Around 2,000 Myanmar refugees cross over to Mizoram’s Zokhawthar in a day

Manipur DGP Anil Shukla Monday confirmed that one refugee was killed, while around 20 Myanmar nationals were hospitalised in Mizoram. “These are people who have been injured in Myanmar and have crossed over the border to receive medical treatment here,” he said.

As of Monday evening, 20 injured have been admitted to the Champhai district hospital and another eight have been referred to hospitals in Aizawl.

Local Refugee Relief Committee chairman Robert Zoremtluaga told The Indian Express that they could still hear gunfire as of 6 pm on Monday. According to his estimates, the area received close to 2,000 refugees since Sunday night.

“Everyone from the two villages of Rikhawdar and Khawmami has come to the Indian side. So, the movement of people has stopped for now… Three people who have been injured in Indian territory are people who crossed over to Zokhawthar earlier. One of them has died. He had been living on the Indian side since last year,” he said.

The deceased has been identified as 51-year-old Cungsianmawia from Khawmawi.

“Since 2021, it has become common for people to come here for shelter if the situation turns bad in Myanmar. They usually go back when the situation gets better. The people who live close to the border stay the night here and during the day, they return to their place,” said Champhai president of the Young Mizo Association, Mamuana Fanai.

Prior to the fresh spike in influx of refugees, Mizoram had been sheltering more than 30,000 Chin refugees from Myanmar after the 2021 military coup in the neighbouring country. With the ethnic crisis in neighbouring Manipur, the state has also had more than 12,000 displaced persons from the Kuki-Zomi community seeking refuge there. People from Chin and the Kuki-Zomi community share a common ethnicity with the Mizos. The Mizoram