Mizoram has completed 58.15 per cent biometric enrolment of more than 31,000 Myanmar refugees currently sheltered across all 11 districts of the state, according to a senior Home Department official. The state has also collected biometric and biographic data of 10.84 per cent of asylum seekers from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). The enrolment exercise, which began in July following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs, is conducted through the Foreigners Identification Portal and Biometric Enrolment system.
Most of the Myanmar refugees—31,214 individuals, mainly from Chin State—are residing in Mizoram, with the border district Champhai hosting the highest number. Additionally, 2,354 refugees from Bangladesh’s CHT take refuge primarily in Lawngtlai district, followed by Lunglei district and Thenzawl town in Serchhip district. Mizoram also shelters 6,953 internally displaced people from Manipur.
The biometric registration process has faced challenges including technical glitches, poor or no internet connectivity in remote areas, and difficulty identifying refugees living outside organized camps, such as those residing with relatives or in rented accommodations. The Myanmar nationals fled to Mizoram following the February 2021 military coup, while members of the Bawm tribe from Bangladesh arrived after a military operation targeting an ethnic insurgent group in 2022. Both communities share close ethnic ties with the Mizos, which has influenced Mizoram’s humanitarian response.
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