The Mizoram government will begin biometric enrollment of over 32,000 Myanmar refugees currently residing in the state. The initiative, scheduled to roll out this month across all eleven districts, aims to formally identify displaced individuals from Myanmar’s Chin State who have sought shelter in Mizoram since the military coup in 2021.
State Additional Home Secretary Andrew H. Vanlaldika, in a statement on Wednesday, clarified that the enrollment drive is purely for identification purposes and is not connected to any deportation effort.
Training sessions for officials have already been conducted, and equipment such as computers and webcams have been mobilized to facilitate the process.
The enrollment will be carried out online using the Foreigner Identification Portal developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
This centralised platform is expected to standardise data collection and aid in better resource allocation and protection for the refugee population.
Aizawl Deputy Commissioner Lalhriatpuia confirmed that the process would begin soon in the state capital district, which alone hosts around 3,000 Myanmar nationals.
However, he acknowledged challenges due to the frequent movement of refugees across the porous Indo-Myanmar border, resulting in fluctuating population numbers.
According to the Mizoram home department, the state is currently hosting 32,419 Myanmar refugees.
Most belong to the Chin ethnic group, which shares close cultural, linguistic, and familial ties with the majority Mizo population. This deep-rooted ethnic bond has prompted the state to provide refuge despite the central government’s tougher stance on undocumented migrants.
In addition to Myanmar refugees, Mizoram is also sheltering 2,371 Bangladeshi nationals — mostly from the Bawm community of the Chittagong Hill Tracts — who fled following military operations in 2022.
Moreover, 7,354 internally displaced persons from Manipur’s Kuki-Zo community have taken shelter in Mizoram since ethnic clashes erupted in Manipur in May 2023.
The state has repeatedly urged the Union government to respect its historical and ethnic ties with bordering regions, particularly with communities like the Chin and Kuki-Zo, who share ancestry, customs, and a long history of cross-border migration.