Mizoram issues IDs for Myanmar refugees

The Mizoram government is issuing certificates of identity to Myanmar refugees who have taken shelter in the state. Around 22,000 refugees are estimated to be in Mizoram since the junta cracked down on pro-democracy protesters in Myanmar more than a year ago.

The certificate, titled Temporary Certificate of Identity of Myanmar Nationals, has details like name of the bearer, father's name, date of birth, place of origin, present address in Mizoram. The certificate states that the bearer is a Myanmar national residing in Mizoram and the purpose of the certificate is for identification only.

The Centre had instructed the state not to accommodate refugees. Mizoram CM Zoramthanga had, however, said the refugees shared ethnicity with people of his state, and it could not close its doors to them.

"The number of Myanmar nationals taking shelter in Mizoram is around 22,000. Mizoram shares a 510 km unfenced border with Myanmar. Several refugees are in makeshift camps and children enrolled in schools," a senior official of the state government told ET.

The majority of those who have taken shelter are Chins, also known as Zos, who share the same ancestry, ethnicity and culture with Mizos of Mizoram. The CM had urged the Centre to provide asylum to refugees fleeing Myanmar and opposed the Centre's order to stop Myanmar citizens from entering the state and to deport refugees. The military seized power in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, detaining elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and members of her government.

The MHA in a communique to chief secretaries of Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal, and the DG of Assam Rifles on March 10, 2021, had said that there was probability of large-scale illegal influx into India and states and UTs did not have power to grant refugee status to any foreigner.