Aizawl, July 8 (IANS) Mizoram Home Minister K. Sapdanga has apologised to over 33,000 Myanmar refugees, sheltering in the state since February 2021, for not being able to meet their all needs adequately, citing the state’s limited resources.

Addressing an event here on Sunday night, he said that the people of Mizoram consider the refugees as brothers and sisters of the Mizos.

Sapdanga, who also holds the Disaster Management portfolio, recounted his first visit to the refugee camps along the Mizoram-Myanmar border and his interaction with the refugees.

He expressed his sadness at the troubles of those who had fled their homes along with the children and ailing persons.

“You have taken shelter in Mizoram, what we call ‘Jerusalem of all the Mizos’, as you have no other option. But we are trying to help, though our resources are limited,” he said.

The Minister appealed for cooperation from all sections of people, including the refugees, to deal with the drug menace in Mizoram, particularly among youths. He expressed hope that the ethnic Myanmar nationals would achieve the freedom they are fighting for.

Adviser to the Chief Minister (Political) Lalmuanpuia Punte urged unity among all Chin tribal ethnic groups in their fight to overthrow the military junta and restore democracy in Myanmar, particularly in the Chin state of the neighbouring country.

Over 33,000 Myanmarese took shelter in Mizoram in different phases after the military takeover there in February 2021.

Besides the Myanmar nationals, over 15,000 Bangladeshi tribals, belonging to the Bawm community, took shelter in Mizoram since November 2022. The Bangladeshi refugees from Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of southeast Bangladesh fled from their villages and sought refuge in Mizoram after an offensive by the Bangladeshi Army against the insurgent group Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA).

Around 10,000 people including women and children belonging to Kuki-Zomi tribes, have also taken shelter in Mizoram after the ethnic violence broke out in neighbouring Manipur in May last year.

The Kuki-Zomi-Chin tribes in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Manipur share ethnic ties, and cultural and linguistic similarities with the Mizo people. Most refugees stay in rented accommodation and the homes of their relatives or friends, while others live in relief camps across the border state, which shares a 510-km-long unfenced border with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh.

The present Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) government and the previous Mizo National Front (MNF) government have sought financial assistance from the Centre for the relief and shelter of the Myanmar, Bangladeshi, and Manipur refugees.

Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Saturday discussed the Bangladeshi refugee issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and reportedly told him that the state government is reluctant to push back the refugees. An official of Mizoram Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that the Chief Minister, during the meeting with the Prime Minister at his residence in New Delhi, apprised him that the Bangladeshi refugees, taking shelter in the state belong to the Bawm community, one of the ethnic Mizo tribes. Many more tribals from CHT of the same community are also trying to enter Mizoram, he told the Prime Minister.

–IANS

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Bengaluru, July 8 (IANS) Karnataka BJP MLA Bharat Shetty on Monday stirred a major controversy, saying the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi should be locked up and slapped inside the Parliament for his alleged anti-Hindu remarks.

“LoP Rahul Gandhi should be locked up and slapped inside Parliament. This act will lead to the filing of seven to eight FIRs. If LoP Rahul Gandhi comes to Mangaluru city, we will arrange the same for him,” MLA Shetty said.

He said that LoP Rahul Gandhi was holding a picture of the Hindu god Shiva. “That madman does not know that if Lord Shiva opened his third eye, he (LoP) would turn into ashes. They have adopted an anti-Hindu policy. It is evident that LoP Rahul Gandhi is a madman. He thinks that Hindus will quietly listen to whatever he says about them. If he ‘barks’ in Parliament, the local leaders will start wagging their tails here,” Shetty said.

He said it is BJP’s duty to protect Hindu religion and institutions. “The Congress has begun to convey that Hindus and Hindutva are different. Hindus will face danger in the future because of such leaders. They will create a situation where Hindus will not step out of their houses,” he said.

He alleged that LoP Rahul Gandhi will turn into a secular person when he visits Kerala and he will become an atheist in Tamil Nadu.

