Aizawl: Preparations are underway for the biometric enrollment of over 32,000 Myanmar refugees currently taking shelter in Mizoram, a senior official said on Wednesday.
State Additional Home Secretary Andrew H. Vanlaldika stated that the collection of biometric and demographic details will be carried out this month across all eleven districts of the state.
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He said the district administrations have already trained officials and will soon equip them with the necessary tools, such as computers, webcams, and other materials required for the enrollment process.
Vanlaldika mentioned that the biometric enrollment will commence this month, depending on the convenience and readiness of the respective district administrations.
He clarified that officials are conducting the enrollment solely to identify Myanmar refugees, not as a step toward their deportation.
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He added that authorities may also carry out biometric enrollment for Bangladeshi nationals taking shelter in Lawngtlai district in southern Mizoram, depending on instructions from the Centre.
Aizawl Deputy Commissioner Lalhriatpuia confirmed that the enrollment process will soon begin in Aizawl district.
However, he noted that the administration may face challenges because Myanmar refugees frequently move across the border, making their numbers uncertain.
According to him, approximately 3,000 Myanmar refugees are currently sheltering in Aizawl district.
Data from the state Home Department reveals that a total of 32,419 Myanmar nationals are currently residing across the state’s eleven districts.
However, the figure continues to fluctuate almost daily as some refugees frequently return to their villages in Myanmar and later come back to Mizoram, another home department official said.
The same data also shows that 2,371 Bangladeshi nationals from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) are currently taking refuge in the state.
In addition, 7,354 Zo ethnic people from Manipur, displaced by ethnic violence in the neighbouring state, have been sheltering in Mizoram since May 2023.
Most of the Myanmar nationals, primarily from Chin State, fled to Mizoram following the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021. Meanwhile, asylum seekers from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts arrived in 2022 after a military offensive against an ethnic insurgent group.
The Chin people from Myanmar, the Bawm tribe from Bangladesh, and the Kuki-Zo people from Manipur share close ethnic ties with the Mizos.