Mizoram needs policy to handle Bangladesh refugee influx, says home minister

Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga on July 23 called for a clear government policy to address the growing influx of Zo ethnic people and other refugees fleeing the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh, saying the issue demands urgent attention.

Speaking at a seminar titled 'The Potential Impact on Mizoram by the Increasing Subjugation of Tribal People in Bangladesh and the Chittagong Accord', Sapdanga said tribal communities in Bangladesh's hill regions were facing increasing pressure from majority communities, leading to the occupation of their ancestral lands and forcing many to seek refuge in Mizoram.

He said the influx was not limited to Zo ethnic groups, with members of the Chakma and Bru communities also crossing into the state. Churches, voluntary organisations and political parties in Mizoram have been extending humanitarian assistance while remaining mindful of the state's security concerns, he added.

"In this situation, it is necessary to carefully consider how Zo ethnic people and other communities fleeing Bangladesh should be received and accommodated. The government must devote serious thought to this matter," Sapdanga said.

The minister expressed hope that the seminar would serve as an eye-opener for the government, churches, tribal organisations and civil society in framing an effective response to the situation.

Political adviser to the Chief Minister and MLA Lalmuanpuia Punte also stressed the need to better understand the conditions prevailing in neighbouring regions and the reasons behind the continued movement of people into Mizoram.

Three Mizoram districts—Lawngtlai, Lunglei and Mamit—share a 318-km international border with Bangladesh.

According to the state Home Department, more than 2,000 members of the Bawm tribe, an ethnic Mizo community, have been living in Mizoram since 2022 after fleeing a military operation against an ethnic insurgent group in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts.

The issue has also drawn concern from Mizoram's largest civil society organisation, the Young Mizo Association (YMA), along with student bodies such as the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) and the Mizo Students' Union (MSU), which have raised alarm over the alleged influx of immigrants, particularly from the Chakma community, into the state.