AIZWAL, Dec 30: At least 151 Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) personnel have crossed over to Mizoram during the last 24 hours, police said.
The Tatmadaw members fled their camp called Myeik Wa Camp Point 377 in Chin state of Myanmar adjoining Mizoram after the Arakan Army (AA) militants overran and captured the military camp at around noon on Friday.
Police officials said that as military camps after camps fell into the hands of the local militia groups and ethnic armed organisations, the Myanmar army personnel working under the military junta, which staged a coup on February 1, 2021.
The first batch of Myanmar Army’s 83 personnel first entry came from Myeik Wa Camp Point 377. They belonged to the Light Infantry Regiment-61,62,583 and 586 comprising 12 officers and 71 other ranks.
They were carrying 83 weapons comprising 53 rifles, 11 pistols, 2 Rocket propelled grenades (RPG), 2 Mortars, 2 Sniper rifles, 2 Medium Machine Guns (MMGs), 5 Light Machine Guns (LMGs) and 171 numbers of hand grenades.
The second group of 68 Myanmar army personnel, also from Myeik Wa Camp Point 377 and are of LIR (Light infantry Regiment) 61,62,583 and 586. They comprised of 9 officers and 59 soldiers belonging to other ranks.
The weapons they brought inside Mizoram were 40 rifles, 6 pistols, 2 RPGs, 2 Mortars, 2 sniper rifles and 203 hand grenades.
Among 151 soldiers, 9 of them are injured, 4 of them critically Police officials said.
Sources said that the Myanmar army personnel will soon be evacuated, most probably by Sunday, by Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters from Parva where they are being lodged at the Assam Rifles camp and repatriated to the Myanmar military authorities along with their weapons via Moreh in Manipur as was done earlier.
With the entry of 151 Myanmar army personnel on Friday the number of Myanmar soldiers who have crossed over to Mizoram rose to 255 after their camps along the Mizoram border in Chin state were overran and captured by pro-democratic forces and underground militants.
Camps after camps of the Tatmadaw fell to the local resistance militia and CNA combine forces in Chin state of Myanmar adjoining Mizoram since 2022 as the National Unity Government of Myanmar in exile called for overthrow of the military junta, by using force, which staged a military coup on February 1, 2021. In the first instance, 45 Myanmar soldiers who fled their camps at Rihkhawdar and Khawmawi villages, just across the Zokhawthar Indo-Myanmar border trade centre in Champhai district fled to Mizoram on November 13, and were airlifted from nearby Hnahlan village on the next day.
Another batch of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar army), numbering 29 fled their camp at Tuibual, across Mizoram’s Saikhumphai hamlet on November 16 and were airlifted on November 19 after being stranded at Vaphai Assam Rifles camp due to inclement weather.
The last batch of Myanmar army personnel, numbering 30 were airlifted from Tuipang helipad in Siaha district on November 29. (UNI)
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