by Salai Pi Pi
Thursday, 22 October 2009 22:05
New Delhi (Mizzima) – The Young Mizo Association (YMA), a social organisation in India’s North-eastern state of Mizoram has urged the state government to strictly curb influx of foreigners from neighbouring countries, including Burma.
The YMA, an influential youth organization into social activities in Mizoram state, in its 64th General Conference held in Darlawn in Aizawl, discussed threadbare the issue of foreigners. It called on the state government to fully implement the law dealing with foreigners staying in the state, the meeting resolution posted on the YMA website said.
“The conference is still on and they urged the government to take action on not only foreigners but also people coming in from neighbouring states in India,” a Burmese living in Aizawl told Mizzima.
The YMA in its resolution said its Central Executive Committee (CEC) is willing to help the government, if called on to do so.
The YMA central office in Aizawl could not be contacted on Thursday for comment.
Meanwhile, the YMA is also conducting a survey, bordering on a census, on the population of Burmese nationals, including ethnic Chin living in Mizoram, which shares a 404-kilometer border with contiguous Chin State in western Burma.
The survey, launched in June, is complete in about 173 out of 772 YMA branches across the state and has listed 6375 Burmese so far, according to a local online news group, The Zozam Times.
While various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) estimate the number of Burmese living in Mizoram to be somewhere between 50,000 to 60,000, there has so far been no extensive census.
While the motive behind the survey is still not clear, Burmese living in the state believe that it could be a move to identify the Burmese from among the locals.
“By tracking the exact location and number of people, the Mizo community can easily identify and target the Burmese in Mizoram, whenever they want to crack down on foreigners,” a Burmese living in Aizawl said.
Burmese nationals constitute the majority of migrants in Mizoram, which shares borders with Burma and also shares state borders with other North-eastern states of Assam, Manipur and Tripura. The state is also home to a number of Bangladeshis.
Some Burmese are of the opinion that the survey could be the YMA’s reaction to a report released earlier this year by the New York-based Human Rights Watch.
The HRW, in its report titled “We are like forgotten people”, spoke at length about Chin ethnics suffering under military rule, forcing them to flee from their homes to Mizoram. It also said the Chin’s further endure hostile treatment by their host, particularly mentioning the YMA as an organisation that is hostile towards Chins.
The YMA, however, denied the report saying it does not reflect the true situation and taints the image of Mizo’s. The YMA said, the Mizo community has supported the Burmese, particularly the Chin people and allowed them to stay in their state.
The YMA also held a meeting with over 23 Chin organizations based in Mizoram and accused the Chin leaders of providing false information to the HRW and demanded that they refute the report.
Editing by Mungpi
Thursday, October 22, 2009
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