Aizawl, Aug 07: Close on the heels of xenophobic waves triggered by rape of a minor girl allegedly by a Myanmarese national here on July 17, Mizoram government has undertaken census of foreigners living in eight districts of the state. The government has appointed nodal officers in all these districts in this regard and their findings will be available by August 25, official sources said.
Tens of thousands of Myanmarese nationals have illegally migrated to Mizoram especially from the Chin Hills over the years.
While only a few have sought political asylum for fear of persecution by the military junta in Myanmar, many of them have come for doing small business with Myanmarese goods. Police said a large number of infiltrators were indulging in criminal activities like drug trafficking, gun-running and smuggling as the Myanmarese were allegedly responsible for about 80 per cent of crimes committed in the state.
Meanwhile, many Mizos here felt that the treatment meted out to the Myanmarese nationals by some localities were too harsh as majority of these foreigners, though illegally staying in the state, were ethnic Mizos.
Various Myanmarese dissident groups, especially chin underground organisations have also made a series of appeals to the Mizo people to show lenience to these migrants. Bureau Report