At least 30 more Myanmar Army soldiers,
who came to Mizoram after their military camps were overrun by the
pro-democracy forces in Chin State, were repatriated to their country through
the Manipur’s Moreh border on Wednesday.
As per officials, the 30 soldiers,
including an officer, had absconded to Tuipang village in Mizoram’s Siaha
district, after their camps at Motupi in Chin state were captured by armed
pro-democracy forces, on Tuesday.
“Two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters airlifted
the 30 soldiers from Mizoram’s Siaha district to Manipur’s Moreh town, where
they were handed over to Myanmar’s military authority,” informed an official
closely involved in the matter.
He said that after completing required formalities,
including biometric process, the Indian authorities handed over the 30 soldiers
to Myanmar Army officers at Tamu (opposite Moreh border) in the neighbouring
country.
Moreh town, located near border and 110
km south of Imphal, is the biggest border trading centre along the
India-Myanmar border. Since November 13, as many as 74 Myanmar Army soldiers,
including officers, had fled to the Indian territory in different phases after
their camps in Chin State were captured by the Chin National Defence Force
(CNDF), the armed wing of the Chin National Organisation (CNO).
The soldiers were apprehended by the
Mizoram Police in Champhai district before being handed over to the Assam
Rifles. All the 74 soldiers have been repatriated to Myanmar via the Moreh-Tamu
border.
Besides soldiers, over 2,500 Myanmarese,
including women and children, took shelter in Mizoram’s Champhai district
during the past two weeks post the gun battle between Myanmar’s Tatmadaw
(military) and CNDF cadres.
The district administration has provided
food and relief materials to the refugees. Necessary medical aid has also been
provided to them.
The first influx from Myanmar occurred in
February 2021 after the Military junta captured power there.
Since then, 32,000 people, including
women and children, have taken shelter in the Northeastern State from Myanmar.
Mizoram’s six districts — Champhai,
Siaha, Lawngtlai, Serchhip, Hnahthial and Saitual — share 510 km unfenced border
with Myanmar’s Chin State.
Agency
