Mizoram completes 85% biometric enrolment of Myanmar refugees

Aizawl: Mizoram govt officials have completed nearly 85% of biometric enrolment of refugees from Myanmar currently taking shelter in the state, while enrolment of refugees from Bangladesh remains at just over 13%, the state home department said on Sunday.Officials reported that as of Thursday, 29,514 Myanmar refugees were living in Mizoram. Of these, 24,986 refugees (84.66%) had been biometrically enrolled by Friday. The number of refugees fluctuates daily as people move in and out of the state, they added.So far, 15,548 refugees living outside relief camps have been enrolled, along with 9,424 refugees lodged in camps. Those whose biometric data have been collected include 10,622 children, 7,572 women, and 6,792 men.District officials in Aizawl, Lunglei, and Serchhip have completed enrolment, while Champhai district — bordering Myanmar and hosting the largest number of refugees at 12,149 — has achieved 90.99% enrolment.In contrast, officials in Lawngtlai district in southern Mizoram, which borders both Myanmar and Bangladesh and hosts 6,017 Myanmar refugees, have completed only 55.48% enrolment. They are yet to begin registering more than 2,000 refugees from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts.Despite ongoing clashes between Myanmar’s military junta and Chin armed groups in Chin state adjoining Mizoram, no fresh influx of refugees has been reported this year. However, at least 89 refugees from Falam township in Chin state have been sheltering in Vaphai village in Champhai district since late November last year.