AIZAWL:
Mizoram, which currently houses over 30,000 refugees from neighbouring Myanmar, has no intention to push them back.
Mizoram state planning board vice chairman H Rammawi, during a meeting with Joint Secretary of the External Affairs Ministry Smita Pant in Delhi on September 14, said that Mizoram would not push back the refugees until and unless the Myanmar government gives assurances and makes arrangements for their security and resettlement in Myanmar.
Rammawi was accompanied by the lone Rajya Sabha member from the state K. Vanlalvena and OSD to chief minister Rosangzuala when meeting the MEA official.
Over 30,000 Myanmarese nationals, mostly from Chin state, adjoining Mizoram fled their homes and had taken shelter in the state following military coup d’etat in February last year and subsequent crackdown on anti-coup demonstrators.
More refugees entered the state after the civil war broke out in early September last year with several ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and the local defense forces/militias combine attacked the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) camps and positions across Myanmar.
Meanwhile, the District Level Committee on Myanmar Refugees in south Mizoram’s Lunglei district held a meeting with the Adventist Development & Relief Agency India (ADRA) and its local implementing partner Centre for Peace & Development (CPD) which had been working under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in southern parts of the state – Lunglei, Hnahthial, Lawngtlai and Siaha districts.
Chairman of the committee, Lunglei district deputy commissioner Kulothungan A appealed to the NGOs to take utmost care in providing assistance to the refugees and inform the district administration.
The humanitarian aid should be undertaken under the laws of the country the DC said.
The humanitarian assistance project, commencing from January 1, 2022 would continue till December 31, 2022.
Several aid materials would include dry food kits, hygiene kits like toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and others, utensils, bed sheets, blankets, education kits for kids ( like textbooks, pen, pencil, schoolbags) who were admitted in schools in the state, water connections and water tanks in the relief camps.
The aid organizations have been making preparations to distribute 8,000 dry food kits, 2,500 hygiene kits, 2,500 dignity kits (Undergarments, sanitary napkins) and 2,000 non-food Item Kits (blanket, utensils, bed sheet and others) in the 4 districts.
The NGOs had completed construction of 50 child friendly spaces in 39 relief camps in the 4 districts and have been planning to distribute education kits to 2,000 children soon.
According to the records of the Lunglei district administration there were 2,112 Myanmar refugees in the district till Monday of which 1,062 were lodged in the relief camps and 1,050 joined their relatives and friends or lived in rented houses.
Of 2,112 refugees in the district, 1,123 were women and 989 were men with 708 people below 18 years of age.
The Myanmar refugees in Lunglei district were given Covid-19 vaccination by healthcare workers who conducted vaccination on the spot.
Out of 1,429 people who can be vaccinated, 721 people have taken the first dose while 429 people had taken the second dose.