Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Saturday said that his government would continue providing assistance to ‘refugees’ from Myanmar and internally displaced people from Manipur, with support from the Centre.
“Even though the Centre can’t accord ‘refugee’ status to the Myanmar nationals, it is ready to collaborate with us in providing relief to them. People from Manipur, who fled their homes due to ethnic violence, will also be looked after with the help of the central government,” the CM said.
The CM made the comments at a press conference in Aizwal upon his return from Delhi after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has reportedly told Lalduhoma that the Centre won’t deport Myanmar nationals who sought refuge in the state since February 2021, until normalcy is restored in the neighbouring country.
The CM also expressed hope that the Centre will cancel the move to fence a portion of the India-Myanmar border. The Union government had recently said it plans to fence a 300-km stretch of unfenced boundary with Myanmar and end the free movement regime, which allows people living on both sides of the international border to travel within 16 km into each other’s territory without a visa.
