Altogether 21 Indian vehicles detained by the Myanmar Police were forcibly recovered by Mizoram villagers from a Myanmar police outpost on February 8, reports reaching here said.
The vehicles plying at the Indo-Myanmar international border area at Zokhawthar land custom station were seized by the Myanmar Police on November 28, 2017. Following refusal of repeated requests for release of their vehicles, the owners of the seized vehicles appealed to the Myanmar Police to give them the reason why the vehicles were seized. The Myanmar Police failed to give any explanation, reports said.
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All the vehicles seized were from an Indian village of Melbuk in Champhai district, just a few kilometres from the Indo-Myanmar border. Infuriated with the Myanmar Police actions, Mizoram villagers numbering about 60 stormed into the Myanmar Police station and forcibly recovered the seized vehicles.
“When the villagers arrived at the police station, the police personnel were having lunch. The villagers outnumbered the police personnel and took their vehicles and even snatched guns from the Police which were later returned as soon as they crossed over to the Indian side,” report from the border village of Zokhawthar said.
Melbuk villagers have been trying to contact the Myanmar officials and have made several complaints to deputy commissioner of Teddim and Falam but of no avail.
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“Our vehicles have been plying to and fro carrying goods from either side of the border, the police just seized us without list or case given to us, when we made a complaint to the higher ups, they replied that no official seizure were made, so we were left with no option but to recover our vehicles forcibly,” the villagers of Melbuk stated.
The Myanmar police has made a complaint to the Zokhawthar Police Station and even lodged a complaint to the Indian paramilitary force stationed there.
“On the onset, situation there was tense but then no untoward incident happened, things are going smoothly and peacefully,” a government official from Zokhawthar on condition of anonymity said.