Mizoram to continue providing help to Myanmar refugees: Lalduhoma

Mizoram chief minister Lalduhoma on Saturday said his government would continue providing assistance to refugees from Myanmar and internally displaced people from Manipur, with support from the Centre. Lalduhoma made the comments at a press conference in Aizawl upon his return from Delhi.

"Even though the Centre can't accord refugee status to the Myanmar nationals, it is ready to collaborate with us in providing relief to them. People from Manipur, who fled their homes owing to ethnic violence, will also be looked after with help from the Central government," he said.

According to officials, more than 31,000 members of the Chin community from Myanmar have sought shelter in Mizoram since February 2021, following a military coup in their home country. Additionally, over 9,000 internally displaced residents of Manipur have also taken refuge in the state.

The Chin community of Myanmar and the ethnic Kuki-Zo community of Manipur share ethnic ties with the Mizos.

Union home minister Amit Shah had on Friday informed Lalduhoma that the Centre wouldn't deport Myanmar nationals who had sought refuge in the state since February 2021 until normalcy was restored in the neighboring country, an official release said.

The chief minister also expressed hope that the Centre would cancel the move to fence a portion of the India-Myanmar border.

The Union government had recently said it planned to fence a 300-km stretch of unfenced boundary with Myanmar, and end the Free Movement Regime, which allows people living on both sides of the international border to travel within 16 km into each other's territory without visas.