Bangladesh’s Kuki-Chin refugees takes shelter in Mizoram

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Bangladesh's Kuki-Chin refugees takes shelter in Mizoram

Guwahati: A pick-up truck left the deputy commissioner’s office in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district on Tuesday evening for Parva-III village where 212 Kuki-Chin refugees from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeastern Bangladesh are taking shelter,  The official said, Lawngtlai Administration.

Depending on the road conditions, it takes about 5-6 hours to reach the border village from Lawngtlai. The pick-up truck was carrying tarpaulins, Damdawi (medicine), Thosilen (mosquito nets), grains and pulses, soap and blankets, Kuki -Chin and other essentials for the refugees.
On Wednesday morning, Rural Development Minister Pu Lalruatkimaa and beverages.
Kuki-Chin refugees, who share ethnic ties with the Mizos in India, recently fled Bangladesh’s crackdown on the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), which is fighting for an independent state in CHT. . Most of the asylum seekers belong to the Bawm tribe who live mainly in Bandarban and Rangamati districts of CHT.

Mizoram has approved a rehabilitation package of Rs 30 lakh for 388 asylum seekers who are staying in the border villages of Parva III, Vinthuampui, Mautlang, Chamdur Project and Hmawngbu in Lawngtlai district.
According to government data, the refugees are from 108 families – 199 male and 189 female asylum seekers, including pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and 133 children.

Mizoram shares a 318 km long border with Bangladesh and a 510 km long border with Myanmar. In addition to those from Bangladesh, the northeastern state is currently hosting “about 35,000-40,000 Chin refugees” from Myanmar who fled the junta regime.
Mizo bodies have appealed for restraint
On January 4, Sawmkhup, an 81-year-old retired priest, reportedly starved to death in the deep jungles of the India-Bangladesh border. He was among a group of 600 refugees who were “pushed back” to Bangladesh by the Border Security Force (BSF).

In their letter to the Union Home Ministry on January 9, the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA) said they had been sheltering in the forest “without food and water” for several days.

The association is the largest non-political voluntary organization in Mizo with more than 4.7 lakh members from inside and outside. It also has a branch in Bangladesh.
A solidarity demonstration was called by CYMA in Aizawl on Monday to protest the death of the senior pastor. Carrying placards that read ‘Let our Mizo refugees come home’, ‘Stop inhumane treatment’, ‘Don’t force our brothers and sisters to enter their homeland’, hundreds of protesters held a rally in Aizawl. Gathered outside the roast. A community donation of around ₹3 lakh was collected for the asylum seekers during the demonstration.

Several lawmakers from the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) as well as opposition parties, including Power and Electricity Minister R. Lalzirliana, Sports Minister Robert Romawia and opposition Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) leader Lalduhoma, Participated in the protest. Mizoram Post reported.

“Whether they are from Bangladesh or Myanmar, if they need help, the Mizos are ready to help in any way they can. There is an old saying in the Mizo community – ‘If you have something to eat, you have to feed others.’ There is also a need to share’. Our main aim is to help the needy. We do not deprive anyone in need on the basis of colour, religion or tribe,” CYMA general secretary Lalnuntluanga told The Print.

In its letter, the association urged the Center to “look into the matter on a humanitarian basis” and provide protection and security, food, shelter and basic amenities to the asylum seekers “who have sought temporary shelter” in Mizoram. Immediate steps should be taken to provide

“It is an inhumane and insensitive practice to starve to death when pushed back. On the night of January 3, a pregnant woman gave birth in the forest,” Lalnuntluanga claimed.

The Mizo Students’ Union (MSU) also expressed concern over the safety of the refugees, alleging “misbehaviour” by BSF troops.

“They came unarmed – just poor helpless citizens seeking safety in their neighbors’ lands. They were not taking food or any other supplies. Without any help, they ate bananas to survive. naturally, they are afraid to come back. We plead with the Indian government to resolve this issue, and let them enter Mizoram on compassionate, humanitarian grounds,” said MSU President Samuel Zoramthanpuia.

Exodus waves
On November 20 last year, the first batch of Kuki-Chin refugees entered India through Parva, a border village in Lawngtlai. Lalnuntluanga said it took the group about five days to cross — a difficult route through deep forests and steep slopes.

The next day, 274 asylum seekers were handed over by the BSF to representatives of the Block Development Office in Chawngte Rural Development Block in Lawngtlai, according to a CYMA representative.

A further 21 refugees moved in on 25 November, followed by 15 more on 7 December. According to CYMA, inputs from local residents show that at least 500 asylum seekers are currently taking refuge in Lawngtlai, far higher than government estimates.
On December 2, the BSF intercepted a group of 117 refugees in Kamtuli village, located at the tripoint of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. In November, the Mizoram cabinet approved the setting up of temporary shelters with Home Minister Lalchamliana saying the government sympathized with the refugees.

The government asked the village council in Lawngtlai to form a committee to relocate around 50 refugee families from Parva-III to nearby villages. It also appointed an officer to register and profile each refugee as per the existing rules under the central government.
The refugees are being treated like those from Myanmar, who entered Mizoram after fleeing the junta during the February 2021 uprising. “To earn a living, Myanmar refugees need to do something, but their children don’t have to worry about continuing their education. We have admitted them to schools for free. Many NGOs relief We have funding from Mizos in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, etc. Donations are being collected for the people of Bangladesh and Myanmar,” said Lalanuntluanga.

Emergence of KNA in Bangladesh
Since Bangladesh gained independence in 1971, the Chittagong Hill Tracts have seen the presence of various separatist groups, including the Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS), the United People’s Democratic Forum (UPDF), the Arakan Liberal Party and the Mog Party. are

The KNA is an armed wing of its political front, the Koki-Chin National Front (KNF), known locally as the ‘Boom Party’. It emerged in 2008 as a non-profit development organization, the Kuki-Chin National Development Organization (KNDO), but became a separatist group in 2017.
The KNF is made up of members of the six Kuki-Chin ethnic groups of the CHT – Bawm, Pangkhua, Lusai, Khumi, Mro and Khiang. These tribes have been living for countless generations, often intermarrying with their Indian counterparts in the frontier areas.

“Due to partition, and the divide and rule policy of the British, the Mizos are scattered across Myanmar, Bangladesh and other northeastern states. But we have a bond. For Israelis around the world, Jerusalem is their main city. .Similarly, for all Mizus, wherever they are – their heart is very close and connected to Mizoram,” ” Lalnuntluanga remarked, pointing to the Centre’s indifference to the refugee crisis.
In March 2021, the Center noted that India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. However, he referred to the standard operating procedures issued by the government in 2011 and later amended in 2019, which law enforcement agencies have to follow when dealing with foreign nationals who Claiming refugees.

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