Mizoram has completed biometric enrolment of 58.15 per cent of the more than 31,000 Myanmar refugees currently taking shelter across all 11 districts of the state, a senior home department official said on Thursday. The enrolment process, which began in July following directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs, is being carried out through the Foreigners Identification Portal and Biometric Enrolment system.

According to the official, a total of 31,214 Myanmar nationals are presently living in Mizoram, with Champhai district—bordering Myanmar—hosting the largest number. The state has also collected biometric and biographic details of 10.84 per cent of refugees from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Mizoram currently shelters 2,354 CHT refugees, mainly in Lawngtlai district, which shares borders with both Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as in Lunglei district and Thenzawl town in Serchhip district. Biometric details of more than 200 Bangladesh refugees have been recorded so far.

The state is further providing temporary shelter to 6,953 internally displaced people from Manipur.

District officials engaged in the enrolment drive continue to face challenges such as technical issues and poor or non-existent internet connectivity in remote areas, slowing down the process. While data collection is relatively smooth in designated relief camps, it becomes difficult when refugees are staying with relatives, friends, or in rented accommodations, the official said.

Most of the Myanmar nationals in the state are from Chin state and arrived in Mizoram after the February 2021 military coup. Refugees from the Bawm tribe of Bangladesh’s CHT region entered the state in 2022 following a military offensive against an ethnic insurgent group. Both the Chin and Bawm communities share close ethnic ties with the Mizos.