The Mizos in Mizoram and Chins from the Chin state in Myanmar are extremely difficult to differentiate as they share a strong ethnic affinity and have close cultural, feature, and language similarities (Photo Credit: The Hindu)
Providing identity cards to the Myanmar intruders, who have not been given refugee status by the centre would be a tough proposition as many of them are living with their relatives and are yet to be identified.
New Delhi: In order to avoid hassles related to security, welfare and covid management, the Government of Mizoram has decided to issue identity cards to over 16,000 Myanmar intruders from the Chin region. The state government has reportedly informed this to the centre.
Sources in Mizoram government said that hundreds of those who have sneaked into Mizoram since the February 2021 coup in Myanmar are now in makeshift camps across the border villages and in stadiums and halls in the state capital Aizawl and some district headquarters. Among those also include 20 legislators who were elected in Myanmar in the 2020 elections.
"The process of providing identity cards to over 16,000 Myanmar refugees have already commenced, though slowed down due to pandemic," the source said.
However, providing identity cards to the Myanmar intruders – who have not been given refugee status by the centre would be a tough proposition as many of them are living with their relatives and are yet to be identified.
The Mizos in Mizoram and Chins from the Chin state in Myanmar are extremely difficult to differentiate as they share a strong ethnic affinity and have close cultural, feature, and language similarities. Though Buddhism is the major religion in Myanmar, most Chin people in western Myanmar are Christians, like Mizos.
A large number of displaced people are lodged in makeshift relief camps near the villages along with the 404-km-long Mizoram-Myanmar border areas. Those in these camps would be easier to be identified with the cooperation of the villagers, sources said. The state government has constituted a task group on the Myanmar people in Mizoram.
Meanwhile, more refugees have reportedly entered the state's southern districts in the wake of the intensified conflict between the Myanmar army and the Chin National Army (CNA), and the local resistance groups combine in the southern part of the Chin state like Matupi, Mindat and Hakha.
According to local social workers, about 2,000 people fresh batch entered the state due to the recent fresh confrontations between the Myanmar army and the CNA, Chinland Defence Force (CDF) and Chinland National Defence Force (CNDF) combined since mid-January.
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