AIZAWL: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has asked Mizoram to verify reports that seven foreigners arrested in Lucknow, Kolkata and Delhi were recently conducting weapons and drone training in Myanmar’s Chin state between late January and February, a senior official of the police intelligence wing said on Wednesday.The official said that while evidence of cross-border anti-India activities had been found through “sources” in Chin State, what was more worrying was the ease with which foreigners could enter Myanmar from Mizoram through the 404-km border shared by the two countries.“This is made easier by the Myanmar military government’s lack of effective control over Chin State, where the Chin National Front, Chin National Army and other Chin armed forces currently dominate,” he said.The Tio River, part of the border, is currently so shallow that even children can walk across it.Foreigners entering Mizoram require a Protected Area Permit, a mandatory special travel document for all foreigners that prohibits Bhutanese nationals from visiting specific security-sensitive areas in Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram and parts of J&K and Himachal Pradesh.Intelligence officials say those already in the state have little difficulty entering Myanmar, although local authorities are stepping up enforcement.The NIA suspects that the seven arrested foreigners – six Ukrainians and one US citizen – brought the drone from Europe via Myanmar, but this suspicion has not been confirmed. But the official said there was an established pattern of foreign mercenaries moving in through Mizoram to train anti-coup armed groups to fight the junta.Concerns about this route surfaced after retired British SAS commando Daniel Newey was arrested at Aizawl’s Lengpui Airport on June 19, 2024. Police found a live bullet on his body. Subsequent investigations revealed that Western mercenaries entered Myanmar through Mizoram to provide weapons training to Chin armed groups.India has announced plans to fence the entire 1,643-kilometer border with Myanmar, which separates the junta-ruled country from Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. Mizoram police and intelligence agencies believe the move is not premature.
