The Exodus of Myanmar people fled their homes bordering India amidst the uprising

INTERNATIONAL: About 10,000 people normally live in Thantlang in Chin State, but most had left to seek shelter in surrounding areas including in India, a community leader stated.

Why in News?

Most of the population of a Myanmar town near the Indian border have fled their homes after buildings were set ablaze by artillery amid fighting between militia forces opposed to military rule and the army.

The fear and turmoil are not an unprecedented event for the citizens of Myanmar. 

What is the matter of concern?

When the people from the adjacent nation leave their country, the most important matter of concern is the measures to take to handle the influx of exodus of people in the particular country for asylum and refuge.

The refugees from Myanmar in India is now a well-known issue since the military coup that took place on 1st February 2021.

Now the state of Mizoram is reeling under pressure to ascertain measures and steps to handle the thousands of refugees from Myanmar. Lately, the head of a civil society group said 5,500 people from Myanmar had arrived in just two districts over the past week, as they scrambled to escape a military crackdown.

Now the concern is not just for the state but for the nation as a whole. The BJP led government need to come up with an amicable solution to contain the pressure on the state of Mizoram and also have bilateral talks with the new overruled government in Myanmar.

Background

A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw—Myanmar's military—which then vested power in a stratocracy. Acting president Myint Swe proclaimed a year-long state of emergency and declared power had been transferred to Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing.

Civil resistance efforts have emerged within the country, in opposition to the coup, in numerous forms, including acts of civil disobedience, labour strikes, a military boycott campaign, a pot-banging movement, a red ribbon campaign, public protests, and formal recognition of the election results by elected representatives.

On 2 February, healthcare workers and civil servants across the country launched a national civil disobedience campaign, in opposition to the coup, with workers from dozens of state-run hospitals and institutions initiating a labour strike.

Various Buddhist monasteries and educational institutions have denounced the coup, among them the Masoyein and Mahagandharama monasteries.

As such various atrocities were witnessed by the military government leading to the fleeing of many citizens to India. The state of Mizoram being the target asylum region.

The Latest Updates on the Issue

Last weekend in Thantlang, about 20 homes were set ablaze, with photographs on social media showing buildings engulfed in flames.

Soldiers shot dead a Christian pastor who tried to extinguish a blaze, Myanmar Now news portal reported, although state media disputed the report. The Global New Light of Myanmar said the pastor’s death was being investigated and that soldiers had been ambushed by about 100 “terrorists” and both sides exchanged fire.

Salai Thang, a community leader, said four civilians had been killed and 15 wounded in several weeks of conflict with the military also using airstrikes after an army base was overrun.

The Chin Defence Force, a militia opposed to the military, said in a statement 30 soldiers had been killed. Reuters could not independently confirm any of the claims and a military spokesman did not answer calls seeking comment.

A relative of the dead pastor told Reuters that only a handful of households remained in Thantlang, including about 20 children in an orphanage. “The murder of a Baptist minister and bombing of homes in Thantlang, Chin State are the latest examples of the living hell being delivered daily by junta forces against the people of Myanmar,” Thomas Andrews, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said in a message on Twitter.

There has been an upsurge in bloodshed in areas like Chin State after the National Unity Government, a shadow underground administration set up by opponents of the military, declared an uprising on September 7 and called for newly formed militia to target the junta.

The attempts by the People’s Defence Forces to take on the well-equipped army have often resulted in civilians being caught in cross fire and forced to flee. Community leader Salai Thang said he was deeply concerned about the displaced finding food and shelter.

In Mizoram, arrivals from Myanmar in the past week had mostly crossed the Tiau river by boat, the head of the Young Mizo Association, a civil society group, said by telephone. “We have set up temporary shelters using tins (tin roofs) and tarpaulins to house these refugees purely on humanitarian grounds,” said Lalnuntluanga, who uses one name.

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