A Myanmar family flees to India with no plans to return soon
People displaced by fighting in north-western Myanmar between junta forces and anti-junta fighters walk in Chin State, Myanmar, May 31, 2021. REUTERS FILE PHOTO
FARKAWN, India — For more than a decade,
Mah Tial said she ran a small store in Thantlang, a town in
northwest Myanmar, making enough money to send her four children
to school and see her eldest daughter secure a coveted
government job.
On Sept. 8, the 51-year-old said her peaceful life in the
hilltop settlement ended suddenly when Myanmar’s military
attacked and burned down houses, forcing the family to flee and
shelter in neighboring India’s Mizoram state.
Along with her husband, children, parents and an aunt, Mah
Tial now lives in a shack made of corrugated metal sheets and
wood clinging to a mountainside in Mizoram’s Farkawn village.
READ: Myanmar town near India border sees exodus as thousands flee fighting
“I don’t think about going back to Myanmar soon, because the
condition inside the country is getting worse,” she said.
Myanmar was plunged into crisis when the military ousted the
civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, triggering
protests and conflict in the countryside between anti-junta
militia and the army.
Located in Myanmar’s Chin state, where an armed rebellion
has taken hold,
Thantlang has seen repeated attacks by the military, also known
as the Tatmadaw, since early September, according to three
former residents and a rights group.
Myanmar’s military spokesperson did not respond to a request
for comment on recent events in Thantlang. The military has
previously blamed insurgents for instigating fighting and
burning homes there, and brands them terrorists.
Mah Tial’s family is among what a Mizoram lawmaker estimated
were around 15,000 Myanmar nationals sheltering in the state.
Several days a week, she and her three daughters sit at
Farkawn’s main crossroads selling plastic slippers, cosmetics
and diapers – goods ordered for her shop at home that she
managed to bring into India.
Years of savings have been wiped out, Mah Tial said.
“I am mentally prepared to stay as a refugee,” she said.
Thousands displaced
Across Chin, fighting in the wake of the coup has displaced
more than 20 percent of the state’s population of around 500,000
people, said Salai Za Uk Ling of the Chin Human Rights
Organisation (CHRO).
The Myanmar military did not comment when asked about the
figures, which Reuters could not independently confirm.
Some have crossed into Mizoram, which has close ethnic ties
with areas of Chin and where the state government has extended
support for those fleeing Myanmar.
In mid-December, Mizoram’s Chief Minister Zoramthanga met
ousted Myanmar lawmakers and promised them his government would
continue to help those seeking shelter in the Indian state.
Zoramthanga, who uses one name, said the federal government
was unable to help Myanmar nationals because India is not a
signatory to the UN Refugee Convention.
International aid groups could step in, he added, even as
local organizations have provided most support so far. Foreign
aid hasn’t reached Farkawn.
The Mizoram government has also opened its schools to
Myanmar nationals, allowing children like Mah Tial’s youngest
child, 12-year-old Van Tha Uk Lian, to attend classes.
In Farkawn, a settlement of around 4,000 people, residents
banded together to help around 1,100 Myanmar nationals who
crossed over since February, village council president
Lalramliana said.
Dozens have been accommodated in temporary shelters made of
thin tarpaulin sheets and bamboo poles, with village residents
and donations from across the state helping provide essentials
like food, firewood and clothes.
But Lalramliana said he was worried as donated supplies were
running out.
Mah Tial said she hoped India would provide a legal pathway
for her three older daughters to travel to a third country for
education or employment.
“We cannot undo the past,” she said. “I am concerned about
my children. I want to give them a better life.”
