Security and patrolling were increased along the Myanmar border in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district, as India feared Rohingya Muslim militants and refugees fleeing violence may attempt to enter the state, PTI reported on Tuesday. Mizoram shares a 404-km international border with Myanmar and a 318-km border with Bangladesh.
A senior home department official on Tuesday said the Mizoram police, paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies of both the Central and state governments were reviewing the security situation along the Myanmar border, the PTI report said.
“Not a single Rohingya Muslim has so far entered Mizoram,” the official said. However, around 170 refugees – mainly Christians – from Arakan in Myanmar, who entered Mizoram recently, were staying in the villages in the state’s southern parts, the official said. These refugees had fled Arakan in Myanmar’s Rakhine state after clashes between the Myanmar Army and Arakan Liberation Army.
On Monday, the government defended in the Supreme Court its decision to identify and deport Rohingya refugees in the country. The government said inputs from security agencies indicate some Rohingya Muslim refugees in India have links with terror groups in Pakistan. In an affidavit filed in the court, the government claimed the continued illegal immigration of Rohingyas to India has “serious national security ramifications and threats”.
Myanmar has faced severe criticism for its handling of the Rohingya crisis that erupted in Rakhine state. Thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled the country after violence broke out, resulting in what the United Nations has referred to as an “ethnic cleansing”.
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