Refugees, IDPs essential commodities and shelter provided by Mizoram govt

 Lalmuanpuia Punte, adviser to Mizoram chief minister (political) and chairman of the study team on relocation of refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh as well as internally displaced people (IDPs) taking shelter in the state, said that formal decision is yet to be made on the issue. Punte said that a decision has been more or less on where to relocate 2,014 refugees from Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh who are all given shelter in southern Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district. “We have made a decision to relocate them in 4 villages while there is still a proposal to add one village which is yet to be settled,” he said. Describing the situation in the 126 relief camps for Myanmar refugees, he said, “The refugees from Myanmar are displaying strong belief that the Myanmar military junta will soon be defeated by the combine forces of ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) and armed civil resistance militias. Due to this notion, they are looking forward to return soon to their homes.” He said that the refugees do not seem to be giving any interests in being relocated.

Regarding the IDPs of Manipur, Punte said that most of them feel that they can now return to their respective villages in the Manipur hill areas. “However, if required we will allot a land for construction of compact relief camps,” he said. Mizoram government has been mulling over systematisation of relief camps for around 40,000 refugees and IDPs taking shelter in the state into compact areas and end scattered presence of the refugees in all parts of the state. A study team was constituted by the state government under the chairmanship of ruling Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) legislator Lalmuanpuia Punte which is likely to submit its report to the government soon. The study team has visited a plethora of relief camps across the state to undertake the ground situation and find ways to bring the displaced people together in fewer relief camps.

Meanwhile, state home minister K. Sapdanga, who is also chairman of the High Level Committee on Indigenous Internal Displaced Persons told media persons earlier that the state government has been making efforts to lodge the refugees and IDPs in more compact areas. Sapdanga had said that a vacant land has been identified for establishment of relief camps for the Manipur IDPs at a location near Assam border while refugees from Bangladesh will be provided camps near Bangladesh border in Lawngtlai district. He said that a search to identify lands for establishment of relief camps for Myanmar refugees along the border areas with Myanmar. “This will facilitate providing humanitarian assistance while it will also help the refugees to earn their living in more easily,” he said. According to the latest record available with the state disaster management & rehabilitation department, there are 33,032 refugees from Myanmar taking shelter in the state as of November 23, of which 16,575 people are in 126 relief camps while 16,457 people are outside the relief camps. There are 2,014 refugees from CHT of Bangladesh taking shelter in Lawngtlai district and 7,118 IDPs of Manipur taking shelter across the state.