Aizawl, June 23: The Manipur insurgent group Zomi Re-unification (also called Revolutionary) Organization/Army said there had been a split in their organization and that the smaller faction has been the cause of the trouble in the state.

According to a press release issued recently by the ZRA, the faction led by Zothon had been acting like a gang of miscreants and had caused the trouble at Ngur village where a class X student had been threatened with his life.

"The ZRA regrets the bad news about our organization coming out in the local papers because of politics.

We would re-affirm that our leaders are of the Zomi Re-unification Organization and we are just the armed wing which takes orders from the parent body.

The ZRA has no intention of causing any hardships to the people of Mizoram and our only aim is to unify the peoples of Zo origins," the press release said.

Explaining how the ZRO/ZRA name came to be embroiled in threats and other unwanted activities, the release said the faction led by Zothona resides in Champhai renting a house there and it is from here that members of this faction engage in illegal activities.

It further explained that with the arrest of eight of the members, the rented house which is used as an office by this faction has remained shuttered.

The ZRA said this faction led by Zothona is nothing but a gang of hoodlums engaged in smuggling and other illegal activities.

"Appropriate action will be taken against those who sully our name or engages in illegal activities in our name," the press release warned.

The press release, which also denied collecting monthly donations or otherwise from families inside Mizoram, was signed by T.Romeo, 201 Bn Commanding Officer, ZRA, Mizoram.

There was some confusion to the name Zomi Re-unification Organization and Zomi Revolutionary Organization when the press release came out.

According a journalist who had knowledge of this insurgent group, they are known as Zomi Revolutionary Organization in Manipur and had assumed the tag "Re-unification" only in Mizoram to gain sympathy from the people of Mizoram.

There is a Zomi Re-unification Organization based in Mizoram which seeks to unite people of Zo origin scattered in Assam, Tripura, Manipur, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

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