A visitor to the border said that in ThanTlang Township Tlanglo, Tlangpi, Lungding, Fungkah, Sihhmuh, Ruabuk, Bung Khua, Farrawn and Vanzang villages are selling 20 to 30 bottles of OB liquor depending on the population of the villages.

According to a report, Major WinThut, the army commander in Lungler Camp from Light Infantry Battalion (268) in ThanTlang Township, purchased the liquor from Hakha, the capital of Chin State, and ordered villagers to sell it for Kyat 7,000 a bottle.

OB alcohol has already been distributed to the villages as of March 20. All the sale proceeds will have to be given to the army camp in the month of April.

A visitor to the border told Khonumthung News, "We only agreed to sell it because we are afraid of them. But this is disrespecting the Christian religion. They want to fleece civilians of money."

Villagers in Chin state bordering Mizoram state in India are restricted from selling liquor in their villages, as most of them are Christians. But now the authorities are forcing them to sell it in their own villages.

The villagers are now arranging to buy all the liquor from the army camp and destroy it. They will try to get the cost of the liquor by collecting money in their villages and not sell it.

The main reason behind destroying the liquor is that they have only one choice and that is to sell it in Mizoram. They don't want to sell in their villages. But if they sell it to Mizoram there will be uncalled for problems between Chins and Mizos as liquor is prohibited in Mizoram.

In the last some years also the army ordered selling OB liquor to border villagers and some villagers went to Mizoram to sell it. But the Young Mizo Association and Mizoram authorities arrested, jailed and fined them. – KNG.