Guwahati, Jan 23: A total of 184 out of the 276 Myanmarese soldiers, who sought refuge in Mizoram on January 17 following the capture of their camps by armed ethnic groups, were flown back to Myanmar on Monday, by a Myanmar military aircraft that landed at Lengpui airport in the afternoon, as per reports.
Officials reported that the Myanmar Air Force aircraft conducted two sorties to transport the 184 soldiers back to Sittwe (Akyab).
“Before the departure of the Myanmarese soldiers, the Indian authorities have completed all necessary formalities. The remaining 92 Myanmar soldiers would be airlifted on Tuesday,” the official said.
276 Myanmar Army personnel took refuge in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district on January 17 after their camps were captured by the Arakan Army militants, as per news reports.
The Myanmar soldiers, with their arms and ammunition, reached Bandukbanga village, situated on the Mizoram-Myanmar-Bangladesh border trijunction, in Lawngtlai and were taken to Assam Rifles’ Parva camp in the district.
“Necessary formalities including collection of biometric details of the Myanmar military personnel have been conducted. Necessary medical support was also given to the soldiers.” the official said.
With the latest influx, the number of soldiers who fled Myanmar since November 13 last year and reached India, has touched 636.