Mizoram Refugee Crisis: How Biometric Registration Reveals a Border Dilemma

An official of the Mizoram Home Department said that biometric data of around 20,335 of around 31,000 refugees from Myanmar have been collected so far across 11 districts.

Similarly, the biometric details of around 14 per cent of the 2,375 Bangladeshi refugees was recorded so far in different districts.

On the advice of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the biometric enrollment process has been underway through the Foreigners Identification Portal and Biometric Enrollment system.

Out of Mizoram's 11 districts, the Serchhip district administration first launched the biometric enrollment drive for the refugees on July 30, and subsequently, 10 other districts commenced the enrollment process.

According to the official, the electronic registration process has faced several hurdles, including technical glitches and poor internet connectivity in remote areas.

Despite these challenges, the district authorities have managed to continue the enrollment drive, though progress remains slow, he said.

Besides the Myanmar refugees, around 2,375 migrants from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeastern Bangladesh have taken shelter in three districts of Mizoram over the past two years.

Most of the Bangladeshi refugees (around 2,000) are staying in Lawngtlai district in southern Mizoram, which borders both Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Tribal refugees from Bangladesh have also been accommodated in Lunglei and Serchhip districts.

Both the Myanmar and Bangladeshi refugees are sheltered in designated camps, as well as in relatives' and rented houses across all 11 districts of mountainous Mizoram.

It is trouble-free to collect biometric details from refugees living in camps, but it is more challenging for those staying in relatives' and rented houses spread across hundreds of remote villages, the Home Affairs Department official said.

"To tackle this problem, the authorities concerned in the districts have sought the help of village councils and civil society organisations, especially the Young Mizo Association," he added.

Along with biometric data, the enrollment process also includes the collection of biographical details such as names, addresses, parents' names, and any employment history, both in Myanmar and in Mizoram.

Before initiating the biometric data collection, the Mizoram government provided extensive training to district-level officials to collect biometric and biographical data from refugees taking shelter in the state.

Following the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021, refugees, including women, children and elderly persons, began entering Mizoram in search of shelter.

Their numbers have since grown to nearly 31,000 now.

Members of the Bangladeshi Bawm community from the CHT have also been staying in Mizoram for more than two years after fleeing ethnic troubles triggered by a crackdown by the Bangladesh Army.

The Myanmar refugees, mostly from the Chin state, share close ethnic, traditional and cultural affinities with the majority Mizo community of Mizoram.

The Bawm, also known as Bawmzo, are a small ethnic group primarily residing in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts and also share cultural similarities with the Mizos.

Myanmar's Chin state shares a 510 km mountainous border with six Mizoram districts -- Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip, while three districts -- Mamit, Lunglei and Lawngtlai -- share a 318 km-long border with Bangladesh.

There is no fencing along Mizoram's mountainous international border with Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Mizoram has also given shelter to a few thousand displaced tribals after ethnic violence broke out between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in neighbouring Manipur in May 2023.

- IANS