Teyvada Crossing Incident
 | This article is incomplete because it is pending further input from participants, or it is a work-in-progress by one author. Please comment on this article's talk page to share your input, comments and questions. Note: To contribute to this article, you may need to seek help from the author(s) of this page. |
| Teyvada Crossing Incident | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Terjasa Conflict | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
|
 Lavana | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
 Iä Kau Hai |
Oke Vorachith | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
est. 400 |
550 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 86 killed or wounded |
14 killed 30 wounded | ||||||||
|
8 civilians killed | |||||||||
The Teyvada Crossing Incident was a border incursion and later battle between paramilitary forces in support of the Union government of Zomia, and the People's Republic of Lavana, taking place in the border province of Terjasa, on the Lavanan side of the Teyvada River. Zomi paramilitaries were present on Lavanan territory from the 2nd to the 6th of February 1971, when they were routed decisively by Army and National Defence Units.
Following unsuccessful border negotiations and growing tensions between Zomia and its neighbor Lavana, Zomia sought to aid Ukilen nationalist and anti-communist groups in the Lavanan province of Terjasa. Such support, combined with repressive Anti-Ukilen laws in Lavana, resulted in an Ukilen uprising on the 15th of January. The Lavanan Army's limited response to the uprising encouraged soldiers of the Union-aligned Hsan Salvation Front to cross the border and loot abandoned Ukilen villages, soon joined by a patrol group of the Trucial Rangers. Lavana reacted more swiftly than expected against this perceived Zomi aggression, expelling the incursion within days.
Background
In the years prior to the incident, the Peoples' Republic and the former Zomi Confederal State had failed to negotiate border adjustments over perceived inconsistencies in historical and ethnic boundaries, resulting from the Partition of Estmerish Southeast Coius in 1941. Although Lavana was a majority Kachai country, significant Ukilen and Veneran minorities existed in the western border provinces: historically this region had been heavily contested between steppe invaders, the valley-states of modern day Zomia, and the empires of modern Lavana and Dezevau. Although the Republic of Lavana had granted various rights to its minority groups, the victory of the Lavanan Section of the Workers International over the Republic in 1960, and the establishment of a People's Republic in Lavana, undid much of the progress these marginalised groups had made towards recognition. Since 1968 the Lavanan government had sought to dismantle the autonomy and cultural identity of its Ukilen minority, introducing a series of laws restricting the use of Ukilen language and symbols in education and regional government, and favouring Kachai speakers for state employment. Resultant ethnic and nationalist tensions led to the January Uprising of 1971 in Terjasa province, destabilising the borders of Lavana and the newly established Union of Zomia, which was also populated by a significant Ukilen minority. On the 15th of January Ukilen militias attacked National Defence Units and Kachai-majority towns and villages across Terjasa Province. The Lavanan army mobilised, but initially underestimated the strength of the uprising, resulting in heavy casualties. The Zomi government had been secretly supporting Ukilen forces, Trucial Rangers 'border patrol' units supplying the insurgency with military-grade weapons, intelligence and anti-socialist propaganda. Expecting to face light resistance, Lavanan units instead found themselves embroiled in heavy urban fighting against a well organised and entrenched enemy.
Even as the Union Government supported Ukilen nationalism across its border, in its own territory the ethnic militias of the Hsan Salvation Front were given free reign to brutally suppress the Ukilen and Oegun populations of Nanpkat State, in order to contain the spread of unrest into Zomia. In March 1970, royalist forces had destroyed the United Zomi Councils - the Lavanan-supported socialist regime that had controlled much of the Zomi highlands during the 1960s - and established the Union of Zomia. Historians agree that this did not reflect the strength of the royalist coalition so much as the weakness of the Zomi Section of the Workers International, which had already begun to suffer from factionalism and ethnic infighting as early as 1962. Emboldened by this phoney victory over socialism, and their ethnic hatred of the Ukilen, the ill-disciplined militia of the HSF crossed the Zomia-Lavana border, unauthorised, on the 2nd of February.
