Anti-Junta body censured ZRO/ZRA in 2022
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 24 2023: As the state has been reeling under the shadow of a civil war-like situation after a tribal solidarity march on May 3 turned violent in Churachandpur district, a startling revelation has cropped up regarding the Zomi Revolutionary Organisation/Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRO/ZRA), an organisation, strongly suspected to be involved in the ethnic violence in Manipur.

ZRO/ZRA, one of the Kuki militant groups under Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement, has its wing in Myanmar as ZRO/ZRA (Eastern Command), which was declared as a terrorist organisation by Chinland Joint Defence Committee (CJDF) in April, 2022 following the former's involvement in attacking anti-Junta forces.

According to Burma News International's Myanmar Peace Monitor, the decision to announce ZRO/ZRA was taken in a meeting of CJDF held at Camp Victoria, the headquarters of Chin National Front (CNF) in April, 2022 .

Mention may be made that maximum of the so-called village defence volunteers as well as civilian protestors in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts openly sports badges and flags of ZRA on their uniforms and public events.

A popular YouTube media channel also had shown ZRA leaderships converting a popular school in Churachandpur district into a training camp for new recruits including young, seemingly underage persons, many of whom are reluctant to accept the fact that they would be going to the frontline.

ZRA is also accused by different sections of the public of carrying out heavy extortion from small time traders, contractors, transporters and general public, abduction of officials related with infrastructure projects for ransom, and cross border drug trades including large scale illegal poppy cultivation.

It also reportedly helped candidates of Mizo National Eront (MNF) in Mizoram in exchange for money and the militant group had accused MNF of making only partial payment for using its cadres in campaigning for MNF candidates.

ZRA is active in Manipur, Mizoram and Myanmar's Chin state, which borders Manipur and Mizoram.

Teddim district in Myanmar is a stronghold of ZRA.

Lately, Chin state of Myanmar is also becoming a hotspot of illegal poppy cultivation, which further spread into Manipur, mainly in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts among others.

ZRA entered into an unofficial ceasefire agreement with Assam Rifles in 2005, which was converted into an official Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement in 2008.CJDF spokesperson Ko Paw Lu told BNI-MPM that the decision was arrived at during the meeting as they have got valid evidence about the arrests and killings committed by the ZRA/ZRO (Eastern Command) in places where the CJDC members are active.

"We have got the sound evidence about the ZRA/ZRO's oppression, arrests and tortures of our members in cooperation with the terrorist military council.

We designated the ZRA/ZRO as a terrorist organization as it disrupted our activities in cooperation with the terrorist military council," the spokesperson said.

"We no longer view the ZRO/ZRA as our friend as we view it as an organization which cooperates with the terrorist military council and doesn't encourage the revolution, rather than disunity.

We are not in a position to cooperate.

The first point is it doesn't represent the public.

That organization doesn't win the public's support.

The second point is we designated it as a terrorist organization by reviewing its capitalization in cooperation with the terrorist military council we are defying," the spokesperson added.

In June 2022, ZRA (Eastern Command) abducted and beat two civil servants who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and one civilian in Kyeinpeekwat village in Tedim Township of Chin State.

ZRA (EC) members entered Kyeinpeekwat village, abducted a CDM male teacher, a CDM police member and the husband of a CDM female teacher near the Baptist cemetery outside the village.

They beat and interrogated the detainees for around three hours.

ZRA told them to leave the village before releasing them.

The ZRA (EC) claimed that it detained the three persons as they sent information about the activities of ZRA and disrupted the plan to open the schools by military council of the Junta.

ZRA (EC) also attacked and destroyed the camps of the Chinland Defense Forces (CDFs) in Chin State and of CDF-Hualngo based in Tedim Township.

ZRA also raided camps of Chin anti-Junta resistance groups near Tonzang in August and another CDF camp in September this year.

ZRA leaderships in Myanmar said that they cannot allow other armed organisations functioning in their area.

However, the militant group has no objection to headquarters and camps of the Military Junta and never had a conflict with them.

Even, the Military Junta is helping in setting up schools and other infrastructures in ZRA strongholds.

Despite this position of ZRA being a close ally of Myanmar's Military Junta, U Maung Maung, a member of National Unity Consultative Council, Myanmar, in an exclusive interview with a national media claimed that it is Myanmar's military coup which is supplying the arms and narcotics into India.

Though he did not take names of any militant group, circumstances surrounding the current crisis, contiguous landmass between Churachandpur and Chin State of Myanmar, where ZRA has a stronghold, as well as large scale illegal poppy cultivation in its areas of control and ZRA having good terms with Military Junta point fingers towards the militant organisation, which is often called as Border Guard Force (BGF) for India by anti-Junta forces.

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