Aizawl, Apr 10 (PTI) The central committee of Young Mizo Association (CYMA) has decided to intensify its efforts to ensure that the Mizoram government frame a structured and comprehensive mechanism for sheltering over 42,000 refugees currently residing in different parts of the state, a CYMA leader said on Thursday.

The CYMA, an influential civil society organisation in Mizoram in its conference held in October last year, had passed resolutions urging the state government to arrange shelter homes in designated locations, issue comprehensive guidelines for handling and managing people from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur taking shelter in the state.

CYMA general secretary Malsawmliana said that the meeting of the Central Coordination Committee (CCC) of YMA, the second highest decision-making body, on Wednesday reviewed the steps taken by a special committee constituted by CYMA to draft proposals for refugee management.

The meeting decided to make more efforts to ensure that the state government designate appropriate shelter locations for housing the refugees, and frame proper and comprehensive guidelines for handling and governing them, he said.

According to an official of the state Home department, Mizoram currently gives shelter to more than 42,000 refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) from Myanmar, Bangladesh and Manipur.

Of these, over 33,000 are from Myanmar’s Chin state, about 7,000 ethnic Kuki-Zo people from Manipur and over 2000 Bawm people from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), he said.

The Chin, Kuki-Zo and Bawm people belonged to ethnic Mizo tribes, who share ethnic and cultural ties with the Mizos. PTI CORR RG