Incursion
Under trial, Iä Kau Hai, Commandant of the 3rd Hsan Salvation Army, later claimed that Lavana had been aiding former leaders of the UZC fleeing over the border. In reality, although the Lavanan army patrolled the border, the onset of the Ukilen Uprising had prompted these forces to be pulled back, for fear of being cut off behind insurgent lines. Hsan Salvation forces crossed under the cover of night on the 2nd of February and encountered no resistance, passing through and looting abandoned Ukilen villages. The militia opened fire on a refugee camp on the morning of the 3rd, supposedly mistaking the unarmed civilians for concealed Lavanan border troops. Survivors fled the camp, reaching Lavanan Army lines around midday, and passing on news of the unprovoked Zomi attack. Lavanan reconnaissance aircraft tracked the HSF militia's movements, though General Oke Vorachith prohibited the use of aircraft to repulse the invaders, to avoid escalating the incursion, and instead began preparing ground forces and tanks for retaliation. On the 3rd, mistakenly encouraged by a perceived lack of resistance, a unit of Trucial Rangers assigned to resupplying Ukilen insurgents at the border deserted their posts and joined in the looting and violence.
On the 4th, Lavanan forces moved against the incursion, initially with 100 men and 1 Type-10 tank, although further reinforcements were on its way, Oke had decided that a rapid expulsion of the invaders was the best course of action. Lavanan forces made contact at around 9 am near the village of Anarba, where they exchanged fire with soldiers of the Trucial rangers which had arrived to loot the village. Although the firefight was brief as the rangers retreated as they had no means of engaging the Type-10, Lavanan forces only moved into the village at 12pm, after it had been secured. Lavanan forces confirmed the intrusion of Zomian paramilitaries, as a ranger uniform had been abandoned on the village. Lavanan forces held onto the village for the rest of the night. At around 1 in the morning Hsan soldiers engaged the Lavanan forces in a 2 hour firefight for control of the village, although casualties had been light for both sides, it was decided that aerial bombardment would be used against the incursion. A column of 450 men and 4 Type-10's made their way into Anarba and its surroundings, as they prepared to box up the Zomian incursion. Such a push began at 2pm, and engaged Trucial rangers which had been scouting Anarba, the armored vehicles were enough to rout the rangers, as they retreated from the position. A Hsan contingent and rangers attempted a retreat back to Zomia under the cover of dark at 8pm on the 5th, but encountered Lavanan forces on their route to escape, Lavanan forces had been delayed during the afternoon engaging isolated Hsan groups. Hsan forces engaged the Lavanan tanks to little effect, as both sides engaged in a firefight deep into the night.
The morning of the 6th, most of the Hsan and Ranger forces had marched westward and escaped into the border as Lavanan forces could not complete the surrounding operation in time, Hsan and Ranger forces escaped after marching close to 3kms to round the Lavanan positions. What forces remained, engaged Lavanan forces again, but were quickly repulsed, fighting continued until 4pm when the remaining militants surrendered. Some 16 Hsan militants had been captured, along with 4 Rangers. Although the Lavanan government claimed that they had engaged Hsan pockets during the following week, little evidence of such engagements exist, as most of the Hsan and ranger forces would had escaped by then.
Aftermath
The Teyvada Crossing Incident had a profound effect on both states. The Lavanan government held trials for captured Zomi combatants, including a Ranger captain, Uo Sthe Kyin, of distant royal heritage which had been wounded and was unable to escape like the rest of the rangers, great outrage and humiliation for the Union government occurred as a result, as Lavanan authorities showcased him as a sign of direct Zomian involvement in the incursion. Distraught at the disloyalty and ill-discipline of its wartime militias, the following years would see dozens of Zomi paramilitary leaders subjected to show trials and execution, their soldiers consolidated into the Union Defence Force, answerable only to the Paramountcy. The Socialist world joined Lavana in denouncing the Zomian republic, and non-socialist elements were critical to Zomian actions. The January Uprising the Union had abetted at great expense was short-lived, its leaders surrendering in March 1971, as Lavanan forces through the use of tanks and airpower expulsed the militias from urban areas, after having suffered heavy casualties, the militias never returned to the strength they once had. Although an insurgency continued in Terjasa Province until 1994, fighting never reached the levels it had during the January uprising. Anti-Ukilen policies were finally repealed in 1978, with the retirement of Lavanan Premier Saravan Khouph as an attempt at reconciliation by his successor Buachan Inthavongsa. Lavana maintains a strong military presence in Terjasa and the Teyvada until this day, as a deterrent to future Zomi aggression. Lavana and Zomia maintain tense relations with each other.