Lok Sabha member from Arunachal East constituency Tapir Gao on Thursday demanded construction of fencing along the India-Myanmar border to secure the country from illegal immigrants.
“It is high time we fence the Indo-Myanmar border to secure the nation from illegal immigrants which could result into far-reaching consequences,” MP Gao said in a statement.
Gao’s statement comes at a time when Myanmar has been witnessing large-scale protests following a military coup in the neighbouring country.
As per reports, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had cautioned four North Eastern States including Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland, which border Myanmar, against possible influx from the neighbouring country.
The BJP MP had earlier raised the immigrants issue from the neighbouring country in the Parliament and pitched for fencing in the India-Myanmar border.
While drawing the attention of the Centre on the same issue on in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Gao appealed to the Government to start fencing the India-Myanmar border.
He also claimed that Rohingya people from Myanmar have illegally entered India and are staying in various parts of the country, adding that gold, drugs, small arms and ammunition smuggling are going on as there is no fence along the international border.
“Till there is no fencing at the India-Myanmar border, this problem will always be there,” Gao said in the Lower House.
Mentioning Myanmar’s military coup, he said that the Government of India “should not ignore it”.
Gao blamed China for the “turmoil” in Myanmar. “Myanmar mein jo bhi ho raha hain yeh China ka sajjis hain (Whatever is happening in Myanmar, it is the conspiracy of China),” he claimed.
Arunachal Pradesh shares 440 km of the international border with Myanmar.