Zo Center Launches Appeal For A Mis

[maung@xxxxxxxxxxx]

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   Please help us find two members of the Chin National
         Front, who disappear in Indian custody.
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The Indian government intelligent service, SIB, invited the Chin
National Front (CNF) for a meeting at their outpost at the village
of Parva, which lies at the southern tip of Mizoram State.  On
March 31, 1995, Sang Hlun accompanied by two CNF officers Mr. Kung
Ling and Mr. Thawng Mang went to the SIB office in Parva.  After a
short conversation the Indian authorities told them to come back
the next day.  However, the Border Security Forces (BSF) arrested
them in the evening.  The next day the BSF over them to the Assam
Rifles, who picked them up from Parva. The whereabouts of Sang
Hlun, Kung Ling, and Thawng Mang was not known by the relatives and
friends until April 25, 1995, when a friendly Zo soldier  informed
the relatives that the Indian Army (Assam Rifles) had a dead body,
at the Aizawl hospital morgue.  The soldier informed also that the
Indian Army was planning to bury the body in secrecy. The Assam
Rifles had dug a big hole in their compound and explained that they
were going to bury a cow. That was how the friendly soldiers found
out how the body was to be buried.  When the relatives including
Sang Hlun's sister went to the hospital and although they were
shown only the lower part of the body they could, with no doubt,
identified the body as belonging to Sang Hlun.  Sang Hlun's mother
had come to Mizoram on hearing that her son had been taken away by
the Indian authorities and his whereabouts was not known.   What a
shock to see her son's body!  She had not seen him since he joined
the CNF in 1988.

They learned from the hospital workers that Sang Hlun died on April
23, 1995 and an autopsy was done on his body on April 24.  When the
people went back to the hospital the next day the hospital was
guarded by army personnel.  At first they were not allowed to see
the body but after pleading with the soldiers the relatives were
allowed to see the body.  They were instructed  to look only from a
distance, but they went and looked at the body closely. They were
told that Sang Hlun had died of malaria.  When the relatives of
Sang Hlun insisted on knowing the cause of Sang Hlun's death,
because he was very healthy before he was taken away, some soldiers
gave the account of how he died.

Sang Hlun, Kung Ling and Thawng Mang were kept in the army barracks
in Aizawl and they were allowed to talk freely with anybody in the
barracks.  They were questioned often by the authorities.  Sang
Hlun was very communicable and the soldiers liked talking to him as
he knew a lot of things.

On  April 23, dinner was served at 6 O'clock in the evening.  The
dinner was curried mutton. After a few bites Sang Hlun complained
of stomach pain. So he asked for salt and said: " If I swallow salt
I'll throw up all the poison, please give me salt."  But the Assam
Rifles refused to give him salt and instead they took him to the
hospital where he died at 8:30.

After the relatives pleaded with the Indian authorities, by
applying to the Mizoram government, they were allowed to take the
body for burial. They could see that there was no evidence of
physical harm.  The only strange thing they noticed was all the tip
of his fingers were darkened. When Sang Hlun's sister asked for the
belongings of her brother, the Assam Rifles returned his bagpack,
however, a note book and diary Sang Hlun kept constantly, were not
among his belongings.

After the relatives went to court the hospital released the autopsy
report, which stated the cause of death as cerebral malaria.

Born in Farrawn, Thlantlang District, Chin State, 38 year old Sang
Hlun was a graduate of the University of Rangoon. Sang Hlun fled to
India in 1988 from Rangoon to escape the brutal crack down of
participants of the 1988 pro-democracy movement. He immediately
joined the Chin National Front and was elected vice-president of
the CNF.  He served until 1992 in that function.  At the time of
his death he was in-charge of the justice department (Chief
Justice)  of the CNF and commander the CNF northern command.

The Indian authorities were supportive of the CNF in the beginning
of the CNF formation.  However, the relationship soured when the
CNF crossed the Nagaland when they went to military training in
Kachinland at the invitation of the Kachin Independence
Organization.   They received financial help from the Naga under
Mauva in 1991.  Since then the Indian authorities were accusing the
CNF of keeping contact with the Naga independence movement
especially the National Socialist Council of Nagaland(NSCN).  They
were also accused of guiding Naga arms carriers. The Naga acquired
their guns and ammunition  from Pakistan and embarked in Bangladesh
from where they transported the arms through the Chin Hills to
Manipur and from there to Nagaland.  Although the CNF denied the
charge, the CNF leaders  were arrested whenever they  enter into
Indian territory. There were small incidents of armed clashes
between the CNF and Indian forces resulting in a few casualties.

The Naga knew the road between Bangladesh and Manipur and they did
not need guides. They had been using these road for many years.
Most of the time the Burma Army let the Naga passed through the
Chin Hills without interference. Since the Indian government and
the SLORC signed border trade agreements, the SLORC attacked Naga
convoys. Lately the Indian forces and SLORC army joined hands in
their operation against a Naga convoy. The Indian Army sent the
Assam Rifles from Silchar through Mizoram to Saiha and entered the
Chin State.  India called the operation "Operation Black Duck" and
the Indian authorities sent the specially trained  "Black Cat
Commandos" to the Chin Hills with the Assam Rifles.

The combined forces of the Burma Army and the Indian Assam Rifles
attacked a Naga arms convoy at the village of Hriphei and Hlamphei
and inflicted heavy casualties on the Naga, over 30 Naga were
killed and over 50 were wounded. The Burma Army burned down the two
villages.

The case of Sang Hlun was most likely due to the above mentioned
incident. This is the first time a high ranking CNF officer died in
the custody of the Indian authorities. The whereabouts of Thawng
Mang and Kung Ling is still a mystery. The relatives of both of
them believe, however, that the stench coming from the Assam
Rifle's barracks, where the two persons were kept, to have come
from the body of Thawng Mang. They believed that the big hole which
was dug at the Assam Rifles must have been dug for them. Sang Hlun,
Thawng Mang, and Kung Ling  were having the same dinner on April
23, 1995.

The whereabouts of Thawng Mang and Kung Ling is known to Indian
authorities. We appeal to you to help us find them.

For questions and answers to this matter, please contact Dr.Vum Son
at

	Z O    C E N T E R
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