The protest follows an announcement that the Chin will no longer be given refugee status.
By KHONUMTHUNG NEWS
Following an announcement by the UN refugee agency that Chin refugees in India will no longer be given refugee status and resettled to third countries, members of the community will hold a protest on the issue in August.
Chin refugees in New Delhi have opted to postpone the demonstration until August 20, which was originally planned for this month, following a June statement from the UN High Commissioner on Refugees that Chin State is no longer an active conflict area. Those who have left will not be considered refugees—people fleeing war or persecution, and the refugee program for the Chin will officially end in 2019.
“We had scheduled a demonstration against the UNHCR in July, but we don’t have enough documents. That’s why we cannot kick off the demonstration yet,” explained Chin Refugee Committee (CRC) chairperson Ms. Remmawi.
The UNHCR statement applies to Chin in India and Malaysia, and has been opposed by Chin community-based organizations, who insist that their people continue to be discriminated against for being Christian in dominantly Buddhist Myanmar.
Malaysia is home to more than 30,000 Chin refugees. New Delhi is also home to thousands of Myanmar refugees from different ethnic backgrounds; currently, there are a total of more than 3,000 Chin in the Indian capital.