YMA requests that the Mizoram government construct "compact" camps for citizens of Myanmar

The powerful Young Mizo Association (YMA) encouraged the Mizoram administration to set up relief camps in a "compact" region to house migrants from Myanmar who had sought refuge in the state after the military takeover in the neighbouring nation. According to government estimates, more than 30,300 citizens of Myanmar have sought refuge in various locations throughout Mizoram since February of last year.

According to Lalnuntluanga, the general secretary of the Central Young Mizo Association (CYMA), a resolution was adopted at the organization's general conference on Thursday in the Saitual district, calling on the state government to establish suitable and "compact" relief camps for Myanmar nationals in order to keep them from being "scattered" throughout the state. He warned that the presence of citizens of Myanmar in the state's various communities and assistance camps could lead to severe issues down the road.

The meeting decided that the government should make sure that Myanmarese people only reside in one specific area and not spread out over the state, he said. However, a senior member of the state Home Department claimed that it was technically impossible to confine citizens of Myanmar to a certain location. "Given our limited resources and the fact that the Center is not providing financial assistance, how can we establish sizable relief camps and provide aid to the citizens of Myanmar? For the government, it will be a significant burden "added the official.

The government cannot consistently supply them with help, thus it is simpler for them to support themselves with daily wages from manual labour while residing in numerous locales, he claimed. The official added that the Myanmar citizens may be readily managed and administered when they dwell in diverse locations by the district- or village-level committees dealing with them. Another official stated that the compact relief camps will lead to different law and order issues as well as misunderstandings between the locals and the Myanmar nationals, using the example of the Brus relief camps in the North Tripura region.

As of October 22, 30,385 Myanmar citizens had sought refuge in Mizoram's 11 districts, including 10,013 women and 11,650 children, according to the Home Department. 13,210 of them have been housed in 160 relief camps, and 17,157 remain outside of the camps. According to Home Department data, the northeastern Champhai district has the most residents from Myanmar (9,488), followed by the southerly Siaha district (7,247) and the far south Lawngtlai district (5,900). In Aizawl, there are 3,306 citizens of Myanmar. NGOs and local government agencies give food and other help to the Myanmar citizens, the majority of whom come from the Chin state. Many of them also rely on their own resources.

The Assam Rifles, who protect the border between India and Myanmar, are concerned about the rise in crimes committed by citizens of that country. More than 40 citizens of Myanmar were detained by the paramilitary force in the past seven months in connection with smuggling and other offences, according to Assam Rifles DIG Digvijay Singh.

(source : PTI)