Flag of the Zomi Revolutionary Army
The Zomi Revolutionary Army (Burmese language: ဇိုမီး လွတ်လပ်ရေး တပ်မတော်), formed in April 1993 at Phapian (Kachin State), Burma,[1] is the armed wing of the Zomi Revolutionary Organisation (ZRO). Pu K Guite, a Zomi leader from Karbi Anglong (Mikir Hills of Assam), is the founder president of the organisation.It is one of the most powerful group operation in Manipur.
Leadership[]
ZRA possesses three main leadership positions: president, general secretary, and information and publicity secretary.[2]
- President – Thanglianpau Guite
- General secretary – D. Kamsuanthang
- Information and publicity secretary – Jimmy Suanpu
Objective[]
The ZRA is a nationalist/separatist group dedicated to the defence of Zomis and the reunification of ethnic Zomi people in Burma (Chin State), Bangladesh (Chittagong Hill Tracts), and northeast India (Manipur and Mizoram). It aims to unite all Zomi people under one governing unit, known as a Zogam, meaning "land of the Zomi" under the Indian Union.[3][4]
Areas of operation[]
The ZRA mainly conducts operations in Paite-dominated areas of Churachandpur in Manipur state, particularly the Singnat subdivision near Myanmar. ZRA also conducted operations in the bordering regions in Mizoram and Manipur in the past.[3]
Funding[]
The ZRA funds itself mainly through extortion and collection of "protection fees" from civilians who live in their areas of operations. In exchange for this fee, ZRA militants protect travellers from being shot at, kidnapped, or robbed by rival other groups. In June 2004, ZRA militants alleged that the Mizo National Front (MNF) government in Mizoram only partially paid the group for campaigning for its candidates in Champhai. Opposition leader Lal Thanhawla alleged that the MNF owed ZRA payment for these services, and since MNF failed to pay, ZRA would begin collecting fees from residents of Mizoram.[2]
Links to other ethnic armed groups[]
The ZRA maintains ties mainly to two other groups: Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah, Furthermore, ZRA reached a memorandum of understanding with the Kuki Liberation Organisation promising "full cooperation in all spheres with the objective of strengthening the blood ties among the Kuki-Chin-Mizo-Zomi people".[3] ZRA also ended its conflict with the Hmar People's Convention-Democracy, reaching an agreement to work closely in the spirit of mutual understanding and co-operation for the welfare of the people and for achieving their shared objectives".[2]
Previous incidents[]
On 9 June 2005, ZRA cadres ambushed a truck in Churachandpur carrying Zomi Revolutionary Front (ZRF) militants, killing three ZRF men and one civilian; this attack occurred as retaliation for ZRF defection from ZRA.[5]
On 20 September 2005, ZRA militants clashed with Zomi Revolutionary Front forces, killing six men; one ZRA activist was also injured.[6]
On 20 August 2006, The Indian Army killed two civilians and injured four others when they opened fire towards a party of Churchgoers at Vengnuam in the Churachandpur district which is the ZRA's stronghold on the wrong pretext that ZRA members were present.[7]
On 15 January 2010, two ZRA militants died in a clash with members of the Revolutionary People's Front (RPF), the armed wing of the People's Liberation Army in interior Manipur.[8]
References[]
- ↑ "Formation, ZOMI, Zogam Organisation, Formation". Zogam.org. http://zogam.org/organisation.asp?article=organisation_32. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Fact Sheet for Zomi Revolutionary Organisation - Silobreaker". Silobreaker.com. http://www.silobreaker.com/fact-sheet-for-zomi-revolutionary-organisation-5_2262191526366937088_4?DrillDownItems=11_305457. Retrieved 12 October 2014. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "silobreaker" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Zomi Revolutionary Organisation/ Zomi Revolutionary Army , Manipur, India, South Asia Terrorism Portal". Satp.org. http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/manipur/terrorist_outfits/ZRA.htm. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "START - Terrorist Organization Profile". Start.umd.edu. http://www.start.umd.edu/start/data/tops/terrorist_organization_profile.asp?id=3696. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ [1][dead link]
- ↑ "BBC News - South Asia - ambush kills nine Indian soldiers". News.bbc.co.uk. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4263152.stm. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "CZC flays CCpur Church attack : 29th aug06 ~ E-Pao! Headlines". E-pao.net. http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=9..290806.aug06. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ↑ "news.outlookindia.com - Two militants killed in Manipur". News.outlookindia.com. http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?672869. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
External links[]
- National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism
- South Asia Terrorism Portal
- Zomi Re-Unification Organisation
- List of Indian Liberation movements
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The original article can be found at Zomi Revolutionary Army and the edit history here.