Burmese tragedy: Refugee parents in India, children in opposition | First page, cover page

The first thing Professor Dial Hin did when he learned of the increased military repression in his home state, one of the hundreds of refugees from the Burmese region who had recently fled to neighboring India, was to try to contact his two sons. Joined the protest.

An associate professor at Haka University, the capital of Sin, fled to the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram on September 10, when Burmese military forces began to intensify attacks on civilians.

His two sons were enlisted in the so-called Civil Defense Force, one of the groups opposing the military regime that recently emerged in Burma (Myanmar) after the February 1 coup.

“We all worked very hard to make Burma a democratic country, and it’s gone in an instant. I know my children need to fight for democracy. They need to prove to others that they have a cause they deserve. It’s worth fighting for,” Hin told Eph.

Newly escaped

The Burmese military seized power in February after allegations of massive fraud during last November’s general election, sparking protests across the country and a civil disobedience movement.

According to the Daily Report of the Association for the Aid of Political Prisoners, brutal repression by police and soldiers has been on the rise since the coup, with 1,170 deaths and the arrest of more than 8,900 adversaries.

“On September 9, a Burmese warplane bombed the city of Langler. In a state of mourning and insecurity, we had no choice but to seek refuge in India,” Hin explained.

Armed conflicts in the country have escalated and new security groups are being born against the military regime, causing thousands of Burmese citizens in neighboring India to seek refuge.

In the absence of an official figure, the Sin refugee group estimates that there are about 20,000 Burmese refugees in India, which shares a 1,600-kilometer border with Burma.

Memories of a dictatorship are not so far away

Conflict, the need to flee and the fear of violence in his home country, especially in Qin state, inevitably reminded Hinn’s wife, Chung Ki, of the country’s military rule between 1962 and 2011.

“We were physically and mentally exhausted,” he recalled, “we were tired of running and living in refugee camps.

The lack of messages from his children especially bothers him.

“I pray every minute for my children who volunteered to fight against the Burmese army. They are very young (…) seniors who have completed their masters degree, but we have many plans for the future. Everything has gone down the drain,” he said.

UNCERTAINTY about his asylum in India

Architect San Mie Elwin, one of the Burmese regional refugees who recently fled to India, has relied on charity to build houses in the Burmese cities of Lungler and Dandlang.

Elvin took refuge in New Narkarship in the Indian state of Mizoram, where there are many Burmese survivors.

“We are seeking refuge here. I know New Narkarship is a small town with only a hundred houses. How long can they feed us?” Elvin lamented.

The people of Mizoram, united by their Burmese neighbors in the Sin Hills by common tradition and ethnicity, welcomed the refugees with open arms despite the misconceptions of the Indian authorities.

But as the conflict in Burma continues, doubts about the future of refugees are growing.

“We are not sure about our future (in Burma) or our future in India, but I know it is a dark future,” Tummung, head of the Burmese village of Pung, told EFE. Neighboring country.

Tummung lamented the bombings in several cities in Sinn Fin, where schools and hospitals were shut down, while guerrillas and civilian militants faced military rule.

The arrival of refugees also worries locals.

Lalminghanga, chairman of the new Ngharchhip municipal council, explained to Efe that aid was declining.

“We could not feed the refugees because of donations coming to us from different parts of the state. I do not know what will happen to us and the refugees when donations stop coming,” he lamented.

Sansuwala Emer