Salai Lian Luai, 23 lawmakers among Myanmar refugees in Mizoram

The chief minister of Myanmar’s Chin state, Salai Lian Luai, is among refugees who fled to Mizoram’s Champai, a Mizoram official has said. He is among 24 lawmakers, apart from almost 10,000 refugees, who crossed over to Mizoram after the military junta recaptured power in Myanmar.

The Centre had advised the Mizoram government after the Myanmar coup not to provide shelter to refugees who fled the neighbouring country. However, the presence of a high-profile politician could force New Delhi to take a clear stand on political asylum.

“There are around 9,250 Myanmarese nationals who have taken shelter in Mizoram. Chief Minister of Myanmar’s Chin state, Salai Lian Luai, is one of them. Chin shares its western border with Mizoram. These people are in 10 districts of Mizoram,” a senior official in the state home department, who did not wish to be named, told ET. Mizoram has 11 districts in all and shares a 510 km unfenced border with Myanmar.


He said Luai belonged to Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy. Local NGOs have been providing food and shelter to most of the refugees who belong to the Chin community and share ethnic ties with people of Mizoram. Also known as Zo, they share ancestry, ethnicity and culture with the Mizos.

The military seized power in Myanmar on February 1, detaining elected leader Suu Kyi and members of her government. A one-year state of emergency has been declared and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has taken over the administration.