Image for representational purposes only. India and Myanmar share an unfenced border and the Assam Rifles is the border guard. | Photo credit: AFP
A 58-year-old citizen of the Slovak Republic was detained by the Assam Rifles along the Mizoram border on March 24 when he was allegedly trying to cross into Myanmar to meet a friend, a government official said. He was handed over to Mizoram police.
The Slovak, who lives in Thailand, traveled from Bangkok to Calcutta and then on to Aizawl, as suggested by his friend, a citizen of Myanmar, whom he met at a resort in Thailand where he worked a few years ago.
“It was his first visit to India. On the advice of his friend, he flew from Kolkata to Aizawl and then traveled by taxi to Lungpuk village (in southern Mizoram). He planned to cross the border where his friend was to pick him up,” the official said.
He told officials he was going to his friend’s place on Ramree Island in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to celebrate the Thingyan festival, which begins on April 13 and marks the Myanmar New Year.
‘He didn’t have permission’
Mizoram Director General of Police Sharad Agarwal told The Hindu that verification of Slovak’s antecedents is underway and he has not been arrested yet.
Another government official said the foreigner was likely to be deported, noting that he was not carrying a Protected Area Permit (PAP). Nothing suspicious was found on him, the official added.
On 17 December 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) abolished the Liberal Protected Area (PAR) regime in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram, which allowed foreigners to visit these states without any prior permission or PAP for tourism or other purposes. The PAR exemption, which has been in place since 1958, has been revoked in all three states after 14 years of relaxation. The MHA said the matter was investigated “in the backdrop of growing security concerns in the border areas of these states”.
India and Myanmar share an unfenced border and the Assam Rifles is the border guard.
The Slovakian’s detention comes close to the recent arrests of an American citizen and six Ukrainian nationals who allegedly crossed illegally into Myanmar via Mizoram to train armed ethnic groups in the handling of weapons and drones. The accused are currently in the custody of the National Investigation Agency and are said to have imported drones from Europe to Myanmar via India for use by ethnic armed groups there.
Published – 26 March 2026 23:51 IST
