At least 47 refugees, including some women from Myanmar, recently entered Myanmar border Hruitezawl village in southernmost Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district from Paletwa township (district) in Chin state of Myanmar, reports said on May 5.
Reports said that the young people, aged around 30, fled Paletwa after the Arakan Army (AA) militant group, the largest ethnic armed organisation in the neighbouring country, forcibly recruited new rebels in the area. Though Paletwa is situated in Chin state, the AA militants based in Rakhine state of Myanmar have also been operating there.
According to The Tahan Post, a social media news outlet (Tahan is a neighbourhood in Kalemyo town in Sagaing division inhabited by a large number of Mizo-speaking people), the AA cadres announced their decision to conscript young people on April 19 at Miza locality in Paletwa. Young people refused to be forcibly recruited as armed rebels fled the area and entered Mizoram.
The Tahan Post, quoting sources in Lawngtlai district, said that around 40 people, including some women, arrived at Hruitezawl village on April 30 afternoon, while 7 women again entered the village on May 1. All of them are around 30 years of age, the sources said.
However, Lawngtlai district administration has yet to confirm or deny the latest entry of refugees from Paletwa.
There are 34,282 Myanmar refugees taking shelter in the state, spreading to all 11 districts as of April 29, records maintained by the state home department said.
According to the records, 18,344 refugees are staying outside relief camps by joining relatives or friends as well as staying in rented houses.
There are 15,938 Myanmar refugees staying in 147 relief camps spread in 7 districts, while there are no relief camps in Manipur border Saitual, central Mizoram’s Serchhip, northeastern Khawzawl, or Assam border Kolasib districts at present.
The breakdown of Myanmar refugees, according to the latest data, is 10,073 males, 10,899 females, and 13,310 children.
Meanwhile, 62 relief camps of Myanmar refugees were destroyed or damaged by gusty wind and a hailstorm that hit Mizoram on May 2.
