JOIN USBe sympathetic to Myanmar refugees: Mizoram CM Zoramthanga to PM Modi
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Tuesday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be sympathetic to the Myanmarese refugees who had crossed over to the state in order to escape the political upheaval and persecution following the military crackdown on pro-democracy supporters in the neighbouring country.
During his meeting with the Prime Minister in New Delhi, Zoramthanga also requested Modi to render possible assistance to the distraught people.
Nearly 10,000 Myanmar nationals, including 20 MPs and a Chief Minister, fled the coup-hit state since the military crackdown was launched in February-March this year. The migrants have been taking shelter in makeshift camps or with their relatives in Mizoram since then.
Mizoram provided shelter to the migrants despite the Centre's instruction to deport them back to Myanmar. Zoramthanga said it was a responsibility to take care of the ethnic China refugees as they are "ethnically Mizo brethren". He said Mizoram cannot turn "a blind eye to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in their backyard''.
The Mizoram government with the help of local NGOs and students' bodies have been providing food and shelter to them while the state education department enrolled nearly 500 children of the refugees in government schools. The government also initiated a Covid-19 vaccination drive for them.
Zoramthanga had earlier moved the Centre seeking financial assistance to take care of the Myanmar nationals but has got no help yet.
Zoramthanga also requested the prime minister to approve the proposal submitted earlier for a separate All India Services cadre for Mizoram. He stated that the proposal, despite having been assented in the past by former prime ministers and home ministers had not concretised and sought the PM Modi’s intervention on the issue. The chief minister also stressed on the provision of funding the bamboo link roads for maximum utilisation of bamboo resources.
The meeting also dwelt on issues pertaining to the international borders that Mizoram shares with Bangladesh and Myanmar besides discussing the political developments in the two neighbouring countries, said an official statement.
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