Aizawl: Authorities in Mizoram have recorded the biometric details of more than 43 per cent of nearly 31,300 Myanmar refugees residing in the state, officials said on Tuesday.
The refugees fled Myanmar in phases following the military coup in February 2021.
A senior official from the Mizoram Home Department said that biometric data for around 13,620 refugees have been collected across the state’s districts.
The enrolment drive began on July 30 in Serchhip district and was later expanded to 10 other districts.
The process is being conducted under the guidance of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) through the Foreigners Identification Portal and Biometric Enrolment (FIP&BE) system.
Despite challenges such as technical glitches and unstable internet connectivity in remote areas, authorities have continued the enrolment, albeit at a slow pace.
In addition to Myanmar refugees, Mizoram is hosting around 3,000 migrants from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh, mostly residing in Lawngtlai, Lunglei, and Serchhip districts.
Officials said biometric enrolment for these Bangladeshi migrants will begin after completing the process for Myanmar refugees.
Refugees are accommodated in designated camps as well as in relatives’ and rented houses across all 11 districts.
Collecting data from camp residents is easier, while refugees living in scattered households present a greater challenge.
To address this, district authorities are collaborating with Village Councils and civil society organisations, particularly the Young Mizo Association (YMA).
The enrolment process collects not only biometric information but also biographical details including names, addresses, parents’ names, and employment history both in Myanmar and Mizoram.
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District-level officials underwent extensive training before the drive commenced to ensure accurate data collection.
Most Myanmar refugees in Mizoram belong to the Chin tribe, sharing close ethnic and cultural ties with the local Mizo population.
Bangladeshi refugees, primarily from the Bawm community, have also been residing in Mizoram for over two years following ethnic tensions in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Geographically, Myanmar’s Chin State shares a 510 km mountainous border with six Mizoram districts — Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual, and Serchhip.
Meanwhile, Mizoram’s Mamit, Lunglei, and Lawngtlai districts share a 318 km-long border with Bangladesh.
