December 24 (NMG): Burmese handloom workers who were driven out from Mizoram in last July found a new work site for their survival at Churachandpur in Manipur State of India, said a handloom worker.

It is record breaking for the arrival of Burmese handloom workers in Manipur State as nearly 150 Burmese workers have engaged in five handloom factories facilitating with seventy weaving machine, local residents said.

Though, Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram State used to be flooded with Burmese handloom workers, Burmese workers were forced to dislocate by the outrages of local residents when a Burmese citizen committed rape to nine-years-old student in Aizawl. Later it was discovered that the convict was Mizo who migrated from Burma and running a hotel in Aizawl.

Newly arrived Burmese handloom workers in Manipur State said their lives there are convenient and having good relation with local residents.

The average income for a skilled handloom worker in Churanchandpur is about Rs 100 (nearly 2,000 Kyats) per day.

Burmese workers claim that Churanchandpur becomes a new survival place for Burmese handloom workers.

Apparently, Churanchandpur is facilitated with shorter route with Burma and has cheaper expense to reach from Burma comparing with expensive living cost in Aizawl. Furthermore, the burden of checkpoints in Churanchandpur border is negligible if handloom factory owners could protect them whenever they were arrested.

Due to desperate economy and unemployment in Burma, over 50,000 Burmese migrant workers had settled down in Mizoram for their survival.

As they are migrant workers away from their homes, Burmese migrants in Mizoram used to work as handloom workers, woodcutters, construction workers, carpenters, waiters, taxi drivers, quick-fixers for electronics equipments, musicians in bands, street vendors, porters and housemaids.

Churanchandpur is situated between Mizoram and Minipur States of India bordering with northern Chin State of Burma.