Aizawl: Civil society organisations in south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district have been checking whether foreigners and refugees are renting accommodation, while district police officials have continued inspecting hotels and homestays to determine whether foreign nationals are being housed without proper registration.A review meeting on the enforcement of law and order in Lawngtlai district was held at the deputy commissioner’s conference hall in Lawngtlai town on Tuesday. The meeting discussed restrictions on the movement of foreign nationals in and out of the district, which borders Myanmar and Bangladesh.An earlier meeting had decided to restrict the movement of foreign nationals and refugees within the district from September 1. The review meeting was informed that volunteers from civil society organisations had been checking whether foreigners and refugees were renting accommodation in the district after the restrictions came into force.The restrictions followed a prohibitory order issued by district magistrate Donny Lalruatsanga on September 3.Participants expressed concern that an unregulated influx of foreign nationals and refugees, particularly from neighbouring Myanmar, could pose security and law-and-order challenges for residents of the district.A district official told TOI that some foreign nationals had entered the district from Myanmar through the porous international border without border passes issued by Assam Rifles personnel, while others had overstayed the validity of their passes.“Some proprietors of hotels, motels and homestays allowed guests to stay without proper registration,” the official said.The meeting also discussed allegations that foreigners and refugees had obtained fake certificates identifying them as bona fide residents of the state. It was decided that coordinated efforts should be made to prevent such practices and identify those allegedly involved in preparing or issuing forged certificates.Participants also raised concerns about the unregulated movement of people across the international border, saying it could contribute to law-and-order problems and the spread of diseases through cross-border transmission. They also noted that unregulated trade along the border continued.
