Yangon (Chindwin): Zomi Revolution Army (ZRA) reportedly takes away three people from a village at north of Chin state, beating them and torturing them before being allowed to be picked up by villagers on 19 June. The victims are the ones who joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) as part of the anti-junta movement, refusing to work at school and police force.
Two teachers from High School and one police officer – all joined CDM from Cingpi village, were beaten, handcuffed and taken away by 12 members of ZRA at 3:30 pm on 19 June, according to Zalen media.
Cingpi village is located around 15 miles distant from Tedim town in north of Chin state.
The victims were held outside of the village for more than three hours – during which period the victims were reported to have been badly beaten, kicked, and tortured. It was so bad that they could not sit on the motorbikes by themselves, and villagers had to bring them home.
ZRA told the victims that they would take their mobile phones rather than killing them, a local told Zalen media.
Local reported that ZRA force opened fire seven times before entering the village, threatened the two teachers, and blamed them for not being able to open the high school in the village.
The ZRA storming the village came following a recent consultative meeting at the villager organized by the principal of the village High School, in which the principal told villagers that she could not open the school due to many teachers joining CDM.
ZRA threatened to kill them if they did not move out of the village by 25 June, so one teacher had already moved out of the village upon returning to the village with full wounds of beating and punches.
Zomi Political Coordination Committee issued a statement on 30 May confirming that the ZRA supports reopening schools in areas controlled by ZRA.
The ZRA supporting the opening of schools and threatening the Civil Disobedience Movement is against dozens of other Chin resistance forces supporting CDM and discouraging people from having education under junta military rule.