Myanmar refugees data gathering order denies by Mizoram govt

Aizawl: Mizoram government has refused to collect biometric data of Myanmar refugees residing in the state on September 27. The Mizoram government said this would amount to a violation of rights.
A move to collect biometric data of over 30,000 Myanmar nationals living in Mizoram from February 2021 has faced stiff opposition from the state government. After the military coup in Myanmar, these refugees sought refuge in Mizoram.
A pilot project to record biometric data of Myanmar citizens was launched in all 11 districts of Mizoram, mainly in relief camps.
However, the state government led by Chief Minister Zoramthanga expressed concerns about the possible violation of the rights of the refugees.
The development came after the Home Ministry had initially directed both Manipur and Mizoram to collect biometric details of illegal migrants from Myanmar.
The deadline for completing the exercise was set on September 30. Yet Mizoram faced delays as the original data collection format had to be modified to accommodate information from Myanmar citizens.
It is worth noting that the Mizoram government had earlier made efforts to profile Myanmar citizens and issued identity cards to them independently.