A group of independent organisations in the US have appealed to the Indian government to provide refugee status to the ethnic Chin people from Myanmar living in Mizoram for the past few decades.

There are an estimated 100,000 Chin people in Mizoram, accounting for about 10 per cent of the total population of Mizoram, said a report ‘Seeking Refuge: The Chin People in Mizoram State, India' released here yesterday.

“I would encourage the international community to both help Chins with humanitarian and protection issues, but at the same time reduce Mizoram's burden so that its people do not suffer from the Chins who are seeking refuge in their communities,” said Mr Zo Tum Hmung, a Maryland-based Chin community activist.

Even though the situation in Myanmar is reported to be improving, the report and its authors noted that Chins are unlikely to return to the country in the near future.

So it becomes all the more essential that they are given legal status, said Mr Matthew Wilch, a US human rights lawyer, and lead author of the 135-page report.

Since they do not have any legal status, the Chins are treated as illegal aliens, and are subject to arrests and prosecution, although this might not be the case in Mizoram, mainly due to cooperation from the local church and the State government, he said.

“We encourage the Central government of India and the government of Mizoram to establish and maintain refugee protection for Chins in collaboration with UNHCR and the international community,” the report said.

This, it said, could facilitate the protection of Chins by providing an enhanced registration of those seeking refuge, identification of special needs, refugee status determinations as needed, and ongoing access to protection and humanitarian intervention as needed.

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