Mizoram opened its doors to ‘kin’ fleeing Myanmar. But now the mood is turning against refugees

Last month, Farkawn, a village in Mizoram’s Champhai district, issued an order stopping Myanmar refugees from opening shops or running businesses.

The Myanmar refugees were given until May 31 to shut their shops in the village. The village council has also restricted them from moving out of the designated camp built to house refugees.

The village, along the Myanmar border, has hosted a large population of refugees since the military junta seized power in 2021. Initially, they were welcomed with open arms, with children of refugee families allowed to continue their education in government schools in the village.

But four years later, Farkawn’s hospitality appears to be fraying – for a host of reasons.

“As the refugee traders are selling their goods at a lower price, the local traders are losing out, leading to conflict,” B Challianngura, who is the president of Young Mizo Association, Tuipuiral group, told Scroll.

The growing population of refugees has set off a competition over scarce resources. Farkawn has a population of 3,000, but hosts 1,500 refugees. In Champai district, which has a population of 1.2 lakh, the number of refugees has risen to nearly 20,000.

In Zokhawthar, a border town in the Champhai district, refugees now outnumber the residents, a senior leader of the...

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