Even though the Ministry of Home Affairs has set a deadline, the Mizoram administration has yet to begin the biometric enrollment process for nearly 30,000 Myanmar refugees. Officials at the state’s home department said a paperwork issued by the MHA is causing a delay. According to a senior official, the form was created for a different group of people and is therefore inappropriate for gathering information on Myanmar refugees. It was created for the biometric registration of unlawful foreigners who face deportation.
The forms supplied by the MHA were previously returned by the Mizoram government because they were deemed inappropriate for the refugee community. Since then, there has been no word from the national government about a revised version. Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma that no refugees from Myanmar would be sent back until peace was restored in Myanmar, however this problem still exists.
The majority of the refugees, even those who have returned to Myanmar, have already had their profiles created and their biographical information gathered, even if biometric data collecting has not yet begun. Only a small number of migrants still need temporary identity cards. since of December 18, 2024, there were 32,794 refugees in Mizoram overall, down from over 34,000 previously, since some of them went back to their home countries once Myanmar’s security situation improved.
