Aug 19: More than 5,000 Myanmarese leave Mizoram

The total number of Myanmarese who left Mizoram for their country since July 20 had risen to 5,210 people, police said.

With 134 Myanmarese nationals crossing the Mizoram-Mayanmar border river Tiau on Tuesday, the total number of Myanmarese who left Mizoram for their country since July 20 had risen to 5,210 people, including 2,540 women, police said.

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The exodus of the Myanmarese nationals from the state was triggered by rape of a minor by a Mayanmarese at Hotel Vancy in Aizawl on July 17.

Xenophobic sentiment was sparked off by the gory incident and almost all localities in the city issued decrees asking foreigners to leave their respective localities.

The deadlines fixed by different localities ranged from July 31 to August 15 while many localities extended the deadline by one to two weeks.

Police said that the number of Myanmarese nationals leaving Mizoram for their country might be more than 10,000 as counting was conducted only at the Mizoram-Myanmar border police outpost in Zokhawthar.

A senior police official said, "Many of them, who had not renewed their 'Mahpumtren' or identity card issued to its citizens by the Myanmarese government, might have gone through other jungle routes along the porous 404 kilometre long Mizoram-Myanmar international border avoiding the authorities of that country."