Aizawl: Volunteers of the Young Lai Association (YLA) in Lawngtlai’s AOC Veng locality seized 10 trucks in the early hours of Tuesday over suspicion that the vehicles were being prepared for smuggling to Myanmar, central YLA leaders said.The trucks, which did not yet have registration numbers, were intercepted by the volunteers and handed over to enforcement officials from the office of the Lawngtlai district transport officer.The vehicles were reportedly purchased from Zothan Auto Works in Aizawl and brought to Lawngtlai for registration using documents belonging to bona fide residents of the district. They were allegedly intended to be smuggled to Myanmar’s southern Chin and Rakhine states, where new vehicles fetch higher prices.The seizure followed a meeting of district administration officials and stakeholders chaired by deputy commissioner Donny Lalruatsanga, who directed authorities to maintain strict vigil amid reports of rampant vehicle theft and the buy of brand-new Indian vehicles for illegal export to Myanmar.The YLA is the principal civil society organisation in Lawngtlai district, which borders both Myanmar and Bangladesh.In an order issued on Sept 23, Lalruatsanga, in his capacity as district magistrate, prohibited the illegal export to Myanmar of stolen vehicles and brand-new vehicles manufactured in India.The order followed a Sept 21 meeting of officials and civil society organisations on illegal cross-border trade and the transportation of goods. Lalruatsanga called for close scrutiny of vehicles being purchased or operated in the names of non-Indian citizens, as well as cases involving stolen vehicles and the illegal sale or transfer of vehicles.He stressed the need for strict enforcement of laws and administrative orders given Lawngtlai’s international border and the reported illegal export of stolen and new vehicles to Myanmar.Civil society organisations have also begun checking whether foreigners and refugees are renting homes in the district. Police have continued inspecting hotels and homestays to verify whether unidentified foreigners are being accommodated without proper registration.The measures were reviewed at a law-and-order meeting held on Oct 6. The meeting was informed that civil society volunteers had been searching for foreigners and refugees renting homes in the district following restrictions imposed under a prohibitory order issued by the district magistrate on Sept 3.Participants expressed concern that an unregulated influx of foreigners and refugees, particularly from Myanmar, could threaten the security of permanent residents and trigger serious law-and-order problems in the district.
