Photo Courtesy: nenow
Aizawl: Mizoram is sheltering 29,575 refugees from Myanmar. State Home Minister K. Sapdanga confirmed these figures to the legislature on Thursday. Records from the state Home Department show these numbers hold steady as of August 20. Nearly all of these people are now in the system. The government has completed biometric enrolment for 98.90 percent of them.
Biometric tracking began late last July. Authorities use the Foreigners Identification Portal and Biometric Enrollment system to process arrivals. The state spent Rs 40.60 lakh on this project for refugees from both Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Centre provided additional financial support for care and maintenance.
Refugees from Myanmar mostly hail from Chin state. They fled after the February 2021 military coup. Meanwhile, roughly 2,000 asylum seekers from Bangladesh belong to the Bawm tribe. They arrived in 2022 following a military offensive in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. These groups maintain close ethnic ties with the local Mizo population.
Sapdanga plans to bolster security along the border. He is considering upgrading the Hnahlan police beat post in Champhai district into a full police station. The state also intends to hire 385 new officers this year. The recruitment drive covers several ranks: 15 Sub-Inspectors, 10 Assistant Sub-Inspectors (Unarmed), 10 Assistant Sub-Inspectors (Ministerial), 150 Constables (Unarmed), and 200 Constables (Armed). Regarding the border efforts, Sapdanga said, "The state government is also examining measures to strengthen police infrastructure along the Mizoram-Myanmar border."
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