Refugees from Paletwa Township in Chin State sheltering in India, in Tuidang Village in Mizoram State’s Lawngtlai District, are in urgent need of rice after food shortages worsened earlier this month.
There are about 270 refugee households made up of about 1,000 people from Paletwa sheltering in Tuidang Village. Of those, about 100 households are facing urgent food shortages and require emergency assistance.
Normally, refugees are allowed to take work as day labourers and porters, which gives them some income to spend on food. But, these jobs become scarcer during the hot season, from April to June, according to Salai Maw Sat, an aid worker supporting the Paletwa refugees.
The Tuidang Village Administration previously allowed the refugees to sell goods and crops they have grown at a market on a plot of land owned by the village community. Unfortunately, in February, village officials banned refugees from selling anything, which reduced their potential income streams.
Salai Maw Sat said to Khonumthung News: “The main need right now is rice. Many families can no longer afford to buy it, and some are already facing severe food shortages. With fewer porters and day labour jobs available, refugees have even fewer ways to earn income. On top of that, refugees in the villages are not allowed to sell goods. If things don’t change soon, in a month or so, these families won’t even have rice to cook. Right now, I, along with the other organisers, are like beggars, desperately asking for any help we can get.”
Those helping the Paletwa refugees have reached out to all available Chin organisations, including the Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO), for assistance, but so far, no effective aid has arrived, according to Salai Maw Sat.
Typically, when the rainy season starts, usually around the beginning of July, there is more day labour work available for refugees, meaning that they should have more money for food. Also by August, after the rains have started, the refugees will be able to harvest crops they have planted, which could also help ease their food shortages. But, for the three months until then, April, May and June, the refugees will suffer food shortages.
Salai Maw Sat said: “I think the main need for the next three months will be rice. After that, porter and other day labor jobs will start to become available again, and some crops will be harvested by August. So, April, May, and June will be the toughest months for shortages. Right now, the biggest priority is securing rice to get through those three months. There are other needs, but that's the most urgent one.”
Volunteer teaching staff at a school in the refugee camp receive no proper aid and they are also struggling with food shortages, as are refugee families who receive no assistance from family working or living abroad.
In early 2025 the refugees from Paletwa were relocated to a site further away from Tuidang Village. The refugees had to construct new huts which put an extra financial burden on them.
