Armed Myanmar group seeks asylum in India following coup High alert at Mizoram, Manipur border

    11-Feb-2021
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Armed Myanmar group seeks
AIZAWL, Feb 10
Myanmar-based armed insurgent group Chin National Army (CNA) has sought asylum for their families in India in the wake of the military coup in the neighbouring country, an official in Mizoram said on Wednesday.
The CNA, the armed wing of the Chin National Front (CNF), has asked for asylum for 40 families, Mizoram's Champhai district Deputy Commissioner Maria CT Zuali told PTI.
"The CNA has communicated the matter to the village council president of Farkawn, who later informed the Champhai district administration," she said.
Zuali said that she has forwarded the matter to higher authorities.
The district administration has issued an alert against an influx of refugees from Myanmar in the wake of the coup, officials said.
Mizoram shares a 404 km porous international border with Myanmar.
A notification issued by Zuali on Tuesday instructed all villages to inform the district administration if Myanmarese refugees are seen entering their areas.
Thousands of members of the Chin community of Myanmar fled to Mizoram because of the military junta since the late 1980s, officials said.
Though many have returned to Myanmar after democracy was restored in the neighbouring country, thousands of them are still living in the State, they said.
The Chins of Myanmar and the Mizos of India share the same ancestry and culture.
With the Myanmar military taking power, there are apprehensions in the border areas that many Myanmarese from the Chin State and other regions will flee to Mizoram.
In Manipur too alert has been sounded to check infiltration from across the border.
When The Sangai Express contacted DGP LM Khaute, the police officer said that security has been tightened along the border to check any infiltration and cross border movement. Security along the border was also hightened during the crackdown on the Rohingyas in Myanmar, said the senior police officer and added that the same measure has been put in place following the coup in Myanmar.

The Indian Express