Over 800 Myanmar refugees enter Mizoram in past few days

By Isaac Zoramsanga

Mizoram has reported fresh influx of refugees in Champai district, especially inside East Tuipui assembly constituency along the Mizoram-Myanmar border.

The leaders of the village-level committees on Myanmar refugees said that there are 820 new entrants in the village, while a leader of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) branch in nearby Vaphai village said that around 30 people have entered the village from Chin State.

“We have 1,812 refugees taking shelter in Farkawn village,” the leaders said.

The refugees are originally from Halkha town, Thantlang town, Tlangpui, Farrawn, and Langlo villages, he said.

One of the main reasons of the recent flood of migrants is the escalating civil war in the Chin state between the Myanmar army, or Tatmadaw, local civilian resistance forces, and ethnic insurgent groups.

The frequent ambushes of the Tatmadaw by the cadres of militant groups and local civilian militias, mainly the Chin Defence Force (CDF), and retaliation from the Myanmar army by aerial bombardment and the use of artillery on the civilian settlements also caused people to flee their towns and villages.

Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that 40 houses were gutted in Hniarlawnthar hamlet within Halkha town, the headquarters of Chin state, on Saturday, resulting in many people having to flee their homes.

Halkha town was bombarded by Myanmar army warplanes on April 12 and 13, resulting in many houses being burned to the ground and a large number of people being displaced from their homes.

In view of the fresh entry of refugees from Chin state in Myanmar, the central committees of the Young Mizo Association (YMA) and Zo Reunification Organisation (ZoRO) have sent materials for the construction of makeshift shelters like tarpaulin and silpaulin in the border areas, especially in the southern part of Champhai district.

Farkawn is situated near the Mizoram-Myanmar border river Tiau, and Camp Victoria, the military headquarters of the Chin National Army (CNA).

Village leaders of Myanmar border villages said that more refugees may flee Chin State and take shelter in Mizoram in view of the intensified civil war in Myanmar, especially in Chin State.

Mizoram is already hosting over 31,000 refugees from Myanmar following the military coup in February 2021.

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