Mission to the Misty
North-East - III
By Lipika Bansal
Before the British colonial rule the northeastern part of India
had many different ethnic groups all living , all
living under some form of autonomy. During the British occupation, they
divided this area for administrative purposes. After independence the British just wanted to get rid of their colonies as soon as possible and they divided the people in these
countries. They divided the land, without consulting the people or any consideration; some of their farming land was divided in Burma, but their house was still in India. Than they became a part of India or a part of Burma.
Consequently many of these states have been fighting for independence, as they were self-governing kingdoms. The people who were ruled by the Burmese government are having the same struggle as all other ethnic groups of Burma. As many of them are forced to work for the government, without payments etc. and are systematically being exterminated. One Naga lady was forced to carry every day ammunition for the Burmese army. There is no development what so ever in these areas, no education, no health facilities; some people have to walk 4 days to reach only a pharmacy. It is even closer for them to cross the border to India and get there health treatments than in their own country.
Here we also got to know more about the drug route. Ephedrine is a major ingredient to produce heroin Number 4 the purest form of heroin. Ephedrine is a chemical, which one can carry legally in India, this is smuggled into Burma, unto Shan State (eastern side of Burma), and here they produce heroin nr. 4 and amphetamines. The amphetamine mostly crosses the Thai border and heroin nr. 4 goes direction India again. The gold/ jade/ ruby/ silver mining areas in Burma are always very sensitive areas, as many people from different parts of the country go, to try their luck. Under the severe conditions of hard labor, harsh weather conditions etc. It is easy to use drugs to relieve their pains. But again they have no knowledge on HIV/AIDS etc. So they get infected, return to their communities and spread the disease there.
When we came home, a doctor was waiting for us, Dr. R.K. Ranjan. He has been an environmental activist since 1972. He was telling us about the northeast and the environmental degradation. Nobody has ever done any research in this unexplored virgin land on the flora, fauna and bio-diversity. In this area they are planning to construct 48/49 dams. These dams will cause many problems, environmental degradation, because forests will have to be cut, indigenous people will have to be relocated, consequently their century old traditions will be lost, and fish will die. He gave us an example: previously the people used poisonous creepers to fish, the fish would eat the creepers and they would die. The next they started using dynamite for fishing, thirdly they started shocking fish, by throwing dynamos in the water, and now they throw inverters in the water. They introduce modern education systems, but local people cannot cope with these modern developments.
The next day we had a very dangerous mission. Jang and I were extremely nervous. One of the online newspapers on Northeast India and Burma issues, based in New Delhi had given us the phone number of the IGP of Imphal; a certain Mr. Peter. We didn’t exactly know what IGP means, but we knew it means something very high and important
in the police department. Well we had to make a new story again. Because we didn’t want the police on our trail. We were both students in New Delhi studying sociology and we were also interested in the Burmese refugee community. At this moment we were conducting research for our studies about the drug route from Burma to India. Jang was supposed to be Shan. Jang would not speak, because she has a very heavy Thai accent. She would concentrate on making notes. I had phoned him, before we went to meet him. So he welcomed us, we told him that we got his phone number from the online newspaper man. Mr. Soe Myint from Mizzima. When we arrived there we had to leave our bags at the
entrance and went in.
Well everybody again was looking with wide eyes, what are these two silly small girls doing here. We went inside and then we were quickly sent out again, yes of course, silly us, how could we forget, we had to go bare feet. Yes, everyone knows that, it is very obvious that when you meet important people you have to go barefoot. So our next attempt, we got in…yeah!! More new information about drugs. Here we learnt that many of the underground groups in Manipur are also involved in this drug trafficking business, in order to finance their armed struggle. He told us that there
are 11 insurgency/ ethnic armed struggle groups in the hills and 11 in the valley. 7 or 8 of them are really active. Now recently a direct flight connection has opened between Guwahati and Bangkok, and this might also become a significant drug route.
to
be continued......
(The author attends the University of Amsterdam in Holland majoring in International Communications)
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