Photo : Times of India
Almost 300 Myanmar soldiers have crossed the border and fleed into India following new territorial gain by armed insurgents fighting the country's junta. This has been confirmed by an Indian paramilitary officer on Friday (19 January).
Earlier, multiple clashes rocked parts of Myanmar nearing the Indian border region. And this has been going on since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since a 2021 military coup.
This week, the group claimed to have taken control of the important town of Paletwa as well as six military bases along India's Mizoram state border, where the soldiers crossed on Wednesday.
An officer from the Assam Rifles paramilitary force, who declined to be identified, told AFP that 276 personnel with rifles and ammunition had arrived in Bondukbangsora hamlet.
"We have given them shelter at our camp," he said, adding that the arriving soldiers were "given all the support they require."
The officer said that his unit was collecting biometric data from the soldiers and had sought approval from the defence ministry in New Delhi to return them to Myanmar.
So far, hundreds of other Myanmar troops have fled to India to escape fighting since the ceasefire ended in November, according to local media reports.
Messenger/Sun Yath
