Pung Mong-Lai, deputy head of the Chin National Front (CNF) Liaison Office at Matupi Township, which was opened under an agreement with the government, had an arrest warrant against him issued by local police on 1st October.
Salai Ro-Kong, a senior clerk at the CNF Liaison Office said: “Yesterday morning (2nd October) police officers came looking for Pu Mong-Lai, mainly to tell him that an arrest warrant had been issued in his name.”
He is accused of being involved in the shooting of major San Aung, the commanding officer of the tactical unit of the Chin National Army (CNA), during a football match held in Matupi during 2004 or 2005. An arrest warrant has also been issued for Nine Pan-Loung for involvement in the case.
The head of CNF’s Liaison Office, Pu-Htern-Yung said: “We tried to contact Col. Zaw Min Oo, the State Border Security Minister, but he is in Naypyidaw so he told us to contact the state prime minister directly.
Col. Zaw Min Oo said that he had wanted to immediately meet with the township head of police but he was not given a meeting. Arrest warrants have also been issued for the people who were involved in the visit of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to Matupi in 2003, those who lost army weapons and army deserters.
Pu Paul Smith, the First General Secretary of the CNF said: “They should not file these cases against members of the CNF that they individually pick out. If this carries on we may need to review the peace process.”
Agreement No.12 of the first Union Level Peace Agreement between the government and CNF made in May 2012 stated that the Union-Level Peace Work Committee would legally remove all names of CNF members from the blacklist. Also after signing union level agreements with the CNF CNA members and government soldiers would be exempted from standing trial.
“If the situation remains tense like this the peace process between the CNF and the government will be discredited and will be broken” said a respected person from Matupi Township.
The Chin Ceasefire Monitoring Team sent a letter to the state government outlining their concerns in regard to the arrest warrant issued against Pu Mong-Lai.
Previously, on 29th August 2014, inhabitants of Kon-Pyin Village in Paletwa Township were arrested, tortured and accused of being in contact with the CNA by the commanding officer and soldiers from LIB 344 Battalion based in Chinlatwa. As a result six villagers ran away to the Mizoram border.
