AIZAWL:
Gunfight between Myanmar army and People’s Defence Force (PDF) at Haimual village, a few kilometres from the Indian border, sent more than a hundred Myanmarese villagers to Zokhawthar border town in Mizoram’s Champhai district on the afternoon of January 29.
Sources from Zokhawthar said firing between the Army and PDF started around 2:30pm and it lasted for a few hours. Three blasts were also heard.
“In fear of the gunfire, several people from the nearby Khawmawi village fled to Zokhawthar,” a village leader in Zokhawthar said.
Several villagers were also camping on the banks of Tiau river that divides India and Myanmar.
People’s Defence Force is the armed wing of National Unity Government, a body claiming to be the legitimate government of Myanmar.
A few days back, multiple blasts at Rihkhawdar village, also a few kilometers from Zokhawthar, sent scores of Myanmar nationals to Mizoram.
Meanwhile, more refugees have entered the state’s southern districts in the wake of intensified conflict between the Myanmar army and the Chin National Army (CNA) and the local resistance groups combine in southern part of the Chin state like Matupi, Mindat and the state capital Hakha, as well as central Chin state’s Tedim township, especially at a road linking Kalaymyo in Sagaing Division and Chin state through Tedim.
Over 2,000 refugees have again entered the state due to the recent fresh confrontations between the Myanmar army and the CNA, Chinland Defence Force (CDF) and Chinland National Defence Force (CNDF) combined since mid-January.
Mizoram is already sheltering about 16,000 Myanmar refugees who fled their homes since the military coup in the neighbouring country in February, 2021.