Mizoram: Over 300 Kuki-Chin refugees take shelter in Lawngtlai district

Aizawl: More than 300 people from Bangladesh belonging to 74 families have taken refuge in south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district since they fled their homes due to arm clashes between Bangladesh Army and an ethnic insurgent group in November, an official said on Monday. 

The Bangladeshi nationals belong to the ethnic Kuki-Chin minorities from Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and they fled their villages following arm clashes between Bangladesh Army and Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), the official said. KNA is the armed wing of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an ethnic group that demands a separate state comprising the areas occupied by the Kuki-Chin or Mizo community in the CHT.

The first batch of the Kuki-Chin refugees numbering 272 entered the state on November 20, followed by 21 people in the second batch and another 15 people (third batch) fled to Lawngtlai district recently, the official said on condition of anonymity. 
He said the government has recently decided that the Bangladeshi refugees be relocated to four nearby villages from Parva-3 village where they are currently taking shelter.