The Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and its political wing, the Chin National Organisation (CNO), based in Falam Township, Chin State, announced on March 24 that they have no involvement in, support for, or profit from any form of drug production or trafficking. The CNO/CNDF statement also asserted that it has no ties to any drug trafficking rings in India or elsewhere.
An article by the Indian news outlet The Quint on March 21 alleged that the CNDF’s operations were financed through drug trafficking. The CNO/CNDF dismissed the claim as baseless and irresponsible.
The article highlighted four main points: first, that the CNDF is allegedly seeking funding for its armed resistance through drug trafficking; second, that senior CNDF leader Salai Peter Thang is running a drug empire; third, that India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) this month arrested an American citizen and six Ukrainians who crossed the Indian border into Myanmar and allegedly provided military training and drone technologies to the CNDF using drug trafficking routes; and fourth, that some US-based churches are reportedly funding the CNDF’s activities.
The CNO/CNDF categorically denied any personal, professional, or indirect connections with the foreigners recently arrested by the NIA, stating that it has neither contacted, met, nor seen them. It further asserted that linking its name to the case was a fabrication intended to mislead the public, and clarified that it operates based on political integrity and humanitarian principles, focusing on the self-determination, security, and governance of the Chin people.
It also strongly rejected allegations of receiving support from foreign missionaries or having any involvement in illegal border-crossing activities.
Citing journalistic ethics and the need for truth and accuracy, the CNO/CNDF demanded that The Quint promptly remove the false allegations and issue an official correction.
The CNO/CNDF warned that if these defamatory allegations are not addressed and corrected, further necessary action will be taken, without elaborating further.
