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Hindustan Times
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mizo civil society groups urge refugees to refrain from drug smuggling
Aizawl, Mizoram civil society groups on Wednesday urged refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh and internally displaced people from Manipur taking shelter in Mizoram not to indulge in drug trafficking. Mizo civil society groups urge refugees to refrain from drug smuggling Mizoram has been grappling with the menace of drug smuggling, and a section of refugees, particularly Myanmar nationals, was blamed for their alleged involvement. The meeting of the NGO Coordination Committee, a conglomerate of five major civil societies and student organisations headed by the Central Young Mizo Association , appealed to the refugees and IDPs not to have ethnic or tribe centric interest and develop the feeling of separateness to disturb the vibrant Mizo unity, a statement issued by the group said. The meeting expressed regret over the report of ethnic feelings being developed by refugees and urged them not to take any steps which can undermine the unity of Mizo communities, the statement said. The meeting further urged people from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur taking shelter in the state, to refrain from drug trafficking. Earlier, state home minister K Sapdanga had said that more than 50 per cent of criminal cases in recent times were linked to the refugees. According to the state home department, more than 32,000 Myanmar nationals are presently sheltering in different parts of Mizoram. The number, however, keeps changing almost daily as some refugees have the habit of going to their country and coming back to Mizoram repeatedly, officials said. The home department also said that 2,371 Bangladeshi nationals from the Chittagong Hill Tracts are currently staying in the state. In addition, more than 7,000 Zo ethnic people from Manipur displaced by ethnic violence since May 2023 have taken shelter in the state, it said. The Myanmar nationals, mostly from Chin state, fled to Mizoram following a military coup in the neighbouring country in February 2021, while the asylum seekers from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts came to the state after a military offensive against an ethnic insurgent group in 2022. The Chins in Myanmar, the Bawm tribe from Bangladesh and the Kuki-Zo people from Manipur share close ethnic ties with the Mizos. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Mizoram government trains officials for biometric enrolment of Myanmar and Bangladeshi refugees
Mizoram is training officials to gather biometric data of Myanmar and Bangladeshi refugees. This process will begin this month. The Home Department has allocated funds for this. Manipur has already collected refugee data. Thousands of Myanmar refugees are in Mizoram after the 2021 coup. Over two thousand Bangladeshi tribals also reside in Mizoram. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Mizoram government is providing training to district-level officials to collect biometrics and biographic data of Myanmar and Bangladeshi refugees and the process of recording this would start from this month, a home department official has of district-level officials on the ' Foreigners Identification Portal and Biometric Enrolment' for displaced persons from Myanmar and Bangladeshi nationals are almost completed in all 11 districts of Mizoram. According to the Mizoram Home Department official, Rs 38 lakh has been earmarked for the exercise, and the expenditure would be borne by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The MHA had earlier asked both the Manipur and Mizoram governments to capture biographic and biometric details of "illegal migrants" in the two states and complete the process at the a military coup in Myanmar in February 2021, there were around 35,000 refugees in Mizoram. Another 5,000 Myanmar refugees also took shelter in Manipur. The Manipur government has almost collected the biometric and demographic data of the refugees staying in the state. Over 2,370 Bangladeshi Bawm community tribals from Chittagong Hill Tracts are also staying in Mizoram for over two years after they fled their country due to ethnic troubles after the Bangladesh Army launched a crackdown on tribals. Over 4,650 people, including women and children, from Myanmar earlier this month fled to Mizoram following a series of armed clashes.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
How is Mizoram handling the refugee crisis?
