8 Pregnant Women Among 5,000 Refugees In Mizoram Fleeing Myanmar Junta Army-Rebel Clashes

About 5000 Myanmarese refugees are currently sheltered at the Bethel refugee camp in the Zokhawthar area of Champhai district in Mizoram, and 170 of them are children.

A woman from Myanmar with her son at a relief camp at Sihhmui village, in Aizawl district, Mizoram. More than 31,000 people, mostly from Chin state in Myanmar, have been living in Mizoram after they fled following a military coup in February 2021.

Source : PTI

Amid the clashes between the ruling military and anti-junta protesters in Myanmar, a large number of refugees crossed over into India from the violence-hit country. The refugees from across the border have taken shelter in Mizoram. About 5000 Myanmarese refugees are currently sheltered at the Bethel refugee camp in the Zokhawthar area of Champhai district in the northeastern state, and 170 of them are children, as reported by news agency ANI. There are many women and children who are also living in makeshift tents in the camps. 

A Myanmar refugee from the Bethel refugee camp, Vanlalruata said, "We came here in September 2021 as refugees. As of now, there are eight pregnant women in this camp...The Mizoram government and NGOs are supporting and helping us. They have provided us with medicines. The government is trying their best to mitigate our problems. We are thankful to the Mizoram government," as quoted by ANI.

More refugees fled to India and entered the Champhai district after a fresh airstrike by the Myanmar army in areas along the India-Myanmar border. The Myanmar Army and the People's Defence Force (PDF) are engaged in an intense fight, leading to a surge in refugees into India.

Here Are Top Points:

• According to ANI, Members of the Young Mizo Association and other locals are helping the Myanmarese refugees in the Champhai district of Mizoram. According to its volunteers, around 4-5 relief and refugee camps have been set up in the area.
• At least 29 more Myanmarese soldiers crossed over to Mizoram after their camp in the neighbouring country was overrun by an anti-junta group, a senior police officer said, as reported by news agency PTI. With them, a total of 74 Myanmar military personnel had fled to Mizoram due to the recent gunfights with the People's Defence Force (PDF). Many of them, however, had been sent back. 
• Amid the clashes, the refugees said that while they are waiting to return to their native village, they are scared due to the prevailing situation. Speaking to ANI, Vanlalruata, a resident of Chin State, Myanmar, who is sheltered along with his family at the Bethel refugee camp in Zokhawthar, said the situation back home continues to be grave and they are spending anxious days amid the prevailing disquiet and violence.
• "We want to go back but are too scared to do so. We don't know when the situation will return to normal. We have found refuge here (Zokhawthar) for the time being. The Mizoram government and the YMA (Young Mizo Association, an NGO) have helped us and arranged for us to camp here. We are very thankful to them," Vanlalruata told ANI.
• Approximately 32,000 Myanmar nationals sought refuge in various districts of Mizoram, with Zokhawthar village being one of them, following the military coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, the IANS reported.
• After coming to power in 2021, the military junta is facing its biggest test in a 2021 coup after three ethnic minority forces launched a coordinated offensive in late October, capturing some towns and military posts, as per ANI.
• Amid the influx of refugees from Myanmar to Mizoram, India on Thursday called for a cessation of fighting between Myanmar's military and anti-junta groups near the Indo-Myanmar border that has triggered an influx of Myanmarese refugees to Mizoram.
• Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi expressed deep concerns over the incidents of violence close to the Indo-Myanmar border. "As a result of the fighting, in the Rihkhawdar area in Chin State, opposite Zowkhathar in Mizoram on the India-Myanmar border, there has been movement of Myanmar nationals to the Indian side," he said, as quoted by news agency PTI. "We are deeply concerned with such incidents close to our border. Our position on the ongoing situation in Myanmar is very clear -- we want cessation of the violence and resolution of the situation through constructive dialogue," Bagchi said.
• In the latest developments, there have been increasing hostilities between Myanmar's anti-junta groups and government forces in several key towns and regions near the border with India in the last few weeks, which have raised concerns in the Indian military establishment about the possibility of spillover effect.