
Thousands fleeing the country as Myanmar armed clashes continue to rage on
YANGON/New Delhi (AFP): Heavy fighting in war-torn Myanmar has forced nearly 4,000 people to flee into India in the last four days, Indian officials in the northeastern state of Mizoram said Monday.
The refugees, crossing thick forested routes to neighbouring India, ran from clashes between rival Chin armed groups, Mizoram state home secretary Vanlalmawia, who uses only one name, told AFP.
"Many of the people have relatives on the Indian side, so they are staying with them," he said. "Others are being housed in community halls."
The remote hill state is already hosting more than 30,000 refugees from Myanmar, where a deadly civil war has raged since the military seized power in 2021.
A senior state police officer said "approximately 4,000 people have come in the last four days", speaking on condition of anonymity.
Police said the fighting between the groups -- both of which oppose military rule -- continues for control of the region known as Chinland.
"The situation on the other side of the border remains tense, so we have not asked them to return," the police official said.
India, which has sought to deepen ties with Myanmar as a counterweight to China's growing influence, has shied away from explicitly condemning the military coup. - AFP
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Fuel shortages in Gaza at 'critical levels', United Nations warns
A Palestinian man carries a bag of flower at a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse on Al-Jalaa street in Gaza City, in the central Gaza Strip on July 12, 2025. Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza are being held up by Israel's proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday, July 12, 2025. -- Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP GENEVA (AFP): The United Nations warned Saturday that dire fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip had reached "critical levels", threatening to further increase the suffering in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. Seven UN agencies said in a joint statement that "fuel is the backbone of survival in Gaza". Fuel was needed to "power hospitals, water systems, sanitation networks, ambulances, and every aspect of humanitarian operations", they said, highlighting that bakeries also needed fuel to operate. The besieged Palestinian territory has been facing dire fuel shortages since the beginning of the devastating war that erupted after Hamas's deadly attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023. But now "fuel shortage in Gaza has reached critical levels", warned the agencies, including the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme and the humanitarian agency OCHA. "After almost two years of war, people in Gaza are facing extreme hardships, including widespread food insecurity," they pointed out. "When fuel runs out, it places an unbearable new burden on a population teetering on the edge of starvation." The UN said that without adequate fuel, the agencies that have been responding to the deep humanitarian crisis in a territory swathes of which have been flattened by Israeli bombing and facing famine warnings, "will likely be forced to stop their operations entirely". "This means no health services, no clean water, and no capacity to deliver aid," the statement said. "Without adequate fuel, Gaza faces a collapse of humanitarian efforts," it warned. "Without fuel, bakeries and community kitchens cannot operate. Water production and sanitation systems will shut down, leaving families without safe drinking water, while solid waste and sewage pile up in the streets," it added. "These conditions expose families to deadly disease outbreaks and push Gaza's most vulnerable even closer to death." The warning comes days after the UN managed to bring fuel into Gaza for the first time in 130 days. While a "welcome development", the UN agencies said the 75,000 litres of fuel they were able to bring in was just "a small fraction of what is needed each day to keep daily life and critical aid operations running". "The United Nations agencies and humanitarian partners cannot overstate the urgency of this moment," they said. "Fuel must be allowed into Gaza in sufficient quantities and consistently to sustain life-saving operations." - AFP


The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Iran says any nuclear deal must respect 'right' to enrich uranium
TEHRAN: Iran insisted Saturday that any new nuclear deal must respect its right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, rejecting US demands for a halt. 'I would like to emphasise that in any negotiated solution, the rights of the Iranian people on the nuclear issue, including the right to enrichment, must be respected,' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told diplomats in Tehran. 'We will not have any agreement in which enrichment is not included.' - AFP


The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Trump says Mexico, EU to face 30% tariff from Aug 1
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Saturday said major US trading partners Mexico and the European Union would face a 30 percent tariff starting next month, ramping up pressure for deals in his trade wars. Both sets of duties would take effect August 1, Trump said in separate letters posted to his Truth Social platform, citing Mexico's role in illicit drugs flowing into the United States and a trade imbalance with the EU respectively. Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has unleashed sweeping tariffs on allies and competitors alike, roiling financial markets and raising fears of a global economic downturn. But his administration is coming under pressure to secure deals with trading partners after promising a flurry of agreements. So far, US officials have only unveiled two pacts, with Britain and Vietnam, alongside temporarily lower tit-for-tat duties with China. The fresh duties for Mexico announced by Trump would be higher than the 25 percent levy he imposed Mexican goods earlier this year, although products entering the United States under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) are exempted. 'Mexico has been helping me secure the border, BUT, what Mexico has done, is not enough,' Trump said in his letter. 'Starting August 1, 2025, we will charge Mexico a Tariff of 30% on Mexican products sent into the United States.' Canada earlier received a similar letter setting out 35 percent tariffs on its goods. A US official earlier told AFP that the USMCA exemption was similarly expected to remain for Canada. The EU tariff is also markedly steeper than the 20 percent levy Trump unveiled in April, as negotiations with the bloc continue. The EU, alongside dozens of other economies, had been set to see its US tariff level increase from a baseline of 10 percent on Wednesday, but Trump pushed back the deadline to August 1 just days before the elevated rates were due to take effect. Since the start of the week, Trump has sent out letters to more than 20 countries with updated tariffs for each. Brussels said Friday that it was ready to strike a deal with Washington to prevent the return of 20 percent levies, and the latest letter suggests talks will carry on. The EU has prepared retaliatory duties on US goods worth around 21 billion euros after Trump also slapped separate tariffs on steel and aluminum imports earlier this year, and they are suspended until July 14. European officials have not made any move to extend the suspension but could do it quickly if needed. - AFP