How did a Myanmar refugee taking shelter in Mizoram, get Aadhaar card and a Mizoram birth certificate?

The case of Benjamin Sum, a Myanmarese singer taking shelter in Mizoram managing to get a voter ID card and a driving licence too despite he just being a refugee

REPORTED BY ISAAC ZORAMSANGA

Benjamin Sum, a Myanmarese singer, taking shelter in Mizoram along with over 31,000 of his countrymen, who had gained some kind of fame while in exile, seems to have landed himself in some big trouble.

Trouble started for the singer when he was seen riding a brand new bike which he managed to get registered in his name for which an Aadhaar card or any other residential proof is necessary. It turned out that Sum not just got an Aadhaar card, but also a voter ID, Driving License and even a Mizoram birth certificate and garage clearance from the local council of the locality in Aizawl where he temporarily resides. To own a vehicle in Aizawl, one has to have a garage (his own or rented). This created a stir in social media and the singer soon found himself drawing flak and getting popular for all the wrong reasons.

Questions are being asked as to how did a foreign national living as a refugee in Mizoram get all the relevant documents which he produced before the transport department to get the bike registered in his name.

According to Wikipedia, Benjamin Sum was born on November 27, 2000 at Kalay, Sagaing Region, Myanmar, which he also confirmed in an earlier interview in Aizawl. However, his birth certificate that went viral on social media indicated that Sum was born at Farkawn village in Mizoram-Myanmar border, Champhai district.

Young Mizo Association (YMA) of Farkawn branch, in a statement on Monday said that they were shocked by the fake birth certificate issued to a foreigner that mentions Farkawn as his birthplace.

“We would like to clarify that Benjamin Sum was not born in Farkawn. We demand investigation into the malpractice and appropriate action against those responsible for issue of counterfeit birth certificate,” Young Mizo Association (YMA) of Farkawn branch said in a statement.

With 1,812 Myanmar refugees taking shelter in Farkawn, the border village has the highest number of refugees for a single village having around 600 households.

“We will continue to shelter our brothers and sisters who fled their homes in Myanmar. At the same time, we will not tolerate illegal activities such as this,” the statement added.

A runner-up in the 2019 edition of the Myanmar Idol contest, Sum fled his home in 2021 and crossed over into Mizoram. He and his family are among the thousands of Chins taking refuge in Mizoram, where the government has welcomed those fleeing the military’s offensive against the resistance, both peaceful and armed, in Myanmar’s Chin state.

Ever since he released a music video in Mizo, Sum has gained stardom with huge fan following in Mizoram and neighbouring states.

His stardom and public aura are very different to the lives of many refugees who live in makeshift camps or have doubled up with relatives and kin. Others, like Sum, who are relatively affluent, are able to rent places in Aizawl or other urban centres on their own.

Professionals among the refugees include doctors, nurses, teachers, former members of Myanmar parliament and a chief minister.

A large number work as daily wage labourers at construction sites including houses, or as household helps or as farm workers in the districts closest to the Indo-Myanmar border and even in Aizawl and surrounding villages.

The close affinity between the Mizos and the Chins, who are the same stock, facilitates the refugees to easily mingle in the Mizo society.

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