Aizawl: The Mizoram government plans to relocate all refugees currently sheltered in various parts of the state to a single location, political adviser to Mizoram Chief Minister Lalmuanpuia Punte said
Punte on Thursday held a meeting with officials from south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district to address issues related to over 2,000 Bangladeshi refugees currently taking shelter in the area.
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During the meeting, he emphasised the need to establish proper guidelines to prevent refugees from freely settling or relocating as per their wish.
Punte said that the government is working to relocate the refugees and consolidate them in one location, rather than having them scattered across various villages, to facilitate administrative efficiency.
He said the plan would also enable the government to provide humanitarian assistance more efficiently.
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Punte further said that plans are underway to relocate 2,014 refugees from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), who are currently residing in various villages in Lawngtlai district, to four designated villages within the same district.
According to Deputy Commissioner Cheemala Siva Gopal Reddy, Lawngtlai, the southernmost district, shares borders with both Myanmar and Bangladesh and is currently home to 6,030 refugees from Myanmar, 84 internally displaced individuals from Manipur, and 2,014 refugees from Bangladesh.
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The Young Mizo Association (YMA), the largest civil society organisation in the state, earlier urged the government to establish a systematic mechanism, including proper shelter homes, to accommodate and manage over 42,000 refugees and internally displaced persons.
According to the state home department, over 33,000 Myanmar nationals, including 12,572 children, are currently sheltering across all 11 districts of the state.
Additionally, 7,756 internally displaced people from Manipur have sought shelter in various parts of the state.
Since February 2021, Myanmar nationals, primarily from the Chin state and sharing ethnic ties with the Mizos, have been seeking shelter in Mizoram following a coup.
In November 2022, the Bawm people, a Mizo tribe from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), migrated to the northeastern state due to an alleged military offensive by the Bangladeshi army during its crackdown on an ethnic insurgent group.
On the other hand, the Bawm people, one of the Mizo tribes from CHT migrated to the northeastern state in November 2022 due to the alleged military offensive by the Bangladeshi army during its crackdown on an ethnic insurgent group.
In May 2023, the Kuki-Hmar-Mizo-Zomi people from Manipur fled to Mizoram due to conflict with the majority Meitei community.