Six people sustained injuries when a Myanmar Army plane crash-landed at Mizoram’s Lengpui airport on Tuesday. The aircraft, carrying 14 people, including the pilot, was reportedly damaged after veering off the runway while attempting to pick up Myanmar Army personnel who had recently entered India. The injured individuals were promptly admitted to Lengpui Hospital, as reported by the Mizoram director general of police.
On the same day, an official from Assam Rifles revealed that India had repatriated 184 Myanmarese soldiers who had fled to Mizoram last week following clashes with an ethnic insurgent group. A total of 276 soldiers had entered Mizoram, with 184 being sent back to Myanmar on Monday via Myanmar Air Force planes from Lengpui airport to Sittwe in Rakhine state.
The remaining 92 soldiers were scheduled for repatriation on Tuesday, according to the Assam Rifles official.
The Myanmarese soldiers had entered Bandukbanga village in southernmost Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district on January 17, seeking refuge after their camp was overrun by ‘Arakan Army’ fighters. Assam Rifles took them to a camp at Parva and later shifted the majority to Lunglei. Under the supervision of Assam Rifles, these soldiers were brought to Aizawl over the weekend for transport back to Myanmar.
The group, led by a colonel, comprises 36 officers and 240 lower-rank personnel. A total of 359 soldiers have already been repatriated to Myanmar. This incident follows a previous repatriation effort in November, where 104 Myanmar Army personnel were sent to the border town of Moreh in Manipur. Additionally, earlier this month, 255 soldiers were repatriated via Lengpui airport by Myanmar Air Force planes.
Mizoram shares a 510-km-long border with Myanmar, highlighting the close proximity of the two regions.
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