Aizawl: The Lawngtlai district administration has barred foreigners and refugees from renting houses in Lawngtlai town from Sept 2026 until further orders, according to an order issued by deputy commissioner Donny Lalruatsanga.The order also requires foreigners and refugees seeking manual labour or other employment to obtain work permits from the concerned village councils and Young Lai Association (YLA) leaders.They have been prohibited from venturing out after 8pm, except in emergencies. The administration will conduct frequent checks to enforce the restrictions, an official statement said on Monday, Sept 7.Foreigners and visitors from outside the district must report to the concerned village councils and YLA leaders, who will maintain formal records.“Any one shifting to Lawngtlai town from other villages should obtain letters from their respective villages to be submitted to the local authorities and formal decision will be made by the VC authorities on those who do not obtain letters from the villages they had earlier inhabited,” the order said.Hotels and homestays have been directed not to accommodate guests without valid identification. Guests must produce a voter ID card, Aadhaar or driving licence before check-in. Establishments have also been asked to maintain registers and submit guest details to the superintendent of police every week.While the order covers both refugees and foreigners, sources said the immediate focus appeared to be foreigners involved in cross-border trade who rent houses or stay in hotels and homestays.A local civil society leader said most Myanmar refugees were staying in relief camps, while some leaders of anti-coup groups and affluent refugees were living in rented houses.According to state home department records, Lawngtlai has 7,689 refugees, including 6,328 from Myanmar and 1,361 from Bangladesh. The district has the second-highest number of Myanmar refugees and the highest number of Bangladeshi refugees among Mizoram’s 11 districts.Lawngtlai also witnesses substantial unregulated trade with Myanmar’s Chin and Rakhine states. The route between Hruitezawl in Lawngtlai and Salachhuah in Myanmar is used to transport essential commodities, including fuel, sources said.
