Mizoram completes nearly 60% biometric enrolment of Myanmar refugees

Aizwal, Nov 24: Mizoram has completed close to 60 per cent of biometric enrolment for refugees from Myanmar who have taken shelter across the State, officials of the State Home department said. The registration drive, which began in late July, is underway in all 11 districts using the Union Home Ministry’s Foreigner Identification Portal.

According to officials, the number of Myanmar nationals currently residing in the State has dipped slightly over the past week – from 31,214 to 30,815. Of these, biometric details of 18,265 people, or 59.27 per cent, have been captured so far.

Champhai district, which borders Myanmar and accommodates the largest concentration of refugees – over 13,500 – continues to record the slowest progress, having completed less than 40 per cent of registrations. Officials attributed the delay to both technical glitches during the initial phase and the sheer volume of people awaiting enrolment.

In Lawngtlai district, which hosts the second-highest refugee population at around 6,000, enrolment stands slightly above 46 per cent. Aizawl district has reported the fastest progress, completing more than 95 per cent of registrations among its roughly 4,000 refugees.

Biometric enrolment of refugees from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts has also begun in several districts, with 2,356 individuals identified for registration. Officials said nearly 11 per cent of them have been enrolled so far.

Altogether, Mizoram is currently sheltering 33,171 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, in addition to 6,953 internally displaced people from neighbouring Manipur.

The State shares a 404-km porous international border with Myanmar, though the Union Home Ministry places the figure at 510 km, and another 318 km with Bangladesh. It also shares a 95-km interstate boundary with Manipur.

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