Editor's Pick: Refugee crisis on Mizoram border

As another round of refugee crisis brews on the Mizoram-Bangladesh border, several members of the Kuki-Chin community were “pushed back” by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday, according to K. Vanlalvena, a Rajya Sabha member from Mizoram. He said not allowing the “ethnic Mizo” from Bangladesh to enter India would amount to “discrimination on ethnic grounds” as in the 1970s thousands of displaced Chakmas (mostly Buddhists) from Bangladesh were allowed to enter India and settle in Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. The MP shared a video with The Hindu that shows around 150 refugees, including infants, sitting in a field near Parva village. A senior government official said it was “not a case of push back” and a BSF team stopped them on coming to know that a group was headed towards Mizoram. An official said the BSF had not instructions to let the refugees enter India and they returned on their own once they were told that they would be treated as “illegal migrants,” if they continued to stay put in Indian territory. Mr. Vanlalvena said around 1,000 refugees were waiting to enter India. The Kuki-Chins, a Christian community from Bangladesh’s Chittagong hill tracts, share close ethnic ties with people in Mizoram. The first tranche of around 300 refugees came in November 2022. The Mizoram government has approved setting up of temporary shelters for the community. Other than the Kuki-Chin, there are over 40,000 refugees from Myanmar who have taken shelter in Mizoram since a military coup in the neighbouring country in February 2021. This explainer lays down the reasons why refugees are pouring into Mizoram, and why the State government favours providing refuge to the Chins, going against the Centre’s directive. After refugees began arriving from Myanmar and the Centre directed the State government to deport them, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “India cannot turn a blind eye” to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in its backyard. He said the “political refugees” from Myanmar should be given asylum, and provided food and shelter. With Mizoram sharing ethnic ties with Kuki-Chins too, the crisis becomes an important story. Incidentally, the Chakma citizenship issue too is yet to be sorted out, as this editorial points out. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor’s Pick and more. Click here. The Hindu’s Editorials Freedom in authority: On the right to free speech A green promise: On the National Green Hydrogen mission The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz Besides representing his national side Argentina, which football club is Lionel Messi a part of? Chelsea Paris Saint-Germain FC Barcelona Real Madrid To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 07 JANUARY 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Refugee crisis on Mizoram border As another round of refugee crisis brews on the Mizoram-Bangladesh border, several members of the Kuki-Chin community were “pushed back” by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday, according to K. Vanlalvena, a Rajya Sabha member from Mizoram. He said not allowing the “ethnic Mizo” from Bangladesh to enter India would amount to “discrimination on ethnic grounds” as in the 1970s thousands of displaced Chakmas (mostly Buddhists) from Bangladesh were allowed to enter India and settle in Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. The MP shared a video with The Hindu that shows around 150 refugees, including infants, sitting in a field near Parva village. A senior government official said it was “not a case of push back” and a BSF team stopped them on coming to know that a group was headed towards Mizoram. An official said the BSF had not instructions to let the refugees enter India and they returned on their own once they were told that they would be treated as “illegal migrants,” if they continued to stay put in Indian territory. Mr. Vanlalvena said around 1,000 refugees were waiting to enter India. The Kuki-Chins, a Christian community from Bangladesh’s Chittagong hill tracts, share close ethnic ties with people in Mizoram. The first tranche of around 300 refugees came in November 2022. The Mizoram government has approved setting up of temporary shelters for the community. Other than the Kuki-Chin, there are over 40,000 refugees from Myanmar who have taken shelter in Mizoram since a military coup in the neighbouring country in February 2021.  [This]( explainer lays down the reasons why refugees are pouring into Mizoram, and why the State government favours providing refuge to the Chins, going [against the Centre’s directive](  After refugees began arriving from Myanmar and the Centre directed the State government to deport them, Mizoram [Chief Minister Zoramthanga wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi]( saying, “India cannot turn a blind eye” to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in its backyard. He said the “political refugees” from Myanmar should be given asylum, and provided food and shelter. With Mizoram sharing ethnic ties with Kuki-Chins too, the crisis becomes an important story. Incidentally, the Chakma citizenship issue too is yet to be sorted out, as [this]( editorial points out.  Was this newsletter forwarded to you? 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