Aizawl | Seven boatmen have been detained by the Myanmar-based Arakan Army in connection with alleged violence and vandalism at a trading point in Khaikhy village of Mizoram’s Siaha district, sources said.

The incident occurred on September 14 at Khaikhy jetty, a key centre of informal trade between southern Mizoram and Myanmar’s Rakhine and southern Chin regions.

U Khaing Thukha, spokesperson for the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army, said the organisation’s Department of Law Enforcement and Public Security had identified Ko Zaw Naing Linn, 25, and six others as being responsible for instigating the violence.

The seven boatmen have been detained and censured, Thukha said. The ULA added that they would face legal action under laws enforced by the organisation.

According to Thukha, the incident began with an argument after the boatmen, who were allegedly under the influence of alcohol, objected to the handling of boats waiting at the jetty. They allegedly claimed that preference was being given to boats arriving from the Indian side.

The dispute later escalated, with Zaw Naing Linn allegedly gathering around 30 people who stormed the duty post of the Mara Thyutlia Py, a youth organisation operating in Siaha district. The group allegedly vandalised the post and attempted to set it on fire.

Following the incident, the Mara Thyutlia Py suspended trading activities with Myanmar’s Rakhine and southern Chin regions indefinitely.

Its general secretary, N Solomon Beihlotha, said the suspension came into force from 7 pm on Wednesday after the organisation’s Phura sub-headquarters conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the incident.

Khaikhy, located along the Salalui river on the Mizoram-Myanmar border, is an important centre for cross-border trade. More than 100 pickup trucks reportedly transport goods to Khaikhy daily, while a similar number of boats carry consignments along the Salalui towards Paletwa and other parts of southern Chin and Rakhine.

The suspension could affect supplies to parts of Rakhine and southern Chin, where connectivity with other parts of Myanmar has been severely disrupted since the military coup.

Southern Mizoram has emerged as an important supply route for essential commodities, including fuel, to the neighbouring regions.