NEW DELHI, 22 March, 2021 (TON): Chief Minister Mizoram Zoramthanga called on the Indian PM Modi to provide asylum, food, and shelter to the Myanmar refugees who arrived in the state last month.  

Zoramthanga in a letter to Modi sought his intervention so that the refugees from Myanmar are given asylum, food, and shelter in India.

“I understand there are certain foreign policy issues where India needs to proceed cautiously. However, we cannot ignore this humanitarian crisis,” CM said in the letter.

He said “This is not acceptable to Mizoram,” while referring to the Union Home Ministry’s advisories to the Chief Secretaries of the four northeastern states bordering Myanmar and also to the Assam Rifles and Border Security Forces for taking action to prevent illegal influx from Myanmar into India.

Zoramthanga said He added that the Mizoram’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs met the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday and Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday and discussed the issue during the Parliament session.

Zoramthanga said in his letter that India is the largest democracy in the world and Myanmar’s immediate neighbor needs to do more and open up more in this matter. Keeping in view his concerns, Zoramthanga Sunday held a virtual meeting with Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung.

However, the state governments and UT administrations have no power to grant “refugee” status to any foreigner and India is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol. The four northeastern states share a 1,643 km unfenced border with Myanmar.