Villagers at Mizoram-Myanmar border prohibits refugees to open shops

Villagers residing at Farkawn in the Champhai district along the Mizoram-Myanmar border have decided to prohibit Myanmar refugees from opening shops and engaging in businesses.

Sources in Farkawn said that there are 8 shops being opened by the refugees in the village at present which include grocery, bike spare parts, petrol shops as well as hair-cutting salons and restaurants.

However, the village shop owners association recently made an appeal to the Village Level Committee on Myanmar Refugees asking the latter not to allow the opening of shops by the refugees from Myanmar saying that there has been an imparity in the prices of commodities.

The village shop owners also complained that the availability of drugs including heroin increased after the refugees began doing business in Farkawn.

As such, the Village Level Committee on Myanmar Refugees, after consulting the village council leaders and local civil societies, decided not to allow the opening of shops by the refugees for security reasons in the current situation.

As per the latest order by the Village Level Committee on Myanmar Refugees, those who had opened shops in Farkawn village should dispose all their commodities within a month.

It may be mentioned here that the refugees belonging to the 178 families in this small border village, which included around 230 students studying in primary schools up to the higher secondary schools.