Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga has called for a clear government policy to address the growing influx of Zo ethnic people and other refugees fleeing the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh, saying the issue requires careful planning and urgent attention. Speaking at a seminar titled “The Potential Impact on Mizoram by the Increasing Subjugation of Tribal People in Bangladesh and the Chittagong Accord” on Thursday, Sapdanga said tribal communities in Bangladesh’s hill regions were facing increasing pressure from majority communities, leading to the occupation of their ancestral lands and forcing many to seek shelter in Mizoram.
He said the movement of people into the state was not limited to Zo ethnic groups, as members of the Chakma and Bru communities were also crossing the international border. Churches, voluntary organisations and political parties in Mizoram have been providing humanitarian assistance while remaining mindful of the state’s security concerns, he added. “In this situation, it is necessary to carefully consider how Zo ethnic people and other communities fleeing Bangladesh should be received and accommodated. The government must devote serious thought to this matter,” Sapdanga said. The minister expressed hope that the seminar would help the government, churches, tribal organisations and civil society develop a coordinated and effective response to the situation.
Political adviser to the Chief Minister and MLA Lalmuanpuia Punte also underlined the need to better understand the developments in neighbouring regions and the factors driving the continued movement of people into Mizoram. Three districts of Mizoram—Lawngtlai, Lunglei and Mamit—share a 318-km international border with Bangladesh. According to the state Home Department, more than 2,000 members of the Bawm tribe, an ethnic Mizo community, have been living in Mizoram since 2022 after fleeing military operations against an ethnic insurgent group in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts.
