Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga talks with Myanmar Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung as the centre monitors the influx of people.
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga held a formal meeting on Sunday with Myanmar Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung during an ongoing military coup following the February coup, with India closing all border posts with Southeast Asian neighbours and focusing on blocking any Myanmar nationals entering the country. The dispute between the Centre and the State over the issue has created a difficult time for New Delhi and security officials to deal with the situation on the ground, according to many officials.
“There was a fruitful (online) meeting this morning with Zin Mar Aung, the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Myanmar. Our thoughts and prayers are in Myanmar during these difficult times,” Mr. Zoramthanga tweeted.
He had earlier written a letter to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, urging him to intervene so that "political refugees" from Myanmar could be granted asylum to provide food and shelter in the country. In a letter dated March 18, Mr. Zoramthanga said people living on both sides had close contact. "India cannot afford to ignore the social crisis that has arisen in front of us in our backyard," he said.
The letter comes after several discussions between the State and the institution regarding refugee management. Explaining that the whole of Myanmar is in turmoil and that "innocent civilians are being persecuted" by the military regime that should be protecting them, Mr. Zoramthanga said "Myanmar's territory near the Mizoram border is inhabited by our indigenous Chinese brothers.
In the aftermath of the February 1 protests when Myanmar troops overthrew a democratically elected government, some 300 Myanmar people, including many policemen, fled to India and sought refuge. There is a lot of support and sympathy among the people of Mizoram for the situation in Myanmar as many have relations across the border, said a government official, adding that this was an emotional and sensitive issue for the State.
India and Myanmar have a system called the Free Movement Regime (FMR) which allows people on both sides to climb up to 16 miles across and stay for 14 days. Thousands of Myanmar people regularly visit to find work and to meet relatives. In March 2020, FMR was suspended due to COVID-2019 and no one has been allowed since. officials say The collapse has led to an increase in cross-border trafficking as human health has been disrupted as a result of the epidemic.
After directives given by MHA, no one was allowed to enter India from Myanmar and the Assam Rifles, a border guard there, with heavy patrols, a second local official said. However, the border is open and does not resemble the Bangladesh border, more than 60% of it is fenced, the Myanmar border is not fenced, and a complete blockade is unlikely to be given a difficult location. Mizoram shares a 510 km long boundary with Mizoram. All previously logged refugees have been placed in border camps by local authorities and security officials who have no direct access.
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