Mizzima
Out of 385 people arrested for drug offences in Mizoram State, India during 2023, 55 were Myanmar nationals, according to the Mizoram Police Force.
Refugees in Mizoram who have fled fighting in Myanmar’s neighbouring Chin State are worried that people and the authorities in Mizoram may think that they are involved in the drug trade.
One refugee from Myanmar said: “Recently, there was a murder at the border. As the police force highlighted the involvement of Myanmar nationals in drug-related arrests and murder, I am worried about the reception we might receive from Mizoram in the future.”
The Mizoram State Government, local community organisations and refugees frequently ask the local population to differentiate between refugees and drug dealers and illegal traders as they are not the same thing.
According to local sources, more than 50,000 Myanmar nationals have sought refuge in Mizoram since the February 2021 Myanmar military coup.
According to the Mizoram Police the value of the drugs seized in Mizoram in 2023 exceeded 490 million rupees.
Refugees collecting water at Pang village in India’s eastern state of Mizoram near the Myanmar border, after people fled across the border following attacks by Myanmar’s military on villages in western Chin State, 24 September 2021
