Mizoram to Keep Sheltering 30 Thousand Myanmar Refugees
Over 30,000 Myanmarese nationals, mostly from Chin state, fled their homes and have taken shelter in Mizoram following the military coup in February 2021
NEW DELHI: The government of Mizoram, in a bold step on Wednesday, refused to send back more than thirty thousand Myanmar refugees unless the ruling junta of Myanmar gives assurance of their security and helps them resettle.
Mizoram Planning Board Vice-Chairman R Rammawi on Tuesday in New Delhi, during his meeting with the Joint Secretary of the External Affairs Ministry of India Smita Pant, let know of Mizoram's stand on the sheltering of thousands of Myanmarese refugees in Mizoram.
Rammawi was accompanied by the Rajya Sabha member from Mizoram K. Vanlalvena and Officer in Special Duty(OSD) to the Chief Minister of Mizoram, Ronsangzuala.
Over 30,000 Myanmarese nationals, mostly from Chin state, fled their homes and have taken shelter in Mizoram following the military coup in February last year and subsequent crackdown on anti-coup demonstrators.
It is to be noted here that Mizoram shares a 510 km long boundary with the Chin state of Myanmar. The Mizo community considers people in the Chin state to be their close brethren. They also have not forgotten the years of the Mizo struggle during the 1960's and '70s, when it was the Chin across the border that provided them refuge from the bombing of the Indian Air Force and reprisals of the Indian security forces. So, Mizoram in a way is repaying the people of Chin for whatever they did for the Mizo people in the 1960s and '70s.
There is also a history of intermarriage and family kinship on both sides of the border and people from both sides of the border understand each other's language.
The Mizoram is itself battling a lot of economic problems and giving shelter to more than 30 thousand refugees is getting tougher for the government but still, it is standing with the Chin refugees.
The meeting with the Joint Secretary of External Affairs ministry is considered to be a courtesy meeting from the Mizo side to ask for the center's help in case of the refugees.
Also Read: Assam-Mizoram Chief Ministers to Meet on Sep.19 to Resolve Border Issues
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