Mizoram Government ‘Unwilling’ To Push Back Bangladeshi Refugees: CM Lalduhoma To PM Modi

New Delhi/Aizawl: Lalduhoma, the Mizoram Chief Minister, on Sunday discussed the Bangladeshi refugee issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reportedly told him that the state government is reluctant to push back the refugees, said the officials.

An official from the Mizoram Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) reported that the Chief Minister, in a meeting with the Prime Minister at his New Delhi residence on Saturday, informed him of the situation regarding Bangladeshi refugees. These refugees, belonging to the Bawm community—a tribal group and one of the ethnic Mizo tribes—have sought refuge in Mizoram since November 2022. Additionally, numerous tribals from the same community are still attempting to enter Mizoram.

Refugees from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) have fled their villages and sought asylum in Mizoram following an offensive by the Bangladeshi Army against the insurgent group Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA). The Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA) has reportedly been engaged in a struggle for the autonomy of tribal groups in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeastern Bangladesh.

In addition to Bangladeshi refugees, approximately 36,000 individuals from Myanmar sought refuge in Mizoram following the military coup in February 2021.

Furthermore, about 10,000 individuals, including women and children from the Kuki-Zomi tribes, have found refuge in Mizoram subsequent to the outbreak of ethnic violence in neighboring Manipur in May of the previous year. The Kuki-Zomi-Chin tribes of Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur share ethnic, cultural, and linguistic affinities with the Mizo people.

Many refugees reside in rented housing or with relatives and friends, while some inhabit relief camps in the border state that has a 510-kilometer unfenced boundary with Myanmar and a 318-kilometer border with Bangladesh.

The current Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government, as well as the preceding Mizo National Front (MNF) administration, have requested financial aid from the Central government for the relief and accommodation of refugees from Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur.

The CMO official reported that the Chief Minister deliberated on relocating the Assam Rifles’ state headquarters from central Aizawl to the newly designated camp at Zokhawthar, approximately 10 km from the state capital.

(With IANS inputs)