Aizawl (Mizoram) [India]: The refugees who fled from Myanmar to seek shelter in Mizoram expressed hope that the new government in the poll-bound state would listen to their problems and extend support to them.
20-year-old Nailain from Chin State of Myanmar is staying along with his family in a makeshift house in the Sihhmui area, about 25 km from Mizoram’s capital city Aizawl.
“We earn Rs 500 per day. It’s not sufficient for us to live here. My family came here in February 2021. We are facing problems of drinking water, and food. We got electricity a few weeks ago,” Nailain told media.
Mazi (50), a Myanmar national who is now living along with her family members in the refugee camp in the Sihhmui area hopes that the new government in Mizoram will continue to help the Myanmar refugees and will provide all support to them.
“I along with my family members have been living here in the last two years. We are facing lots of problems. We hope that the new government in Mizoram will help us,” Mazi said.
Around 69 families who are originally from the Chin State of Myanmar, after fleeing from Myanmar are now taking shelter in the Sihhmui area.
The refugee issue has now become one of the key issues in the upcoming assembly election in Mizoram which is slated on November 7.
The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) has promised in its election manifesto to unite the Zofa or people belonging to the Zo community under one administration if the party forms the next government in Mizoram for the second straight term.
Apart from MNF, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) also raised the refugee issue in this election.
Myanmar refugees said that they are now currently staying in tin-roofed makeshift houses with temporary bamboo walls, and they are facing massive problems with water, ration etc.
An 18-year-old girl Honey who is a Class 11 student of NUG School (refugee school), Sihhmui said that they have no voting rights here but all people are aware of this election.
“We are a 7-member family including two brothers and three sisters with our parents living here. We came here on November 1, 2021. I thank the Mizoram government for giving us shelter here and allowing us to stay here. We are facing problems, but trying to mitigate them. Sometimes, some NGOs come here and provide us with rice, dal etc. We don’t have the voting rights here, but what the political parties have promised for us, it’s good,” Honey said.
Mizoram has shared a 510-km long porous border with Myanmar and more than 33,000 refugees from Myanmar are now settled in Mizoram after crossing the border to escape the violence after a military coup in Myanmar.
Polling to the 40-member Mizoram Legislative Assembly will be held on November 7.
Last year, the Mizoram government said that a total of 8,119 children of refugees from Myanmar, Bangladesh and internally displaced people from Manipur are enrolled in schools of Mizoram.
