Myanmar Refugees: A total of 251 Myanmar refugees have sought shelter in Mizoram’s Champhai district following recent airstrikes on an insurgent camp by the neighboring country’s armed forces, an official said on Wednesday.
Champhai Deputy Commissioner James Lalrinchana told news agency PTI that 251 Myanmar nationals have entered India and taken shelter in three villages of Champhai since the airstrike on the Chin National Army (CNA) headquarters.
The Myanmar Armed Forces carried out two airstrikes on January 10 and 11, targeting Camp Victoria, the military headquarters of the CNA, located close to the Indo-Myanmar border.
Five CNA cadres, including two women, were reportedly killed in the first attack on January 10, while no casualties were reported in the second. Although locals and some organizations claimed that the bomb fell in Indian territory as well, a report submitted by the Champhai DC to the state home department on 13 January stated that “the bomb or one of its shrapnel hit the Tiau river”. Which marks India. Myanmar border.
The DC said 231 people have taken shelter in Farkawan village since the air strike, while 17 people were reported to be living in Myanmar’s Samthang village and three in Thekte village of Champhai district till Wednesday. In total, 1,453 Myanmar nationals are currently taking refuge in Farkon, 220 in Thekte and 24 in Samthang, he said.
More than 30,400 citizens of Myanmar are currently taking shelter
According to the state home department, more than 30,400 Myanmar nationals are currently taking shelter in different parts of the state. The government has set up 160 relief camps in eight of the 11 districts.
Most of the people of Myanmar come from Chin State and share ethnic ties with the Mizo people. They have been taking refuge in the northeastern state since February 2021, when the military junta seized power in the neighboring country. Mizoram shares a 510 km porous border with Myanmar.
(With inputs from PTI)
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