Visa on arrival for Myanmarese nationals in Manipur: CM

During the flag-off of the BCIM rally on Wednesday, Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh announced that the Centre has decided to provide Visa on arrival at Moreh for the Myanmarese Nationals seeking medical treatment. "As a first step towards easing of restrictions, the government has decided to provide Visa on arrival at Moreh for the Myanmarese," he said at Kangla Fort on Wenesday morning. Singh said the restrictions in the movement of goods and services and people across the border need to be eased. "We are looking at the opening up of road and rail passages to Bangladesh through Tripura so that our goods can be exported by using the ports of Bangladesh," the chief minister said. The rally on Wednesday set off on its sixth stage from Imphal to Ka Lay in Myanmar. CII chairman (eastern region) R K Agrawal hoped that the rally would revive ancient links and also forge new ties. "It would also highlight the potential of northeast and explore cross-border land trade. CII is priviledged to partner the rally and have all the governments in its side," he added. Hundreds of school children holding flags and flowers lined up at the Kangla Fort street to send off the rally. The 12-day rally will then proceed to Myanmar and culminate at Kunming, in the Yunnan province of China on March 5. "We have got the assurance from the highest level from the government of India. We don't see any trouble along the route anymore," Indian rally contingent head Sunil Misra said here as the rally left Imphal, in the last stretch of India before entering Myanmar. The Kuki State Demand Committee (KSDC) had earlier threatened to block the entry of the four-nation rally into 'Kuki areas' of the state with an indefinite public blockade in the tough 270-km NH-53 stretch from Silchar to Imphal. Paramilitary personnel were stationed along the entire stretch from Silchar to Imphal as the cavalcade of 20 cars took more than 14 hours to cover the treacherous hilly terrain. The car rally, which has a motto of 'Building Bonds, Fostering Friendship', is focused to play catalysis in stimulating interest of the concerned stakeholders in deepening BCIM cooperation. The 3028-km rally's next stop is Ka Lay before heading to Mandalay, Ruili and then to Tengchong, Dali and Kunming in China where it is scheduled to culminate on March 5.