Myanmar’s civilian National Unity Government (NUG) has asked India to investigate the killing of 10 Tamu District People’s Defense Team members near the Indian border.
The NUG statement on Tuesday said 10 resistance fighters were not killed in combat but were captured, tortured and executed by Battalion 1 of the Assam Rifles in Manipur State. It said the group reported its location near the border to the Indian authorities.
They went missing from their camp on May 14 and Assam Rifles handed their bodies to resistance forces on Friday, the civilian government said.
The Indian authorities coerced resistance leaders into signing a document acknowledging that the fighters entered Indian territory and launched an attack, which led to their deaths.
They were also reportedly forced to agree that they would never oppose the erection of any future border fence.
The Indian Army’s Eastern Command tweeted that the operation by the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force controlled by the Indian Army, on May 14 was based on intelligence about “armed cadres” in Chandel district.
The Indian government’s Press Information Bureau said: “A significant cache of weapons, including seven AK-47 rifles, one RPG launcher, one M4 rifle and four single-barrel breech-loading rifles, ammunition and other war-like stores were recovered.”
NUG’s foreign minister, Daw Zin Mar Aung, claimed that the resistance fighters were deliberately killed. “I can confirm that there was no fighting. They were not posing any threat to India’s security.
“It was an ugly incident for the Indian military and we are concerned that bilateral relations will be harmed. There is a need to uncover the truth and ensure justice in a manner that does not harm bilateral ties. We have discussed the matter with the Indian authorities, demanded justice and urged them to find the best solution.
“I hope India will cooperate,” she added.
The NUG urged India to take responsibility for the killing, compensate the victims’ families and ensure such incidents did not occur again. It called on New Delhi to suspend its border fence work while demarcation negotiations remained incomplete.
Daw Zin Mar Aung said tensions have risen in Tamu because of the border fencing. The NUG raised the issue last year but fence work continued with the Indian authorities citing the risk of cross-border crime, she said.
The NUG urged people on either side of the border not to respond to the deaths in a way that might damage bilateral relations.
