A US conference to be held on Chin refugee crisis in Mizoram State

The Chin Association of Maryland (CAM), based in the state of Maryland, USA, is organizing a conference on June 27th to address the critical issue of Chin refugees who have sought refuge in Mizoram, India.

On June 27th, a private roundtable will be held from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM at the Open Society Foundations in Washington D.C. with a hybrid format to discuss its latest report, “Chin Refugees in India’s Mizoram State: Helping the Refugees and Supporting the Local Communities Welcoming Them”, CAM announced on June 14th.

Reverend Tim Siemens, CAM Board Chairman, Matthew Wilch, Advisor, and Zo Tum Hmung, Executive Director, traveled to New Delhi, as well as Mizoram State of India, to assess the situation of Chin and other refugees from Myanmar from March 10th to 24th. Their report presents key findings from the trip and recommendations for addressing humanitarian needs, CAM said.

“We have found that the Mizoram State government, NGOs and churches have warmly welcomed Chins and other refugees from Myanmar,” said Matthew Wilch, CAM Advisor and the writer of the report. “But the refugees and the communities welcoming them, also need help from the international community”, he noted.

Following the military coup, Myanmar plunged into a state of political instability and intensified military conflict. As a result, a significant influx of Myanmar citizens sought refuge in neighboring India, driven by the urgent need to escape the widespread arrests, torture, and unjust killings perpetrated by the Military Council.

In India, Mizoram has emerged as the primary destination for a large number of Myanmar people seeking refuge, particularly individuals belonging to the Chin ethnic group. The Mizoram State government has provided statistics indicating that the state is already hosting over 30,000 refugees who have sought shelter within its borders.

According to CAM Executive Director Pu Zo Tum Hmung, the war refugees from Myanmar who have sought refuge in India are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Pu Zo Tum Hmung emphasized the importance of international organizations, such as the United Nations, stepping forward to provide the necessary support and aid to these vulnerable individuals.

CAM Executive Director Pu Zo Tum Hmung also called for international organizations, including the United Nations, to provide vital humanitarian assistance to the war refugees from Myanmar who have sought refuge in India.

Equally important the CAM director stressed that inside Myanmar,  the one million internally displaced persons in Chin State and neighboring Sagaing and Magway Regions, should also receive assistance across the India-Myanmar border to provide them protection and meet their dire humanitarian needs.”

“The refugees need protection and more humanitarian aid. The presence in Mizoram of UN agencies including UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, and other relevant UN agencies could help to facilitate this”, he said.