Concern raised over activities of refugees
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AIZAWL, Mar 2
Mizoram Home Minister K Sapdanga on Monday informed the State Assembly that some refugees taking shelter in the State are allegedly involved in illegal commercial activities, with a few facing serious criminal charges.
Responding to queries during the ongoing Budget session, Sapdanga said that although the Government has not received formal reports, it is aware that certain refugees are covertly operating small-scale businesses in violation of the law.
“The authorities are actively investigating such cases. Several arrests have been made, and some individuals are facing serious criminal charges depending on the nature of the goods being sold or transported,” he said, adding that the Government is taking a serious note of the matter.
Providing details on the biometric enrolment exercise, the Minister said 26,381 refugees from Myanmar had been registered as of February 5, while 1,974 individuals are yet to complete the process.
Mizoram currently hosts more than 38,000 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) from neighbouring Manipur.
The refugees and displaced persons largely belong to ethnic Zo communities that share close cultural and ethnic ties with the Mizos.
Sapdanga said the State Government has drawn up plans to establish designated settlements or relief camps, but implementing them has proved challenging.
“They arrived in Mizoram out of fear and hardship. They cannot always stay where the Government prefers, nor where they themselves would like. Many are scattered wherever space is available — some in schools, others with relatives,” he said.
“While we have plans for designated settlements, full implementation is often difficult. It remains a challenge both for planners and for the refugees themselves,” the Minister added.
Most of the Myanmar Nationals, primarily from Chin State, crossed into Mizoram following the military coup in February 2021.
Refugees belonging to the ethnic Bawm tribe from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts entered the State after military operations against an insurgent group in 2022. Members of the Kuki-Hmar-Zomi community from Manipur sought shelter in Mizoram following ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023. NE NOW
Mizoram Home Minister K Sapdanga on Monday informed the State Assembly that some refugees taking shelter in the State are allegedly involved in illegal commercial activities, with a few facing serious criminal charges.
Responding to queries during the ongoing Budget session, Sapdanga said that although the Government has not received formal reports, it is aware that certain refugees are covertly operating small-scale businesses in violation of the law.
“The authorities are actively investigating such cases. Several arrests have been made, and some individuals are facing serious criminal charges depending on the nature of the goods being sold or transported,” he said, adding that the Government is taking a serious note of the matter.
Providing details on the biometric enrolment exercise, the Minister said 26,381 refugees from Myanmar had been registered as of February 5, while 1,974 individuals are yet to complete the process.
Mizoram currently hosts more than 38,000 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) from neighbouring Manipur.
The refugees and displaced persons largely belong to ethnic Zo communities that share close cultural and ethnic ties with the Mizos.
Sapdanga said the State Government has drawn up plans to establish designated settlements or relief camps, but implementing them has proved challenging.
“They arrived in Mizoram out of fear and hardship. They cannot always stay where the Government prefers, nor where they themselves would like. Many are scattered wherever space is available — some in schools, others with relatives,” he said.
“While we have plans for designated settlements, full implementation is often difficult. It remains a challenge both for planners and for the refugees themselves,” the Minister added.
Most of the Myanmar Nationals, primarily from Chin State, crossed into Mizoram following the military coup in February 2021.
Refugees belonging to the ethnic Bawm tribe from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts entered the State after military operations against an insurgent group in 2022. Members of the Kuki-Hmar-Zomi community from Manipur sought shelter in Mizoram following ethnic violence that erupted in May 2023. NE NOW