Aizawl: 29 more Myanmarese soldiers crossed over to Mizoram on Thursday after their camp was captured by a local militia group, who aligned with the pro-democracy movement, a senior police officer said.
Earlier this week, at least 45 personnel of the Myanmar army entered Mizoram fleeing attacks after their military camps were overrun by militia group People’s Defence Force (PDF) at Khawmawi and Rihkhawdar, the two border villages in Myanmar’s Chin state close to the Indian border on Monday.
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Mizoram Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Lalbiakthanga Khiangte said that the 29 Myanmarese soldiers escaped from their camp at Tuibual in Chin state just a few kilometers from the Indo-Myanmar border.
They were received by state police and Assam Rifles at Saikhumphai hamlet in Champhai district near Tiau river, which separates India and Myanmar, on Thursday, he said.
With these, altogether 74 Myanmar soldiers had fled to Mizoram due to the recent gunfight with ethnic armed groups, he said.
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A total of 45 soldiers have been already flown back to their country, police sources said.
An official of Assam Rifles said that the 29 Myanmarese soldiers, who entered Mizoram on Thursday, are yet to be sent back to their country.
MC Lalramenga, a local leader in Champhai’s Vaphai village on the Mizoram-Myanmar border, said that Chin National Defence Force (CND), a local militia group, attacked and captured the Myanmar army camp at Tuibual on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
The Myanmarest soldiers instead of resorting to counterattack abandoned their camp and escaped to Mizoram, he said.
Sources in the Chin National Organisation (CNO), a political wing of CNDF, said that all the Myanmar army camps along the border areas of Chin state and Mizoram have been captured by resistance forces and there is no presence of military camp along the border areas adjoining Mizoram.
Earlier on Monday, two Myanmar army camps at Khawmawi and Rihkhawdar in Chin state near a Mizoram border village Zokhawthar in Champhai district were overrun and captured by the PDF after an intense gunfight forcing at least 45 Myanmar soldiers to escape to Mizoram.