Latest news with #Chins
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
After Nagaland, Manipur issues order ‘to prevent anyone from entering state illegally'
Following Nagaland, the Manipur government has followed suit and issued a memorandum for heightened vigilance against the 'influx of illegal immigrants.' While the Nagaland government, in an order issued on Monday, had cited apprehension of entry into the state by people displaced by the Assam government's ongoing eviction drives, the Manipur Home Department memorandum cites 'the turmoil situation in neighbouring countries.' The memorandum directs the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of all districts to ensure vigil at international, inter-state and inter-district boundaries 'to prevent anyone from crossing into the state's boundaries illegally.' Manipur shares an international border with Myanmar and it has an Inner Line Permit regime, under which any Indian citizen, who does not belong to the state, is required to procure an official travel document called an Inner Line Permit (ILP), issued by the state government concerned, to visit or stay. It also directs that District level Task Forces 'for checking of illegal migrants' be made operational 'at the earliest' comprising an ASP of the district, an officer from the district administration, a paramilitary representative and biometric staff. The memorandum spells out steps to be taken in the event that any such 'illegal movement' is detected: recording the biographic and biometric details of the persons; placing them in secured designated locations 'without allowing them to get mixed up or naturalised with local populace'; and deporting after due procedure. The question of alleged large scale illegal immigration from Myanmar into Manipur is one of the most contested issues in the state, particularly between the Meitei and Kuk-Zo communities which are in conflict with each other. Stakeholders from the Meitei community allege that illegal immigration of Chins from Myanmar, who are of the same ethnicity of the Kuki-Zos, is they key reason for the volatility in the region, a stance also expressed by the Union Home Minister.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- 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.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
A never-ending visa queue for refugees
A 7.7-magnitude quake flattened buildings across Myanmar on March 28, killing more than 3,400 people, making thousands more homeless, and worsening an already complex humanitarian situation amid civil war. Photo: SAI AUNG MAIN / AFP When Dawt Tha Thang arrived in New Zealand in 2010, she was with her husband and five of her children. Within weeks, she gave birth to her youngest. But her eldest daughter stayed behind in Myanmar. She had just married and was pregnant. The Thangs are Christian Chins and as a minority, have faced persecution - it is how they became refugees - but over the past several years things have become even more dangerous in Myanmar. First, in 2021 there was a military coup and the country descended into civil war. Then, this March, there was an earthquake that killed thousands. "Myanmar as a whole is a pretty awful situation, with the civil war and the earthquake and forced conscription, but this is a family that ... also comes from a persecuted minority. They have been shaken down in [the capital city] Yangon, ie the army comes round and demands money or they will be sent to jail. They're moving every second or third night to stay away from the army," says Caroline Forsyth, who is friends with the family and speaks on their behalf to The Detail. Under the Refugee Family Support Category (RFSC), the Thangs can apply to bring their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren here to join them. And the last time applications opened, they did. That was in 2017. They have been closed since then. Right now, the queue is 4190 people long, with only a few applicants coming off that list every year. But the scale of the problem is much bigger, because it does not represent all the people who have not even had a chance to apply. In today's episode of The Detail, Jay Marlowe - professor of social work at Auckland University and co-author with the Red Cross of a report on the RFSC - explains how the category works - and does not. "It's not our position that the RFSC is not working or is absolutely broken... for me fundamentally it's about ensuring that we protect what exists but also to recognise that it is under need of reform," he says. "It's not irreparably broken, but it does need reform." Under the RFSC there are two tiers. Tier One is for people who have come here as refugees who have no other adult family in the country, and Tier Two is for people who do have adult family - like the Thangs, who are a married couple and now have adult children - but have other adult family who they would like to reunite with as well. Tier One is prioritised, because people applying in that category do not have any support here. That category remains open for applications, but Tier Two has only opened for applications twice. The first time was in 2012, and the second was in 2017. Both times, it