Over 15,000 people from Myanmar shelter in Mizoram, official says

More than 15,000 from Myanmar have so far crossed over to India following a coup. People fled Myanmar to avoid having to take orders from a junta trying to suppress opposition to the Feb 1 coup.

The number of people from Myanmar seeking shelter in India has swelled to more than 15,000, with more likely to cross over as fighting intensifies in parts Myanmar following a coup, government official said on Tuesday. The influx into Mizoram, which shares a porous, mountainous border with Myanmar, began in late February as policemen fled to avoid having to take orders from a junta trying to suppress opposition to the Feb 1 coup. By April, about 1,800 people from Myanmar - including several lawmakers - had crossed the border but the number has recently grown to more than 15,400, according to the vice-chairman of Mizoram's State Planning Board, H. Rammawi.