The Mizoram government has given shelter and relief to around 1,300 tribals from neighbouring Myanmar’s restive Arakan State, officials said on Monday.
“Around 1300 men, women and children have fled from Arakan State and taken refuge in four villages of Lawngtlai district [in southern Mizoram] on Saturday night,” Lawngtlai district police chief Lalsanglura said.
“The Myanmarese fled their homes after the Army clashed with the outlawed ‘Arakan Army’ militant outfit cadres last week. As the armed clashes continue, we would not push back the refugees due to humanitarian grounds.”
Construction of makeshift relief camps
According to the police official, the district administration is constructing makeshift relief camps for the refugees. As clashes are unrelenting, more refugees might cross over to Mizoram, he added. Assam Rifles and police personnel were deployed in the area.
Mr. Lalsanglura, along with Lawngtlai Deputy Commissioner Arun T., and senior Assam Rifles officials would visit the areas on the Myanmar border on Tuesday to supervise the relief and other necessary arrangements for the refugeees.
Those who crossed over to Mizoram were mostly Buddhists and Christians and they speak the same tribal language as the locals.
Fourth instance
This is the fourth instance in recent past of people from Myanmar entering Mizoram after ethnic troubles in the neighbouring country. The local villagers initially volunteered to provide food to the Arakanese people and arranged shelter for them. Mizoram has a 510 km border with Mynamar and 318 km with Bangladesh, guarded by the Assam Rifles and the Border Security Force, respectively.
In the past 12 weeks, over 622,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to southeastern Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown in Rakhine state.
The current Rohingya exodus to Bangladesh started with the Myanmar security forces responding to the August 25 attacks on government outposts by the Rohingya rebel group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.
