Myanmar military forces have withdrawn from the Mansiang Bridge along a key route connecting Tedim to the Indian border town of Rihkhawdar in Chin State, but continue to block traffic along the surrounding highway, according to local sources.
Around 30 to 40 junta troops had been deployed at the bridge over the Manipur River for nearly three weeks.
The unit was initially stationed there to extract regime soldiers who had escaped from detention by the local resistance group People’s Defence Force-Zoland (PDF-Zoland).
While the troops recently pulled back to Tedim, regime forces maintain a strict blockade along the Tedim-Mansiang road section.
During their deployment, junta forces seized 26 commercial vehicles—including ten 12-wheel trucks, seven vans, and nine light cargo trucks—detaining them in Tedim under the pretext that the cargo lacked legal authorization.
“They didn’t arrest the drivers, but seized the vehicles,” a Tedim resident told Khonumthung News, adding that it remains unclear whether the regime plans to auction off the confiscated goods.
The ongoing road closure has severely disrupted trade and travel toward the Indian border, forcing transporters to navigate longer, condition-dependent alternative routes.
When bypasses through Tonzang and Laitui become impassable, traffic is diverted through Saizang and Kaptel villages.
The heavy influx of rerouted cargo trucks has overwhelmed local infrastructure in Saizang, where drivers have resorted to using village football fields as makeshift parking lots.
With the Zomi community’s traditional Khuado festival approaching, residents are urging drivers to park in an orderly manner to avoid damaging public grounds.