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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Mizoram gears up for biometric enrollment of Myanmar refugees
Aizawl, Preparations are underway for the biometric enrollment of over 32,000 Myanmar refugees currently sheltered in Mizoram, a senior official said on Wednesday. Mizoram gears up for biometric enrollment of Myanmar refugees State Additional Home Secretary Andrew H. Vanlaldika said the collection of biometric and demographic data of the refugees will be carried out across all eleven districts of the state within this month. He said training of officials had been held by district administrations recently, and they would be provided with equipment such as computers, webcams and other materials required for enrollment. "The biometric enrollment of the Myanmar refugees will begin this month, depending on the convenience of district administrations," Vanlaldika told PTI. "We have held training for officials for this purpose. The enrollment will be done online," he added. Vanlaldika clarified that the enrollment is strictly for identification purposes and should not be seen as a step toward deportation. "The biometric enrollment is specifically meant for the identification of Myanmar refugees and does not connote deportation to their country," he stressed. The enrollment will be carried out using the Foreigner Identification Portal, developed by the National Informatics Centre , he said. Vanlaldika also mentioned that a similar exercise may be undertaken later for Bangladeshi nationals staying in south Mizoram's Lawngtlai district, subject to instructions from the Centre. Aizawl deputy commissioner Lalhriatpuia said the enrollment exercise will begin in the district soon. He said the district administration may face challenges as the number of Myanmar refugees is not static due to their frequent movement to and from the neighbouring country. There are about 3,000 Myanmar refugees in Aizawl district, he added. According to data from the state home department, a total of 32,419 Myanmar nationals are presently sheltered in Mizoram's eleven districts. However, the numbers fluctuate almost daily, as many refugees return to their villages in Myanmar and later come back to Mizoram, another home department official said. The department also said 2,371 Bangladeshi nationals from the Chittagong Hill Tracts are currently staying in the state. In addition, 7,354 Zo ethnic people from Manipur — displaced by ethnic violence since May 2023 — have taken shelter in the state. The Myanmar nationals, mostly from Chin state, fled to Mizoram following a military coup in the neighbouring country in February 2021, while the asylum seekers from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts came to the state after a military offensive against an ethnic insurgent group in 2022. The Chins in Myanmar, Bawm tribe from Bangladesh and Kuki-zo people from Manipur share close ethnic ties with the Mizos. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
NDTV
03-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
2 Bangladesh-Origin US Nationals Deported From Mizoram Over Alleged Links With CHT Insurgents: Sources
Aizawl/New Delhi: Two Bangladesh-origin US nationals were arrested in Mizoram's Lengpui airport on Saturday and deported from the state capital Aizawl after it was learnt that they planned to meet militants of the KNA/F, top sources in the northeast state told NDTV. Intelligence reports indicated four US nationals would be coming to Aizawl using tourist visas on May 2, sources said. While two of them were identified as Chekun and Saron, the names of the other two are not known, sources said. After reaching Aizawl, they planned to meet KNA/F leaders including Nathan Lawncheo Bawm, sources said. Mr Bawm, whose whereabouts are unknown, is the founder of the Kuki-Chin National Front and its armed wing, the Kuki-Chin National Army, active in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). From Aizawl, the four planned to move to Lawangtlai district and visit Bawm community refugee camps in the border areas, sources said. At least two Bangladesh-origin US nationals had played a key role in raising the Kuki-Chin National Front in CHT during its nascent stage, sources said. Since they continue to support subversive activities in the border areas, the authorities received information to take appropriate and timely action on the matter, sources said. The Kuki-Chin National Front has been allegedly using acronyms such as 'KNA' to confuse people; they have started using KNF/A in recent times, sources said.
The Hindu
03-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Two Americans detained at Mizoram airport, sent back to Delhi
Two American nationals were detained at the Lengpui airport in Mizoram's Aizawal on May 2 and were sent back to Delhi on Saturday. The two had arrived in Mizoram as they wanted to visit the refugee camps of the Bawm community, a senior government official told The Hindu on Saturday (May 3, 2025). Intelligence agencies had received information that four U.S. citizens, including two of Bangladeshi origin, who are in India on tourist visas would be arriving at Aizawl on May 2. The agencies suspect that the Bangladeshi origin U.S citizens played a key role in raising Kuki-Chin National Front in Chittagong during its nascent stage. Several members of the Bawm community who had fled to India from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tract Area since 2022 have taken shelter in Mizoram, a senior government official said on Saturday. They started seeking refuge following a military offensive by the Bangladeshi Army against the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), an insurgent group. The U.S citizens (names being withheld) are said to be associated with Tearfund, an organisation which works with local churches and Christian organisations in more than 50 countries. The Chins, Kuki-Zos, and Bawms are ethnically related to the dominant Mizos of Mizoram. 'The man and the woman were detained at the Lengpui airport and were sent back to Delhi,' said the official, adding that none of them had a protected area permit (PAP) to enter the State. Protected Area Regime On December 17, 2024 the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had reimposed Protected Area Regime (PAR) in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram to monitor the movement of foreigners amid 'growing security concerns arising out of influx from neighbouring countries.' The relaxation was withdrawn after a gap of 14 years. According to the MHA guidelines, a foreigner is not encouraged to visit the protected areas unless there are 'extraordinary reasons to justify a visit.' The American citizens also worked with a number of non-government organisations in Bangladesh's Chittagong area, the official said, raising suspicions about the purpose of their visit to Mizoram. Earlier in March, Chief Minister Lalduhoma indicated that Western mercenaries who fought in the Russia-Ukraine war could be using his State as a passage to participate in the civil war in Myanmar. Following this, the security of the Lengpui airport was handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on April 21.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tighten security: Intelligence agencies to Mizoram govt after Pahalgam terror attack
Aizawl: Intelligence agencies have reportedly advised the Mizoram govt to tighten security in view of Tuesday's terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir's Pahalgam leaving 26 tourists dead, a senior state police official said on Thursday. The official told TOI that the possibility of terror outfits creating law-and-order problems and even attacks by infiltrating through 318km-long Mizoram-Bangladesh border and also through neighbouring states like Assam and Tripura cannot be ruled out in view of the alleged influx of illegal migrants in the two states from Bangladesh. He said the security along the Bangladesh border has been beefed up after the turmoil in the neighbouring country especially after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted during early Aug last year. Security has also been tightened in southern Mizoram's Lawngtlai district bordering Myanmar ang Bangladesh to prevent possible infiltration by militant groups after the Arakan Army (AA) captured all Myanmar army camps along the western Rakhine state of Myanmar bordering Bangladesh. In accordance with the Centre's instructions, preventive measures have also been in place to guard the border areas to avert influx of Rohingya Muslims from refugee camps in Bangladesh and also from Rakhine state where the community has been facing persecution from the Myanmar military junta as well as the AA militants. Situated in a strategic location and surrounded by trouble-torn countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh and also ethnic strife-hit Manipur, Mizoram has become a home for over 41,000 refugees and internally displaced people, including 33,023 people from Myanmar as of Tuesday. There are also over 2,000 refugees belonging to the Bawm community who are ethnic Mizos taking shelter in Lawngtlai district at present. "The state govt has been exploring all possibilities to maintain peace in Mizoram, which is one of the most peaceful states in the country, despite being flooded with refugees as the state is sandwiched between Myanmar and Bangladesh with which the state is sharing a total 722km-long international border with the two neighbouring countries," a home department official said.
