Siaha vehicle owners sign border-trade MoU with Myanmar's Arakan Army

The Siaha district unit of the Mizoram Commercial Vehicles Owners Association (MCVOA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the United League of Arakan (ULA) and its armed wing, the Arakan Army (AA), to smooth the informal cross-border trade along Mizoram's southern border with Myanmar.

According to The Times of India, the MoU was signed on Thursday at the Press Club in Siaha town by office-bearers of the MCVOA's Siaha unit and representatives of the ULA/AA. The meeting was chaired by K Hmangaihliana, president of the association's Siaha district unit.

What the two sides agreed

The agreement aims to improve cooperation in the trade that runs across the Lopu river, which forms the border at this point, and to sort out misunderstandings and other problems in the border areas through coordination and dialogue.

The two sides discussed fixing uniform and reasonable rates for hiring vehicles and boats, especially at Ralie and Salachhuah, two villages on the Myanmar side. They also agreed that the gates at Ralie and Salachhuah would stay open until 8 pm every day.

MCVOA leaders told the ULA/AA representatives that they should deal with traders from Siaha district, arguing that this would be more beneficial and safer for both sides.

Who the Arakan Army is

The ULA/AA is the largest armed group in Myanmar's Rakhine State and is fighting for greater autonomy for the region. It controls territory in Rakhine and in southern Chin State, the areas that border southern Mizoram.

Since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, Rakhine and southern Chin have been largely cut off from the rest of the country. Southern Mizoram has become a key source of essential goods, including fuel, for people living there, and much of that supply moves through informal trade points such as those along the Lopu.

After September's embargo

The MoU comes weeks after a dispute shut that trade down. The Mara Thyutlia Py (MTP), the largest civil society organisation in Siaha district, imposed an indefinite embargo on trade at the informal border points with southern Chin and Rakhine from 7 pm on September 16, two days after a clash between traders from Myanmar and MTP volunteers at Khaikhy village.

The embargo was lifted at 4 pm on September 24, after MTP leaders, led by president S Vabeihasa and vice-president FC Khihnia, held talks with ULA/AA representatives at the MTP headquarters in Siaha.

Why it matters

The trade through these crossings is informal, so day-to-day rules on rates, timings and who may trade are often settled between local bodies on both sides. The new agreement is an attempt by Mizoram's transport operators to put those arrangements on a steadier footing and avoid a repeat of the September flare-up.

There was no immediate comment from the Mizoram government on the agreement.