Refugee influx to Mizoram continues, YMA assures continued assistance

The YMA on it's own has so far collected Rs 2.6 crore from donations to provide assistance to such people.

Amid a rising influx in the number of refugees entering Mizoram from Manipur, Myanmar and Bangladesh and taking shelter in different districts of the state, the Young Mizo Association (YMA), Mizoram’s largest non-profit NGO, has assured assistance to all of them entering the state and seeking refuge.

In a bid to alleviate the sufferings of such people entering Mizoram, the YMA on it’s own has so far collected Rs 2.6 crore from donations.

Speaking to Northeast Live, Prof Malsawmliana, General Secretary, CYMA (Central YMA) said, “First of all I would like to say that those people coming to Mizoram from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur are our own ethnic brothers and sisters, we have the same ethnic identity. So we feel that it is our responsibility to give humanitarian assistance to those people from the perspective of humanitarian grounds. Since YMA is an NGO, having the objective of helping the needy people, so we are solely confined on humanitarian assistance, we never talk about the political things.

Regarding the humanitarian help, which YMA is providing to those people, we have received a lot of donations from various civil societies, individuals, church and other societies from outside Mizoram. It amounts to Rs 2.6 crore, that we have received.”

“We have distributed assistance to the needy people, we never give cash. We provide rice and other essentials, utensils, temporary shelters and those. One thing I would like to highlight is that, we have instructed our YMA leaders who are in the border areas to take care of those people who are seeking asylum in those areas. We have also requested to provide and construct temporary shelters, to give food, to give clothes, utensils and other domestic needs,” Malsawmliana further said.

Not only this, the YMA on it’s own has begun profiling of people entering the state from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Malsawmliana in this context said, “One thing that YMA has done is updating and profiling of the people, but it is a very difficult task to give the updated list. But we have instructed our leaders to do this in their own areas.

The state government had taken over the responsibility by forming the committee of refugees at the state, district and village levels, the YMA had cooperated with the government on this.”

If reports are to be believed, as the civil war in Myanmar rages on, a fresh batch of more than 1,322 refugees have entered India in the past week. The refugees are reportedly taking shelter in villages along the Indo-Myanmar border in Champhai district — Khuangphah and Vaikhawtlang, among others.
Over 35,000 Myanmar nationals are taking shelter in the eleven districts of Mizoram.

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