Myanmar refugee biometric enrolment nears 60% in Mizoram

Guwahati: Mizoram has recorded significant progress in its ongoing biometric registration of Myanmar refugees, with officials from the State Home Department confirming that nearly 60% of the target population has already been enrolled.

The exercise, which began in the last week of July, is being carried out simultaneously across all 11 districts through the Union Home Ministry’s Foreigner Identification Portal.

Officials said the total number of Myanmar nationals living in Mizoram has slightly reduced over the past week, dropping from 31,214 to 30,815.

Of them, authorities have successfully collected biometric data from 18,265 individuals, accounting for 59.27% of the refugee population.

Champhai district, situated along the Myanmar border and home to more than 13,500 refugees, continues to lag behind all districts.

Less than 40% of the enrolment process has been completed there. Officials attributed the slow pace to initial technical issues and the overwhelming number of people awaiting registration.

In Lawngtlai, which shelters roughly 6,000 refugees, the enrolment rate has crossed 46%. Aizawl district has emerged as the quickest to act, completing biometrics for over 95% of its nearly 4,000 refugees.

Meanwhile, the State has also started registering refugees from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts. Of the 2,356 individuals identified for biometric capture, around 11% have been enrolled so far.

In total, Mizoram is now hosting 33,171 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh, along with 6,953 internally displaced persons from neighbouring Manipur.

The State shares a long and porous 404-km international border with Myanmar, though central agencies estimate the stretch at 510 km, and another 318 km with Bangladesh.

Mizoram is also connected to Manipur through a 95-km interstate boundary.