Aizawl, July 31 (NationPress) In compliance with instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the government of Mizoram has commenced the collection of biometric and biographic information of refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh who have sought asylum in the northeastern state after fleeing their home countries, officials announced on Thursday.

An official from the Mizoram Home Department indicated that the biometric data collection initiative began on Thursday in the Champhai and Lunglei district administrations for refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Prior to this, the Serchhip district administration in central Mizoram launched the biometric enrollment drive for refugees on Wednesday. The collection of biometric and biographic data for displaced individuals from Myanmar and Bangladesh will be conducted across all 11 districts of Mizoram via the 'Foreigners Identification Portal and Biometric Enrollment.'

Champhai district currently accommodates approximately 13,586 refugees, while Lunglei has around 2,000 refugees. The official confirmed that the MHA would cover the expenses related to the biometric data collection, although the Mizoram government has already allocated Rs 38 lakh to kickstart the process.

Recently, the Mizoram government provided extensive training to district-level officials to effectively gather biometric and biographic information from refugees fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh, as the state shares 510 km and 318 km of unfenced international borders with both countries, respectively.

According to official records from the Mizoram government, approximately 33,000 refugees from Myanmar and over 2,370 refugees from Bangladesh are currently residing in the northeastern state.

Following a military coup in Myanmar in February 2021, an influx of refugees, including women and children, began arriving in Mizoram, raising their numbers to around 33,000.

The Bawm community from Bangladesh, residing in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), has also sought refuge in Mizoram for over two years due to ethnic conflicts following a crackdown by the Bangladesh Army on tribal groups.

The MHA previously instructed both the Manipur and Mizoram governments to swiftly gather biometric and biographic details of 'illegal migrants' in these states.

Earlier this month, over 4,650 individuals, including women and children, fled from Myanmar to Mizoram and took refuge in three locations in Champhai district due to armed skirmishes between the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force (CDF), both of which are anti-military ethnic factions engaged in intense battles for territorial control.

However, the situation along the India-Myanmar border has stabilized, prompting most of the newly arrived Myanmar refugees to return to their villages.

The Myanmar refugees, primarily from the Chin tribes, share significant ethnic and cultural similarities with the predominant Mizos of Mizoram and are currently housed in camps and with relatives across the state’s 11 districts. Moreover, the Bawm, also referred to as Bawmzo, constitute a small ethnic group primarily inhabiting the CHT in Bangladesh, possessing cultural resemblances to the Mizos.

Mizoram's Chin state shares a 510 km mountainous border with six districts: Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip. Meanwhile, the districts of Mamit, Lunglei, and Lawngtlai share a 318 km border with Bangladesh.