Aizawl: Amid fierce fighting between Myanmar’s ruling military and resistance forces, at least 151 Myanmar army personnel crossed the border and entered Tuisentlang village in south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district Friday with the intent to surrender to the Assam Rifles, ThePrint has learnt.
According to a senior Mizoram police officer, personnel of the Myanmar military, also known as the Tatmadaw, entered Lawngtlai district with arms after fleeing from their camp in Chin State’s Paletwa in Myanmar, across the international border.
Based on a preliminary inquiry conducted by the state police, the Myanmar army base near Parva village — located close to Tuisentlang — was captured Thursday by Myanmar People’s Army, popularly known as the People’s Defense Force (PDF) or the Chin Defense Force (CDF), and the Chin National Army (CNA).
The 151 Myanmar army personnel who fled their camp crossed the international border at pillars number 2 and 4, to reach Tuisentlang. More Tatmadaw members are likely to reach the border village, it is learnt.
Lawngtlai district police officers told ThePrint that the Assam Rifles have initiated the repatriation process. The surrendered Myanmar army personnel have been taken to Parva, and state police personnel are working in close coordination with the Assam Rifles in border areas.
With the entry of these 151 Myanmar army personnel, the number of Tatmadaw members who have crossed the 404-km Mizoram-Myanmar international border to surrender to Indian authorities since 13 November has risen to 255.
Camp after camp of the Tatmadaw has fallen to the local resistance militia and CNA forces in Myanmar’s Chin State adjoining Mizoram since 2022, as Myanmar’s National Unity government in exile called for the overthrow of the military junta by force.
Myanmar has been in the throes of civil war since 1948. It was under military rule between 1962 and 2011. In February 2021, the military wrested power again after toppling Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government. Now, the junta, as it is called, could be facing its biggest threat yet, in the form of a sustained attack on multiple fronts by ethnic armed groups that include pro-democracy fighters. These attacks have been ongoing since October.
The Mizoram police said that the 151 soldiers would likely be flown from Parva to Moreh in Manipur and then handed over to the Myanmar junta, as has been done before.
Earlier, 45 Myanmar soldiers who fled from their camps at Rihkhawdar and Khawmawi villages, near the Zokhawthar Indo-Myanmar border trade centre in Champhai district, came to Mizoram on 13 November and were flown back from Hnahlan village the next day.
Another group of 29 Tatmadaw soldiers left their camp at Tuibual, near Mizoram’s Saikhumphai village, on 16 November and were flown on 19 November after being stuck at Vaphai Assam Rifles camp because of bad weather.
The final group of 30 soldiers was flown from Tuipang helipad in Siaha district on 29 November.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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