive aroma.
Till now, two other products of the state, Muga silk and Tezpur Litchi, have also been given GI recognition by the central government’ run IPI.
The steps towards granting the GI status to Kumol Saul began in 2016, when Hemanta Baishya, the founder-member of a civil society organisation working for the preservation of the indigenous varieties of rice since 1999, Lotus Progressive Centre, applied for it at the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. As per local news reports, since 2014, the organisation, along with Simanta Kalita of Guwahati-based Centre for Environment Education (CEE), were conducting tests on the rice variety to ascertain whether it could be a product for GI identification. In 2017, Baishya and Kalita, accompanied by a few peasants who practice Komal Saul farming, did “a special presentation” at a national summit held by IPI in New Delhi.
Usually sowed in June and harvested in December, Kumol or Boka Saul is widely grown in lower Assam, particularly in the Nalbari, Baksa, Kokrajhar, Goalpara, Kamrup, Darrang, Dhubri, Chirang and Bongaigaon districts. Soaking in cold water for less than an hour makes it ready for consumption. Said to be used particularly by the Ahom army in the 17th century for the ease of preparation, the rice variety is particularly considered a staple for the peasants working in the fields the whole day long. Consumed both as breakfast and lunch, the rice is typically eaten mixed with curd, banana and jaggery.
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