BJP Leader Yumsem Matey Assassinated near India-Myanmar Border: Suspected NSCN (KYA) Involvement
New Delhi, 17th December 2023: Former Arunachal Pradesh legislator and BJP leader Yumsem Matey, who recently announced his candidacy for the upcoming April/May assembly polls in the easternmost hill state, met a tragic end on Saturday. He was abducted and fatally shot near the India-Myanmar border by suspected militants belonging to NSCN (Khaplang Yung Aung).
The 54-year-old Matey was taken from a social function in Raho village of Lazu circle in Tirap district around 2 pm, as per security sources. Reports suggest that he was transported to the international border and shot at close range.
Matey, a former Congress MLA for Khonsa West from 2009 to 2014, joined the BJP in 2015. Despite losing the 2019 elections, he recently declared his intention to contest again from Khonsa West in next year’s polls. Arunachal Pradesh’s three southern districts—Tirap, Changlang, and Longding—share the border with Myanmar and fall under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). The Tirap-Changlang-Longding region, known for its challenging terrain, has witnessed 183 out of 239 insurgency-related fatalities in Arunachal since March 2000.
The region remains active with the presence of NSCN (KYA) and Ulfa-I. In 2019, NSCN (IM) orchestrated a fatal ambush, claiming the life of MLA Tirong Aboh and 10 others, including his 10-year-old son, in Tirap district. The attack occurred just days before the announcement of the assembly election results, in which Aboh of the National People’s Party had emerged victorious.
The subsequent investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into Aboh’s assassination revealed his opposition to extortion by NSCN (IM) in Tirap as the motive behind the heinous act.
