Kuki-Chin refugees pushed back

Kuki-Chin refugees pushed back

#GS-01 Indian Society, #GS-02 International Relations

For Prelims

Kuki-Chin Refugees:

  • The Kuki-Chins are an ethnic minority group originating from Bangladesh.
  • They have fled the armed conflict between Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the separatist group Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA).

Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA)

  • KNA is the armed wing of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), which is a political front formed by the ethnic Kuki-Chin-Mizo community in Bangladesh.
  • Their aim is to create a separate state for the group and safeguard the rights of the community in the country.

The treatment of refugees

  • Around 300 refugees came to India in November 2022.
  • As per the guidelines given by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Kuki-Chin Refugees are housed in the state of Mizoram.
  • The refugees are treated on the same lines as the shelter given to over 40,000 refugees who have entered Mizoram in February 2021 due to the military coup in Myanmar.
  • The “checks and balance” adopted for the Myanmar’s refugees have been adopted for the Bangladeshi refugees.
  • India, not being a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention of 1951 and its 1967 Protocol does not recognise refugees.
  • The undocumented migrants are liable for prosecution under the Foreigners Act.

Kuki tribe:

  • The Kukis are a Christian community within the Chittagong Hill Tracts along India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
  • They are present in all states except Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India.
  • Around fifty tribes of Kuki peoples in India are recognised as scheduled
  • This is based on their region of origin as well as the dialect spoken by that particular Kuki community.
  • The Chin people of Myanmar and the Mizo people of Mizoram are closely related to the Kukis.
  • They are collectively called as the Zo people.

Chin Tribe:

  • The Chin people are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Chin and its neighbouring states of Myanmar.
  • The Chin belongs to one of the founding groups (Chin, Kachin, Shan and Bamar) of the Union of Burma.
  • During British rule, the colonial government coined the compound term ‘Chin-Kuki-Mizo’ to group the Kukish language speaking people.
  • The Indian government currently uses this nomenclature.

Source “Kuki-Chin refugees from Bangladesh ‘pushed back’ from Mizoram, says MP