“When he comes to Gujarat, LoP Rahul Gandhi becomes an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva,” he alleged.

He said that after getting only 99 Lok Sabha seats in the general election, LoP Rahul Gandhi is claiming to have made a great achievement.

“Shivaji and Maharana Pratap were born in the Hindu community. We will take out weapons whenever there is a need. We know very well how to retaliate after worshipping the weapons. LoP Rahul Gandhi will be alright after a tight slap inside Parliament,” he said.

–IANS

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Thiruvananthapuram, July 8 (IANS) The UK is exploring avenues for joint ventures in technological innovation in the Kerala IT ecosystem and thereby strengthening partnership with India in the tech sector, said Joshua Bamford, Head of Tech and Innovation, British High Commission in India, on Monday.

Leading a UK delegation to Technopark here, Bamford said the visit to India’s first IT Park had been “incredibly insightful”.

The delegation interacted with Col Sanjeev Nair (Retd), CEO, Technopark, and discussed potential collaboration opportunities at the Park.

Among other officials who took part in the discussion included Christi Thomas, Senior Technology and Innovation Adviser, British Deputy High Commission, Bengaluru.

Bamford said the discussions they had with the CEO of Technopark and CEO of Toonz Animation underscored the vast potential for collaboration between the UK and Kerala in the technology and innovation sectors.

“We are excited about the possibilities of this partnership and look forward to leveraging our combined strengths to drive forward groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence, future telecoms and other tech domains,” said Bamford.

Col Sanjeev Nair (Retd), CEO, Technopark, said the visit of the UK delegation marks a significant step towards fostering stronger ties and cooperative initiatives between the UK and Indian tech ecosystems.

–IANS

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Shimla, July 8 (IANS) A total of 315 polling stations have been set up for the by-elections to Dehra, Hamirpur and Nalagarh Assembly constituencies, an election official said on Monday.

As many as 217 polling parties have been sent to polling stations.

A spokesperson for the Electoral Department said 98 polling parties were sent for 100 polling stations set up in Dehra in Kangra district, while 119 polling parties were sent to Nalagarh in Solan district.

The spokesperson said two women polling parties each from Dehra and Nalagarh and all 94 polling parties of the Hamirpur seat would be sent on July 9.

Meanwhile, campaigning came to an end, with strict restrictions imposed by ECI, for the July 10 by-poll.

–IANS

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Bhopal, July 8 (IANS) In a significant development, a Maoist carrying a bounty of Rs 14 lakh was killed during an encounter with security forces in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat, while the search for others is underway, police said on Monday.

The encounter took place under the Hatta police station when the security forces (Hawk force of MP Police) were carrying out a search operation on the basis of input received regarding the presence of Maoists in the region.

During a search operation, security forces noticed a group of people dressed in white clothes were trying to hide themselves. When the security forces tried to stop them, they started firing and ran away.

The deceased Maoist has been identified as Ukas alias Sohan (30), a resident of the Maoist-hit Sukma district in the neighbouring state of Chhattisgarh. He has been carrying out Maoist activities in the Bhoramdev region for the last several years.

Additional Director General (ADG) of Police Jaydeep Prasad said that an alert has already been issued as input was received about the presence of some more Maoists who are planning for a big attack on security forces and the search operations are being carried out.

“The dead Maoist (Sohan) has been carrying out Maoist activities since 2013 in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. He was an expert in operating explosive devices to attack security personnel. He was wanted in Madhya Pradesh since 2019 and a reward of Rs 14 lakh was announced against him since then,” Prasad said in a press conference here in Bhopal.

Prasad added that the gunning down of wanted Sohan came as a major breakthrough for Madhya Pradesh Police. “MP Police have killed more than 20 Maoists carrying a bounty of more than 3.5 crore in the past two years, including two hardcore Maoists in April this year,” he added.

–IANS

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