The story so far: Mizoram has been grappling with a refugee crisis since the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar. After months of lull beyond the State's borders, some 4,000 refugees crossed over from Myanmar in the first week of July following a fratricidal battle between two rival armed groups. Mizoram is now caught between pushing back the refugees who are ethnically related to the State's dominant Mizos and letting them stay despite limited resources and a tepid response from the Centre. What triggered the fresh inflow of people? Within a week from July 3, some 4,000 from Myanmar's Chin State crossed into Mizoram's Champhai district. This was after a fierce gunfight between two anti-junta armed groups, the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force-Hualngoram (CDF-H). The two groups are part of the People's Defence Force aligned with the pro-democracy National Unity Government of Myanmar, which has seized control of large swathes of the Chin State from the junta over the last few months. They are said to have turned against each other to control areas in the region deemed strategic for trade with India. Indian intelligence officials said the CNDF prevailed over the CDF-H and captured its camps. While the sounds of gunshots have ceased across the Tiau river, which marks a segment of the 510-km border between the two countries, the refugees have not mustered the courage to return to Khawmawi, the village facing Mizoram's Zokhawthar. Champhai district authorities recorded 3,980 Myanmar nationals in Zokhawthar, a major border trade village, and Saikhumphai on July 6. When did Mizoram's refugee crisis begin? Present-day Mizoram has been used to Myanmar nationals moving in and out of the State even before the Free Movement Regime (FMR) between the two countries came into existence in 1968, allowing residents along their 1,643-km-long border to travel up to 40 km inside. The limit was reduced to 16 km from the border in 2004, and additional regulations were enforced in 2016. The Centre announced the suspension of the FMR in February 2024, but there has been no official notification or bilateral agreement in this regard, apart from the Ministry of Home Affairs bringing in a fresh protocol in December 2024 to limit the free movement to 10 km. The regulations had little impact on the ground until the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar drove thousands into Mizoram. The State's government, civil society groups, and villagers provided food, shelter, and security to the refugees on humanitarian grounds, although the Ministry of Home Affairs asked the northeastern States bordering Myanmar not to let the refugees in. The refugee crisis deepened when some 2,000 Bawm people sought refuge after fleeing persecution in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts in 2022, and thousands of Kuki-Zo people displaced by the ethnic clash in Manipur crossed over. Mizoram houses more than 40,000 shelter-seekers from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Manipur. How is the State dealing with the situation? The dominant Mizo community of Mizoram shares ethnic and familial ties with the Chins of Myanmar, the Bawms of Bangladesh, and the Kuki-Zos of Manipur. All belong to the greater Zo ethnic group. In 2024, Chief Minister Lalduhoma told the Centre that ethnic affiliations and humanitarian reasons prevent his government from pushing the refugees back to where they came from. Influential organisations such as the Young Mizo Association (YMA), church bodies, and resourceful individuals have been contributing in cash and kind to take care of the basic needs of the refugees, Myanmar government officials and politicians among them. Initially reluctant, the Centre provided ₹8 crore as assistance to provide relief for the refugees. However, some villagers began to feel the pressure of handling waves of refugees. In March, the Farkawn village council in Champhai district issued an order asking all Myanmar refugees to stop trading by March 31 and desist from moving out of their designated camps. Civil society groups issued similar diktats in Melthum, a village in Aizawl district, and Lawngtlai town later. In a departure from the hospitality extended since 2021, the refugees were threatened with eviction if they did not comply with the order. Almost simultaneously, Aizawl-based activist V.L. Thlamuanpuia wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah, underlining the churning in the State over the refugee issue. He stated that the uncontrolled movement of Myanmar refugees was threatening national security, changing the demography, and draining local resources. How is the government responding? India is neither a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention nor does it have a specific national law on refugees, and it usually deals with them under laws related to foreigners. The country, however, has a history of hosting refugees from neighbouring countries and often works with the United Nations to determine refugee status. New Delhi has been talking tough on the refugee problem along the India-Myanmar border. Of late, the Mizoram government has been showing signs of feeling the pressure of influx from the civil war-torn Myanmar. In March, the Chief Minister said the FMR was one of the factors responsible for a rise in smuggling activities in the State. A month later, he said some refugees were taking advantage of the crisis in Myanmar to repeatedly cross the border by violating Indian laws. His government has also prodded the Centre to obtain presidential assent for the Mizoram (Maintenance of Household Registers) Bill, that seeks to identify foreigners in the State.
