Imphal/Aizawl, February 02, 2006: The army today claimed that Hmar and Paite tribesmen, who were hounded out of their homes by militants along the Assam-Mizoram border, have started returning home.
The army said with normality restored in Churachandpur, over 200 villagers of the nearly 1,000 residents have trickled back to Thanlon and Parbung in the district.
The villagers in these two sub-division headquarters, where the army recently launched a major operation to nab militants holed up there, informed the GOC, 57 Mountain Division, Maj. Gen. G.G. Dwivedi, during his trip to the remote areas yesterday that the displaced were coming back from Mizoram.
Nearly 1,000 Paite and Hmar villagers fled their homes following a standoff between two armed groups — the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) and the Hmar Peoples Convention (Democratic) — last month.
Both outfits accused one another of harassing the villagers and “forcing the exodus”.
Following requests from Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, who is the chairman of the unified command structure, the Red Shield Division of the army launched “Operation Dragnet” on January 20 to flush out the rebels.
Gen. Dwivedi claimed that on the third day of the operation, militants camping in Parbung and Thanlon, had been cleared from the areas. The army admitted that it lost two men, including a lieutenant colonel, and claimed to have killed nine UNLF militants.
The rebel group, however, claimed that more than eight army personnel were killed in the encounter during the first two days of the operation.
A military release quoting the GOC today said the operation to clear the entire area of improvised explosive devices was still on. So far 64 IEDs had been neutralised in the two areas. “These areas were cleared of militants who were holed up there for the past nine years with the successful completion of Operation Dragnet,” the statement said.
In Mizoram, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl, the state’s largest student organisation, arranged relief for the displaced.
Source: Telegraph
See also:
- Environmental Clearance of Tipaimukh Dam by MoEF (October 31st, 2008)
- Chakka bandh on Sep 18 against Tipaimukh dam (September 17th, 2008)
- 1 lakh Manipur villagers hit by bamboo flowering (September 2nd, 2008)
- Heavy security to be deployed on 99 km stretch of road to Tipaimukh dam (July 29th, 2008)
- Army launches Tipaimukh vigil (April 30th, 2008)