Migration and Displacement Refugee Crisis: A Study of the Chakma Refugees in Mizoram

Abstract

The Chakmas constitute one of the ethnic groups of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (C H T's), where 98 percent of the inhabitants of the hill region are the indigenous people of Mongoloid stock until the Muslim infiltrators swamped over the area. The Chakma ethnic groups are the most dominant and important tribe. They are Buddhist by faith. According to Encyclopaedia of South Asian Tribes Chakmas have descended from King Avirath of the Sakya dynasty.

They belong to a tribal clan of the Tibe to - Burman race and came to the area when Burmans destroyed the Arakan Kingdom. Arakanese dissidents who were against the Burmese administration took shelter as refugees in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. After the partition of the country the C H T was annexed to Pakistan .Some of them stood against the policy of the Government of Pakistan because they were suppressed and many of them had to cross the border and enter into India and Burma for the protection of their lives and family. Later on , Pakistan Government took the policy of setting up of a Hydro Electric Project over the river Karnaphuli in the C H T. The high water level of Kaptai Hydro Electric Project inundated a vast Chakma inhabited area. So thousands of the Chakma families were uprooted and they had to take shelter by crossing the border and entered into India and Burma because many a times the Chakmas had to face the trouble torn situation in the C H T by a section of Muslim people and the Government there failed to protect them. The Chakmas started a movement for autonomy in the C H T areas of present Bangladesh. After a prolong movement of the Chakmas, they got an autonomy in the C H T. During the movement of the Chakmas for autonomy, the then Government of Pakistan (present Bangladesh) adopted suppressive and oppressive measures on the Chakmas. As a result of which many Chakma people left their original homeland and came to India, mainly in the North Eastern States like Assam ,

Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya etc. A large number of Chakma people took shelter in the Refugee Camps in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Mizoram. They started refugee life here and many of them settled here.-They lived a long refugee life which ruined their identity and rich tradition. They are affected by poverty , illiteracy , unemployment and political Identity crisis in North East of India .The Government of India , the Government of Mizoram , The Human rights commission , Various social organisations, Supreme Court ,NGOs and various other organisations and Individuals should come forward to their help .They are still living a refugee life without any rights and facilities.