IMPHAL, 26 Nov: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday said that his government is holding talks with an Imphal valley-based insurgent group, and a peace accord will be signed soon.
Speaking to PTI-Video, Singh said that the talks are at an advanced stage, even though he stayed away from naming the underground organisation.
“We are advancing, and we are expecting to sign a peace accord with one big UG (underground organisation) very shortly,” the chief minister said.
This is for the first time that there is an official confirmation about such talks being held by the government since ethnic violence broke out in the state on 3 May.
Earlier, sources had said that the government was holding talks with a faction of the proscribed United National Liberation Front.
Asked about newspapers going off the stands in Imphal and local TV channels off the air, Singh said that he came to know about it only on Saturday.
He said that he has already sought a report from the CID on the issue.
Newspapers and local TV channels have shut operations in the Imphal valley since Friday, protesting against “interference” from a militant group, leading to an information blackout.
On Myanmarese people crossing over to Manipur for shelter, Singh said that, although India is not a party to the UN Refugee Convention, some people are being given refuge in the state on humanitarian grounds.
“However, they will be deported once the situation is stable in Myanmar,” he said.
Till July, around 2,500 Myanmarese people crossed over to Manipur, and were living in different parts of the state. The number has been on the rise after fresh violence in the neighbouring country. (PTI)