As More Myanmar Soldiers Enter India, Mizoram Reaches Out To Centre

As fighting rages between rebel forces in Myanmar and the junta-regime, hundreds of Myanmar Army personnel are fleeing to India. Mizoram government has alerted the centre about the development and urged them to quickly ensure that the soldiers from the neighbouring nation are sent back.

Nearly 600 Myanmar Army soldiers have crossed into India amid intense clashes. They took refuge in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district after their camps were captured by the Arakan Army (AA) militants – an ethnic armed group in the western Myanmar state of Rakhine – government sources said. The soldiers have been sheltered in an Assam Rifles camp, they said.

The situation has prompted urgent talks between Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the plenary session of the Northeastern Council meeting in Shillong.

Government sources say Mizoram emphasised the need for a swift repatriation of the Myanmar Army personnel who have taken refuge within the state. This plea comes amid growing concerns about the escalating tension and the impact it could have on the region’s stability.

Speaking to reporters after the plenary session, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma shed light on the ongoing situation.

“People are fleeing from Myanmar to our country for shelter, and we are helping them on humanitarian grounds. Soldiers of Myanmar keep coming, seeking shelter, and earlier we used to send them back by air. Around 450 army personnel were sent back,” Chief Minister Lalduhoma said.

Myanmar’s generals are facing their biggest test since they seized power in a 2021 coup after three ethnic minority forces launched a coordinated offensive in late October, capturing some towns and military posts and forcing soldiers to flee.