Mizoram Chief Minister’s Enigmatic Claim On Ukraine War Veterans – OpEd

Mizoram Chief Minister Pu Lalduhoma recently caused a flutter of sorts by claiming that Western war veterans who have fought in Ukraine may be using his state to reach conflict zones in Myanmar. That the Chief minister made the statement in the Mizoram state assembly on record and that he is a former IPS officer with decent knowledge of security issues makes the statement all the more significant . 

“We have specific intelligence that the Ukraine war veterans travelled to Myanmar’s Chin State via Mizoram to train rebel outfits fighting the military junta,” he told the 40-member Assembly on March 10.  Lalduhoma pointed to a rise in the number of foreign visitors to Mizoram, including those from the U.K. and the U.S., that, he said, raises concerns about the security in Mizoram and the region beyond. “Our State recorded some 2,000 Western visitors between June and December last year (2024), yet we hardly see foreign tourists on the streets of Aizawl,” he said.

He cited the case of British national Daniel Newey, who was arrested at the Lengpui Airport on June 19, 2024, for carrying live ammunition. He also pointed to the recent unannounced visit to Aizawl by the U.S. Ambassador to India — something that may raise heckles after Ambassdor Eric Garcetti’s recent offer to “help Manipur” which upset politicians in both ruling and Opposition parties.

Lalduhoma may have differences with the Centre on its plans to fence the India-Myanmar border or Delhi may be wary of his open and proactive role in uniting Chin rebel groups which may upset the Burmese military junta. But it seems unlikely that the Chief Minister would go on record claiming “specific intelligence” about Western mercenaries using his state as a passage to enter Myanmar without keeping Delhi informed.  That such “specific intelligence” can only come from central intelligence agencies also raises the possibility that the Modi government would have already briefed the Chief Minister about the development .

In fact, the Chief Minister may have statistics of foreigners entering Mizoram on the basis of PAP permits issued but he can only say with certainty that these foreigners have not left India only when he has been provided with such details by the Centre on the basis of immigration records.

Lalduhoma Chin “Mission” 

The Chins are ethnic cousins of Mizos and Lalduhoma has openly expressed his sympathies for the Chins. Under his stewardship, the representatives of the Chinland Council (CC) and the Interim Chin National Consultative Council (ICNCC) had signed the agreement in Mizoram’s capital city Aizawl on February 26. As per the agreement, both these factions would come under the newly-formed Chin National Council. 

The armed forces of both factions, the Chinland Council’s Chin National Army (CNA) and the ICNCC’s Chin Brotherhood, are working out the details on building a unified Chin resistance force to fight the Burmese military regime.

Chief minister Lalduhoma was present when the agreement was concluded on Feb 26 in Aizawl. The Advocacy Group for Peace, formed under his direction, has been entrusted with overseeing the unification of the two Chin forces in the newly established political organisation.

Lalduhoma even posed for photographs with Chin rebel leaders, causing much disquiet in the Indian external affairs ministry. One senior MEA official reminded the media that foreign policy is the preserve of the Centre. The agreement was arrived at after “a week-long long discussion” with the two groups in Aizawl.

When asked later about his presence in the meeting, Lalduhoma told the media,”It is my mission.”  It is also learnt Rajya Sabha member from Mizoram, K. Vanlalvena, also visited some camps of the “rebel groups” in Chin state recently by crossing the international border. 

In September 2024, speaking to Chin people during a visit to the United States of America, Lalduhoma had called for friendships between the Chin and Arakanese communities including the ethnic armed group Arakan Army (AA). 

Lalduhoma’s predecessor Zoramthanga used to maintain strong links with both Chin and Arakanese rebel groups, to the extent of once having helped former State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi secure the release of one of her NLD party MPs from the captivity of the Arakan Army guerrillas. But Zoramthanga spent 20 years in the underground as a rebel leader, operating out of bases in both Myanmar and Bangladesh — so his underground contacts across the border should surprise none.

Lalduhoma was a 1977 ba6ch Indian Police Service officer, where he served in then PM Indira Gandhi’s security detail, before he joined politics. He may have been drawn to a role in the Chin rebel movement to score brownie points with his own Mizo electorate. 

Fallout of Lalduhoma’s actions

While the Burmese military junta is not likely to take kindly to Lalduhoma’s role in uniting Chin rebel groups, his statement on Western mercenaries using Mizoram to enter Myanmar will upset both the US and UK, as well as the Burmese military junta and their Chinese patrons. 

The Western powers will surely be upset with the Chief Minister’s disclosure of a possible covert operation, as it is unlikely that mercenaries from their country would be entering Myanmar to train and direct resistance groups without clearance and some support  from their governments and their deep states.

The Burmese military junta and their Chinese patrons would be equally upset with the safe passage for such mercenaries and are likely to see India as complicit in the Western game of bolstering anti-junta resistance forces in Myanmar. 

Western think tanks estimate the presence of about 13,000 mercenaries in Ukraine  (a conservative estimate based on both Russian and Ukrainian claims). Many are driven by an ideological hatred of Putin and his administration, as well as the money. Although there are some mercenaries in the Ukrainian forces who only joined for the money. The Ukrainians pay US$600 to US$3,300 per month depending on specific combat role, and the Russians about $1200 per month, it has been reported. 

The same may be true about Western mercenaries entering Myanmar, but they would surely need a support network for entry. Since Myanmar’s ethnic rebel groups may not have the financial resources of Ukraine or Russia, the mercenaries may be enjoying fundong by deep state front groups. It is no secret the Western powers want the Burmese military junta defeated on ground and would not mind professional fighters going to Myanmar to boost the resistance.  

The Chinese are desperate to boost the military junta and protect their considerable investments in Myanmar. Which is why they have pushed the junta to enact a new law, the Private Security Services Law, that allows for deployment of personnel of Chinese security companies in Myanmar. 

With so much at stake for both China and the West, India needs to tread carefully in Myanmar. Its official policy is non-interference and to back a dialogue for peaceful resolution of the spiralling conflict and that calls for much delicate balancing.