Imphal, May 23: A daylong general strike today crippled border town Moreh, affecting everyday activities at the trade centre.

The strike was called yesterday by various civil society organisations in protest against the killing of a woman at the Indo-Myanmar border town.

The strike began at 8 last night as protesters blocked roads in different parts of the town by burning tyres and placing poles and logs.

The sudden imposition of the strike inconvenienced traders as well as transporters, besides disrupting day-to-day activities of the people.

"No one was seen on the roads. The town was totally deserted. "We couldn't move out of our hotel rooms," said Th. Bina Devi, a trader from Imphal.

"I arrived yesterday. I heard people screaming when the woman was hit by bullets. I was told that two masked men came on a bike at Premnagar and shot the lady. They left when people rushed towards the spot," Bina Devi told The Telegraph.

The woman has been identified as Arambam O. Shanti, 49, and she earned her living as a coolie. She was rushed to Moreh hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Civil society organisations had an emergency meeting and decided to request chief minister N. Biren Singh to book the culprits within 48 hours and said the body will not be cremated until the culprits are arrested.

The meeting also condemned the series of blasts that had occurred in Moreh recently.

Two bombs exploded at two places in Moreh on Saturday night. However, there was no report of any casualty. One of the bombs was suspected to be an IED that exploded near the western compound fence of Moreh police station, partially damaging it. The second blast took place at a play ground in Gamnom Veng village in Moreh ward 2.

On May 19, four security personnel sustained injuries when parliamentary secretary (home) L. Sushindro (Yaima) was attacked by suspected militants between Kwatha and Khudengthabi.

Two days earlier, there was another blast at Gamnom Veng community hall but no one was injured. Denouncing the blast, there was a daylong shutdown in Moreh.

The civil society organisations have urged the government to take steps to prevent occurrence of such blasts in and around Moreh. They also appealed to the individuals or groups involved in the blasts not to disturb the peaceful environment of the town and refrain from such activities in the future.

The United Kuki Liberation Front in a press statement released yesterday urged the culprits not to repeat the "gutless acts" in the future. Between May 8 and May 20, there have been five blasts in the business hub, killing two and injuring six.

Bina Devi said a day's loss in business hits traders very hard. Traders from Myanmar too incur huge losses. "Moreh is meant for international trade and shutting it down is a huge setback for businessmen from either side of the border," she said.

According to a research by Th. Bharat of Manipur University, the value of export to Myanmar was estimated to be about Rs 27 crore while goods worth Rs 20 crore were imported in 2012-13.