AAPSU seeks Minister's intervention in alarming rise of

A team of All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) have met Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju at his North Block office in New Delhi and sought his intervention in the "alarming rise" of refugee population in the state.

During the meeting held yesterday, the unions while expressing concern over the increasing population of Chakma and Hajong refugees in Changlang, Namsai and Lohit districts submitted a memorandum to the minister asking him to confine the refugees within their original designated blocks.

According to AAPSU, Chakma and Hajong refugees have also been encroaching tracts of reserved forest and community.

"The local indigenous populace is slowly being outnumbered by the refugees.
 

In Bordumsa and Diyun sub- division in Changlang district, the local population of Singpho has already become minority in their own homeland", the memorandum, a copy of which was made available to Press said.

Adding concern to the local people is the verdict of the Supreme Court on dated September 17 granting citizenship to the refugees," it added.

Also alleging that there are numerous criminal activities meted out by the Chakma and Hajong refugees against the local tribal inhabitants which interestingly has been shown as opposite in front of the world, the unions asserted that the "day is not far" when the SC's verdict will have a far reaching ramification on local indigenous population.

In other demands the student bodies referring to Eastern Bengal frontier Regulation Act, 1873 demanded strict regulation of Inner Line Permit and questioned on how the Chakma and Hajongs who are neither Arunachalee nor Indians have been allowed to enter and stay in Arunachal without ILP and RAP.

Establishment of paramilitary battalion headquarters/training centre at Kathan Village in Lohit district and rehabilitation and job opportunities for the youths of insurgency hit districts of Tirap Changlang and Longding were also two of the other demands in the memorandum.