The Young Mizo Association (YMA) will conduct a foreigner census in Mizoram state, especially for Burmese citizens, who are staying as refugees in Mizoram, a northeastern state of India.

 According to a report, the reason for conducting the foreigner census was to respond to the report of Human Rights Watch (HRW), which highlighted the life of Chin people in Mizoram, under the theme “We are like forgotten people” and it also goes against the conduct and the name of the YMA. Therefore, the Central Executive Committee of YMA has decided to conduct a foreigner census in March 2009, the Vanglaini Daily newspaper said.

 However, there is no further information about the procedure after the foreigner census is completed. In an interview to Khonumthung News, J.H. Zoremthanga, President of Central YMA, said he could not answer in detail about the census. “We will have a meeting with all Chin organizations, regarding this matter on March 3…” he added.

 The newspaper highlighted that a proposal to build a refugee camp for Burmese refugees, with the help of the Mizoram government, had been mooted at the meeting of the Central YMA, on February 23, 2009.

 In fact, YMA is mainly focusing and discussing the HRW reports (93 pages) of ‘Life for Chins in Mizoram, Anti-Foreigner Campaigns in Mizoram, Education, Discrimination, and Housing’.                                                            

The HRW has reported that there are seventy thousand (70,000) to a lakh, Chin people in Mizoram state..

 Chin and Mizo people have the same history, tradition and culture, but the language dialect is a little different. During the British rule, Mizoram was called Lushai Hill, while Chin state was named Chin Hill.