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mizoram gears up for biometric enrollment of Myanmar refugees
Aizawl, Preparations are underway for the biometric enrollment of over 32,000 Myanmar refugees currently sheltered in Mizoram, a senior official said on Wednesday. Mizoram gears up for biometric enrollment of Myanmar refugees State Additional Home Secretary Andrew H. Vanlaldika said the collection of biometric and demographic data of the refugees will be carried out across all eleven districts of the state within this month. He said training of officials had been held by district administrations recently, and they would be provided with equipment such as computers, webcams and other materials required for enrollment. "The biometric enrollment of the Myanmar refugees will begin this month, depending on the convenience of district administrations," Vanlaldika told PTI. "We have held training for officials for this purpose. The enrollment will be done online," he added. Vanlaldika clarified that the enrollment is strictly for identification purposes and should not be seen as a step toward deportation. "The biometric enrollment is specifically meant for the identification of Myanmar refugees and does not connote deportation to their country," he stressed. The enrollment will be carried out using the Foreigner Identification Portal, developed by the National Informatics Centre , he said. Vanlaldika also mentioned that a similar exercise may be undertaken later for Bangladeshi nationals staying in south Mizoram's Lawngtlai district, subject to instructions from the Centre. Aizawl deputy commissioner Lalhriatpuia said the enrollment exercise will begin in the district soon. He said the district administration may face challenges as the number of Myanmar refugees is not static due to their frequent movement to and from the neighbouring country. There are about 3,000 Myanmar refugees in Aizawl district, he added. According to data from the state home department, a total of 32,419 Myanmar nationals are presently sheltered in Mizoram's eleven districts. However, the numbers fluctuate almost daily, as many refugees return to their villages in Myanmar and later come back to Mizoram, another home department official said. The department also said 2,371 Bangladeshi nationals from the Chittagong Hill Tracts are currently staying in the state. In addition, 7,354 Zo ethnic people from Manipur — displaced by ethnic violence since May 2023 — have taken shelter in the state. The Myanmar nationals, mostly from Chin state, fled to Mizoram following a military coup in the neighbouring country in February 2021, while the asylum seekers from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts came to the state after a military offensive against an ethnic insurgent group in 2022. The Chins in Myanmar, Bawm tribe from Bangladesh and Kuki-zo people from Manipur share close ethnic ties with the Mizos. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
NDTV
03-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
2 Bangladesh-Origin US Nationals Deported From Mizoram Over Alleged Links With CHT Insurgents: Sources
Aizawl/New Delhi: Two Bangladesh-origin US nationals were arrested in Mizoram's Lengpui airport on Saturday and deported from the state capital Aizawl after it was learnt that they planned to meet militants of the KNA/F, top sources in the northeast state told NDTV. Intelligence reports indicated four US nationals would be coming to Aizawl using tourist visas on May 2, sources said. While two of them were identified as Chekun and Saron, the names of the other two are not known, sources said. After reaching Aizawl, they planned to meet KNA/F leaders including Nathan Lawncheo Bawm, sources said. Mr Bawm, whose whereabouts are unknown, is the founder of the Kuki-Chin National Front and its armed wing, the Kuki-Chin National Army, active in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). From Aizawl, the four planned to move to Lawangtlai district and visit Bawm community refugee camps in the border areas, sources said. At least two Bangladesh-origin US nationals had played a key role in raising the Kuki-Chin National Front in CHT during its nascent stage, sources said. Since they continue to support subversive activities in the border areas, the authorities received information to take appropriate and timely action on the matter, sources said. The Kuki-Chin National Front has been allegedly using acronyms such as 'KNA' to confuse people; they have started using KNF/A in recent times, sources said.
