Govt urged to help Chin refugees return home
Chin ethnic groups will send a request to the Myanmar government to help Chin and other ethnic groups residing abroad to return home, said Chin National Conference (CNC) Organising Committee secretary Salai Izak Khin.
More than 100,000 Chin refugees are currently staying in foreign countries, according to the Chin Human Rights Organisation. About 70,000 of them have taken refuge in India and about 40,000 in Malaysia. Some 500 Chin are in Thailand, the group earlier reported.
“The refugee issue is the main topic when we discuss ethnic affairs [with the government],” said Izak Khin. “Our region is less developed than neighbouring states, so we need human resources to carry out development tasks. In fact, the refugees are a good source of manpower and we need to call them back. So we will request the government to help them come back home. This is also the main issue that Chin political groups will discuss at upcoming talks.”
The CNC has urged armed groups and the government to respect the human rights of ethnic Chin, Izak Khin added. Poor administration, discrimination and human rights abuses had been the main factors that turned many Chin into refugees. Peacemaking efforts and resolving conflicts are required to heal the situation, said the CNC.
“Our request is not only for Chin but also for all refugees abroad to return. We cannot say now that the political situation isn’t stable, but there are many things that have to be done before 2015. We will make requests to the government step by step. Firstly, our National Conference has urged the government to provide necessary protection for Chin refugees in India,” said Izak Khin.
