‘Cannot push back Bangladeshis…’: Mizoram CM tells PM Modi as nearly 2,000 Zo refugees take shelter in NE state
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma informed PM Modi that his government can't push back Zo refugees from Bangladesh, seeking understanding from the Centre. Nearly 2,000 Zo ethnic people have found refuge in Mizoram since 2022.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma told Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday that his government would not be able to push back or deport Zo refugees from neighbouring Bangladesh. Nearly 2,000 people from the community have taken refuge in the northeastern state over the past two years following a military offensive by the Bangladeshi Army.
According to an official statement, Lalduhoma apprised Modi about the situation during a meeting on Saturday. The CM also said that many people from the Bawm tribe (an ethnic Mizo group) in Bangladesh have taken shelter in Mizoram while others continued to make efforts to enter the state.
Earlier in May this year, the Lawngtlai district administration said that at least 127 refugees from the Chittagong Hill Tracts had entered the area in south Mizoram. The group took shelter in six villages — bringing the total number of Bangladeshi refugees taking shelter in the border district to 1368.
An official from the state home department said on Saturday that nearly 2,000 Zo ethnic people from Bangladesh have taken refuge in Mizoram since 2022. Reports however indicate that the cumulative number of refugees sheltering in Mizoram is well over the 30,000 mark.
According to a PTI report from February 2023, there are more than 31,500 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh sheltering in various parts of Mizoram. The two neighbouring countries share ethnic ties with the Mizo community.
“More than 31,500 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh have taken shelter in various parts of Mizoram. The number of Myanmar nationals taking refuge in the northeastern State was 31,050 as on January 27, and those from Bangladesh were 541. The Bangladeshi nationals are lodged in 160 makeshift camps set up in eight villages in Lawngtlai district,” the official had told the publication more than a year ago.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Business NewsNewsIndia‘Cannot push back Bangladeshis…’: Mizoram CM tells PM Modi as nearly 2,000 Zo refugees take shelter in NE state
First Published:7 Jul 2024, 06:27 PM IST
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