Manipur jail releases 27 Myanmar nationals, including two children

Mizzima

Twenty-seven Myanmar nationals have been freed from Sajiwa Central Jail in Imphal, Manipur State, India, according to local media reports and sources close to the families.

“Yes, the release has been confirmed. They were flown by helicopter from Imphal to the border and are now staying at a church in Tamu,” said a source close to one of the families.

The group comprising 24 men, a woman, and her two children. They had been detained in Manipur for lacking valid residence documents. They were transferred to Myanmar through the India–Myanmar border on 4 February.

He added that the returnees will undergo testing for the Nipah virus, which is currently spreading in India, and will be placed under quarantine for one week before being allowed to go back to their homes under family guarantees.

Those freed include migrant workers in Manipur, students, and border residents, many of whom had been imprisoned for periods ranging from three to five years.

According to a source close to the families, their release followed the submission of citizenship documents to the Myanmar Embassy in India. The documents were verified and the individuals formally accepted back into Myanmar.

According to NE Live, the Manipur state government handed over the 27 Myanmar nationals to Myanmar authorities at the No. 1 India–Myanmar Friendship Bridge after completing immigration formalities in accordance with the Foreigners Act of 1946.

Separately, the Myanmar junta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that 27 Myanmar nationals who had been convicted in India on various reasons were repatriated to their respective homes via the international border entry and exit gate in Tamu on 4 January.

According to the statement, the Myanmar Embassy in India coordinated the repatriation with relevant authorities in Manipur through India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

This marks the fifth release of Myanmar nationals from Manipur jails. Previously, 39 detainees were released on 2 May 2024, followed by 38 on 11 June, 26 on 4 January, 2025, and 27 on 21 March 2025.

In addition, family members of the detainees said that over 60 Myanmar nationals, both men and women, remain imprisoned in Imphal jail for lacking valid residence documents.

Due to the poor food, limited access to clean drinking water, as well as inadequate healthcare in jail, 32-year-old Ko Dae Khol Lun died on 26 February 2023, and 57-year-old U Aung Min died on 19 May 2025.