In response to the rising number of refugees leaving Myanmar after the Myanmarese army overthrew the democratically elected government and took control in February of last year, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has asked New Delhi to take the initiative in bringing about peace there.
On Wednesday, Zoramthanga met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to address a variety of topics, including the political unrest in Myanmar, with which Mizoram shares a 510-kilometer international border. India, according to Zoramthanga, must help bring peace to Myanmar.
The Mizoram government has stated that unless the Myanmar government guarantees the refugees’ security and resettlement, it will not send them back. In Mizoram, more than 30,000 individuals from Myanmar—including 27 lawmakers—have sought refuge after anti-coup protesters were violently suppressed. Most of them have taken up residence in relief camps, where they are given food and clothing.
Since the late 1980s, thousands of people from Myanmar, especially from Chin state, have relocated there.