Over 29,000 Myanmar nationals sheltering in Mizoram: Home minister

Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga, on August 27, said that over 29,000 Myanmar nationals displaced by conflict following the military coup in the neighbouring country have taken shelter in different parts of the state.

In a written reply to a question from ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) member V. L. Zaithanzama on the first day of the two-day monsoon session of the Assembly, Sapdanga said that all district administrations have begun the biometric enrollment of displaced people from Myanmar.

"Altogether, 29,046 Myanmar nationals are taking shelter in Mizoram as of August 11," the Home Minister said.

Sapdanga said the Centre is taking steps to fence the India-Myanmar border in consultation with the state government, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and Assam Rifles, which guards the international border.

Mizoram shares a 510-km-long border with Myanmar, and the state's civil society organisations and student bodies, including the Young Mizo Association (YMA), have strongly opposed the Centre's plan to fence it.

The Myanmar nationals, mostly from the Chin community, which shares ethnic ties with Mizos, fled to Mizoram following conflict after a military coup in the neighbouring country in February 2021.

According to officials, the Myanmar nationals are presently taking shelter across all 11 districts of Mizoram, with Champhai district hosting the highest at more than 13,500.