Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, October 9, 2026.
Authorities in Lawngtlai district, Mizoram State, India, have tightened checks on the movement and residence of foreign nationals and people displaced by conflict, according to refugees living in the area.
At a district-level security meeting held in Lawngtlai on October 7, officials reported that civil society organizations had been inspecting rental homes occupied by foreign nationals and displaced people since September.
“As inspections have become more frequent, we can no longer move around as freely as before. Especially at night, we are afraid to go outside unless it is absolutely necessary,” a Myanmar male refugee living in Lawngtlai told Border News Agency.
A district official said some people had entered India from Myanmar without border-crossing permits or had overstayed their permitted period. Some guesthouses had also reportedly accommodated people without complete identification records.
“With these restrictions becoming stricter, it has become much harder for newly arriving refugees to find rental accommodation. This puts even more pressure on people who came here to escape the conflict,” a Myanmar national living in Lawngtlai told Border News Agency.
Lawngtlai district has imposed restrictions on foreign nationals and refugees renting accommodation. People are also prohibited from going outside after 8 p.m., except in emergencies.
Local residents said the increased inspections and restrictions could directly affect refugees’ freedom of movement and living conditions. They added that the measures could also affect cross-border trade and transport links between Paletwa in Myanmar and Mizoram in India.
