Mizoram govt plans to relocate Bangladeshi nationals in designated zone

Aizawl, Nov 29 (PTI) The Mizoram government is planning to relocate over 2,000 Bangladeshi nationals, currently sheltered across various villages in Lawngtlai district, to a designated zone within the same district, a senior politician said on Friday.

Lalmuanpuia Punte, political adviser to the chief minister and head of a study committee on relocation, said the panel is assessing the feasibility of consolidating the refugees in four specific villages near the Bangladesh border for administrative convenience, better humanitarian assistance, and to help the displaced people support themselves.

The state home department said 2,014 Bangladeshi nationals, primarily from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), are currently residing in Lawngtlai, which borders both Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Punte, who is also a ruling Zoram People's Movement (ZPM) legislator, emphasised that the government aims to create clear guidelines to prevent the refugees from relocating freely to other areas.

Regarding the relocation of Myanmar nationals and internally displaced people (IDPs) from Manipur, Punte said there are no current plans for their resettlement.

"The government believes that the displaced people from Manipur will likely return to their villages soon, while Myanmar nationals may not intend to stay long, anticipating a change in the political situation there," he added.

In contrast, the Bangladeshi nationals, who are unlikely to return to their homeland, will be the focus of the relocation efforts.

The government has also been urged by the Young Mizo Association (YMA), the state's largest civil society organisation, to establish a more systematic approach, including shelter homes, to accommodate over 42,000 refugees and IDPs.

In addition to the 2,014 Bangladeshi nationals, Mizoram hosts 33,023 Myanmar nationals, mostly from the Chin state, and 7,118 IDPs from Manipur, according to the home department.

Bawm people from Bangladesh, one of the ethnic Mizo tribes, fled to Mizoram in November 2022 following an alleged military offensive by the Bangladeshi army on an ethnic insurgent group.

Myanmar nationals have been seeking refuge since the February 2021 coup, while the Manipur IDPs fled ethnic violence in May 2023. PTI COR MNB