Mizoram civil groups shut Myanmar border after local’s death

Aizawl: Two major civil society groups in south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai and Siaha districts have decided to close the border with Myanmar after a 37-year-old man, missing from Salachhuah village in southern Chin state, was found dead near the Chhimtuipui river along the Mizoram-Myanmar border on Sunday afternoon.

Earlier, the Central Young Lai Association (CYLA), the largest civil society in Lawngtlai district, and Mara Thyutlia Pi (MTP), a youth association in adjoining Siaha district, had warned of shutting all entry points for trade with Myanmar. The warning was issued on Saturday night after a joint meeting at Tuipui Ferry, the boundary between the two districts.


The groups had sought information about Lalramsanga (37), a resident of Lawngtlai town, who went missing on Thursday evening after arriving at Salachhuah. He had travelled with his younger brother, Lalthlamuana, in a mini truck carrying goods from Lawngtlai.

CYLA general secretary JH Lalrindika told TOI on Sunday that the association had sent a message to the Arakan Army (AA), a Rakhine insurgent group active in the area, urging them to take responsibility for locating the missing man.

According to reports, Lalramsanga and his brother checked into a hotel in Salachhuah on Thursday. He later went out and never returned. The truck was later found, and a Burmese businessman handed over the vehicle’s key and Lalramsanga’s driving licence to Lalthlamuana on Friday morning, claiming he discovered them inside the truck but had no knowledge of Lalramsanga’s whereabouts.

Following the recovery and identification of the body, CYLA announced its decision to enforce closure of border trade and seal all entry points along the Myanmar border.