MOREH (Manipur)
The border town in ethnic manipure with a modified conflict sees a weak revival of activities that helps several children from the civil war affected by Myanmar.
Several preschool schools in Moreho, the city on the border of India-Myanmar, about 110 km southeast of the capital of Manipur, began to record children from Myanmar in January. These schools, which offer free education, are managed by the border trade and the Chamber of Commerce and Tamil Sangam.
Tamil Sangam is an association mostly from descendants of Tamil, who fled from the intervention against the natives after the 1962 military coup in Burma, now Myanmar.
In accordance with the multiethnic character of MOREH, both organizations founded three free educational centers named in 1997 All Community Welfare School. Currently, two of these schools are functional.
The third school in the Shantitinagar area was closed due to lack of students. Most of her students were Meiteis who left the area with their families after the conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities broke out on May 3, 2023.
“In 2024, we registered 10 Myanmar students, but their participation was irregular due to the situation on both sides of the border. 15 Myanmar students we admitted in January this year were regular,” said Hempao Haokip, headmaster in Department 6, Hindu. The Sangam School and Tamil Office are located about 300 meters from the India-Myanmar border.
In the border town of MOREH, manipur, many Myanmar women found a second rhythm to live – watched their children to school and traded rice. | Photo Credit: Rita Raj Konwar
Trading while waiting
Regular participation of these children and several others at the second school in Department 3 is attributed to their mothers who accompany them to school at 8 am and wait for classes to end at 1 pm
“A few days after they started to accompany their department to school, these women were looking for permission to bring rice, vegetables and other agricultural products and service items they were selling while waiting for their children. We performed for humanitarian reasons, especially as people on both sides of the borders. The officer spoke on the condition of anonymity.
After these women, other merchants from Myanmar – some Nepalese origin – began to enter MOREH for sale of goods and acting in a four -hour window. “We ended up until noon to return home before sunset,” one of the merchants who refused to be named.
Previously, these traders operated from Zamphalong, an abandoned market complex in Myanmar about 100 meters from Indo-myanmar Friendship Gate, once the main point of entry and output for the citizens of both countries.
The security staff published on the border said that the cross -border movement was limited after the Center announced in February 2024 that the free movement regime (FMR) between India and Myanmar would be discarded. FMR allowed the residents of the border to travel up to 16 km to the second countries without documentation.
The restriction was alleviated after the center decided in December 2024 to allow cross -border movement for residents up to 10 km from the international border. It has also been announced that Assam Rifles will release “border passages” at 43 designated points to regulate such movement.
Myanmar women who are pumped in a promise of education for their children now walk around the markets of Moreh and sell locally grown goods by developing life across the border. | Photo Credit: Rita Raj Konwar
Strokes
MOREH, a key node in the ACT area in the east, which was launched in 2014 in order to deepen the Indian economic and strategic links with Southeast Asia and Indo-Pacifik, was once a prosperous commercial city. However, his wealth first fell with COVID-19 locked in March 2020 and then after a military coup in February 2021 in Myanmar and the outbreak of the ethnic conflict in manipuro in 2023.
“A series of failures outside our control has interrupted the backbone of the trade in this once aroused city. Whether a small shop is happening today, it is a struggle to survive for people on both sides of the border,” said Surinder Singh Patheja, Secretary of the Border and Chamber.
MOREH traders believe that the city -dominated Kuki can regain its commercial vibration only if all parties, including Meiteis, will restore business activities. Meiteis of Imphal Valley, who once accounted for 70% of the buyer of the base, largely avoided traveling to the moreha from the outbreak of the conflict.
Published – 27th July 2025 17:23 is
