Chin resistance leader among five arrested in India for alleged gun-running

Police in the Indian state of Mizoram say they arrested five people, including a senior Chin National Front (CNF) leader, in connection with a major arms and ammunition seizure earlier this week. In a statement released on Wednesday, Mizoram police said the weapons, seized in the village of Saithah, near the Bangladesh border, included six AK-47 rifles, more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition, and 13 magazines. This is considered one of the largest arms seizures in the state, the statement added. The weapons were reportedly part of a transaction between the United People’s Democratic Front, an insurgent group operating in southern Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hills, and the CNF. The detained CNF leader was not identified in the statement. The CNF, the oldest ethnic armed group currently active in Chin State, has been fighting Myanmar’s military since it seized power four years ago. It is aligned with the anti-regime National Unity Government and other resistance forces in the state. When questioned about the weapons, the CNF denied any involvement with them. “The seized weapons do not belong to the CNF,” Salai Htet Ni, the group’s spokesperson, told Myanmar Now late Thursday. While the identities of the detained individuals could not be confirmed at the time of reporting, the Times of India has reported that one of the detainees was Bil Cung, a member of the CNF’s central executive committee. The report also quotes the group’s vice chair (1) as saying that “Bil Cung was acting on his own volition, without consulting the CNF-CNA leadership and without permission.” He also denied any ties to groups based in Bangladesh. According to the report, the other four detainees included two Myanmar nationals, one from Bangladesh, and one from Mizoram. The CNF flag is raised over the town of Rikhawdar, on the India-Myanmar border, after it was seized by Chin resistance forces in late 2023 (CNF/CNA) Salai Terah, project manager for the Chin Human Rights Organisation, told Myanmar Now that the arms seizure has so far had no impact on refugees from Myanmar sheltering in Mizoram. “At the moment, there are no restrictions on movement due to the arrests. But we cannot predict what will happen next,” he said. The border region, which is home to numerous armed groups, frequently sees reports of arms seizures. In August of last year, 10 ethnic Chin individuals were arrested on charges of transporting arms from Mizoram into Myanmar, according to Indian news outlets. Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy in Yangon announced on Friday that Ambassador Abhay Thakur made a two-day visit to the Rakhine State capital Sittwe this week. During his stay, the ambassador visited Sittwe’s port, a key part of the US$484 million Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, backed by the Indian government. The project links India’s landlocked northeast to the seaport in Sittwe. Sittwe is one of only three major centres still under junta control in Rakhine State since the Arakan Army (AA) launched an offensive to seize the entire state in November 2023. Last February, an AA delegation met with Indian officials to discuss construction of a road through territory under the group’s control that is also part of the project. Kyaukphyu, another major Rakhine seaport and the site of a massive Chinese-financed development project, is also still controlled by the regime.

Chin resistance leader among five arrested in India for alleged gun-running

The Chin National Front has denied ownership of the arms and ammunition seized in the Indian state of Mizoram earlier this week

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