A vehicle owners’ association in Mizoram’s Siaha district has signed an MoU with Myanmar’s United League of Arakan and the Arakan Army to coordinate informal cross-border trade, standardise transport rates and keep two border gates open until 8pm each day.
Representatives of the Siaha district unit of the Mizoram Commercial Vehicles Owners Association signed the agreement with ULA/AA representatives at the Press Club in Siaha town on Thursday, according to sources cited by the Times of India. The arrangement covers trade along the southern section of the Mizoram-Myanmar border, where vehicles and boats are used to move goods across the border river Lopu.
The agreement seeks to address misunderstandings and other obstacles in the border areas through coordination and dialogue. The two sides also discussed fixing uniform and reasonable hiring rates for vehicles and boats operating around Ralie and Salachhuah, two Myanmar villages separated from Mizoram by the river.
Under the understanding, the gates at Ralie and Salachhuah will remain open until 8pm every day. The extended operating hours are linked to the functioning of informal trade routes that serve communities on both sides of the border. The report did not specify whether the arrangement changes any formal government border-control or customs procedures.
MCVOA leaders told the ULA/AA representatives that they should deal with traders from Siaha district, saying this would be safer and more beneficial. The association’s Siaha district unit is led by K Hmangaihliana, who presided over the meeting at which the MoU was signed.
The agreement follows a disruption in trade at informal border points. The Mara Thyutlia Py, described as the largest civil society organisation in Siaha district, imposed an indefinite embargo from 7pm on September 16 after a dispute between Myanmar traders and MTP volunteers at Khaikhy village. The embargo was lifted at 4pm on September 24 after talks between MTP leaders and ULA/AA.
The earlier talks involved an MTP delegation led by president S Vabeihasa and vice-president FC Khihnia. ULA/AA was represented by Border Relations Officer Chonai and County Administrator Nan Zing, according to the organisation. The latest MoU places vehicle operators at the centre of efforts to reduce disputes and organise movement along the informal trade route.
The border arrangement has significance beyond transport pricing. Southern Mizoram is a major source of essential commodities, including fuel, for Myanmar’s Rakhine and southern Chin states. Those areas have been cut off from other parts of Myanmar since the military coup, making the reliability of local cross-border supply routes an important operational issue for communities dependent on them.
The MoU was signed by a local vehicle owners’ body and ULA/AA, which operates in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and southern Chin State. The report did not indicate whether the agreement has been formally endorsed by the Mizoram or Myanmar governments. For now, the stated next steps are daily gate operations until 8pm, coordination over vehicle and boat rates, and continued dialogue to address disputes affecting informal trade.