was only for a few days, and Forsyth and Marlowe say the system was inundated with applications. There are only 600 places a year open for the RFSC, and because Tier One is always open and those applications are prioritised, very few Tier Two applicants get through. This leaves people like the Thangs in a holding pattern, unsure of when - if ever - they will be able to reunite with their families. In their case, their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren are hungry, they have lost family members to military violence, and the children can not go to school. They have attempted to escape to Thailand, where they'd be able to register as refugees, but haven't been able to. Last month, Labour MP Phil Twyford asked Associate Immigration Minister Casey Costello and General Manager, Refugee and Migrant Service Fiona Whiteridge, for an update on progress. Whiteridge said that "in order to clear that tier two queue, and it obviously is all dependent on how many more people applying to tier one, it would take us between eight to 10 years". Marlowe says there is clear research that reuniting people with their families has a broad range of benefits and the government should think about this category not just in terms of what it costs, but also what it might save in the long term. "Not only does it make sense to reunite families ... but it might even make dollars and cents. "Family reunification is often one of the most important, if not the most important, topic that people want to address." Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Biometrics of displaced people of Myanmar, Bangladesh living in Mizoram to be recorded
The biometrics of displaced people from Myanmar and Bangladesh taking shelter in Mizoram will be recorded, officials said on Saturday (July 19, 2025). Training of officers is being held across the state for the exercise, which is expected to begin at the end of July, they said. Recording of biometric and demographic details will be conducted online, using the foreigners' identification portal, they said. However, offline mode may also be used as many of these displaced people live in rural areas where there is poor internet connectivity, they added. In a statement, the government said training on the 'Foreigners Identification Portal and Biometric Enrolment' for displaced persons from Myanmar and Bangladesh was held on Friday (July 18, 2025) in Lunglei. The session organised by the Lunglei District Level Committee on Myanmar & Bangladesh Refugees (DLCMBR) aimed to sensitise and equip officers for proper identification and enrollment of displaced people, it said. Formation of 10 biometric enrolment teams Lunglei's Additional SP K Beihmotaosa briefed the officers on steps taken so far, including the formation of 10 biometric enrolment teams and equipment requisition from the Home Department. The enrollment drive is set to begin this month, starting with Ramthar Camp and expanding to eight other camps in the district, it said. A total of 27 team members were trained by master trainers through practical and interactive sessions during the event, the statement said. Officials said that similar trainings are being held in other districts as well. According to the Home Department, more than 32,000 Myanmar nationals are presently staying in Mizoram's 11 districts. The number, however, keeps changing almost on a daily basis as some of them have a habit of going to their country and coming back to Mizoram, officials said. The Home Department also said that 2,371 Bangladeshi nationals from the Chittagong Hill Tracts are staying in the state. In addition, more than 7,000 Zo ethnic people from Manipur, displaced by ethnic violence, 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, the Bawm tribe of Bangladesh and the Kuki-zo people from Manipur share close ethnic ties with the Mizos.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Initiatives to broker peace between warring Chin armed groups continue
1 2 3 4 Aizawl: The Advocacy Group for Peace in Chinland, a Aizawl-based team constituted under the aegis of Mizoram CM Lalduhoma, is yet making a breakthrough to bring peace between the warring Chin armed groups as both sides failed to reach a compromise to end the armed internecine conflict in western Chin state, a member of the advocacy team said on Monday, reports HC Vanlalruata. The member, speaking to TOI on the condition of anonymity, said the group has reached out to both the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) - Hualngoram as well as the Chin National Front (CNF) and its armed wing the Chin National Army (CNA) a number of times. "The main impediment is that the groups, when they are cornered, want peace but refuse to accept our peace overtures whenever they gain upper hand," he said. The National Unity Government (NUG), a parallel Myanmar govt in exile, also has urged the Chin armed groups to stop fighting among themselves. Other bodies, including National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC), an advisory body of the NUG, and several religious denominations of the Chins as well as civil societies in Mizoram have also been calling for peace and unity among the Chin armed groups.
