Thirty-nine villagers from southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township who were released earlier this week after nearly six months in Arakan Army (AA) custody have arrived in Meezar, a village in Paletwa that is currently sheltering some 600 internally displaced persons (IDPs). According to sources in the village, the 39 former captives, who were originally from the village of King-talin, arrived in Meezar from the village of Ohn-thi-wa at around 11:30am on Friday. “They arrived in Meezar today, all 39 of them. Some were in poor physical condition. All of the married men in the group were taken to the Tron-Ai…
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The Arakan Army (AA), an insurgent group that has come under fire for its alleged mistreatment of civilians, has released dozens of Chin villagers after holding them in captivity near the Bangladesh border for nearly six months. In a statement, the group said that the 39 villagers from King-Talin in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township had demanded to be released because they were finding it too difficult to live in the border area during the rainy season. According to the statement, the AA agreed to free the villagers and transport them to the village of Ohn-thi-wa, where they arrived at…
On July 20th, the HWPL Religious Youth Peace Camp was held at Reoboth Middle and High School in Burundi Bujumbura in attendance with about 50 students and religious leaders. This camp was organized by an international peace NGO called Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) and its affiliated youth organization, International Peace Youth Group (IPYG). With the topics of religious conflict management and resolution, coexistence between diverse religious or ethnic groups, and the importance of peace education, various activities such as seminars, discussions, and writing peace letters were carried out. Following the lectures of religious leaders on the…
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) forced to flee their homes because of fighting between the Burma Army and the insurgent Arakan Army (AA) in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township may soon have new places to live under a state government scheme to provide them with land. “We have already given plots of land to 12 Chin people who escaped from an AA military camp in Paletwa Township. And we are constructing a new project in Paletwa, if other Chin IDPs want to live there,” Soe Htet, the state’s minister of municipal affairs, told Khonumthung News. He added that with most…
A protest is planned in the Chin State capital Hakha on Wednesday over the state government’s threat to evict people who have built on land slated for a major development project. Organizers say they have already received permission from the authorities to hold the protest, which will take place in Hakha between 10am and 4pm on July 31. More than 500 people are expected to join. Pi Za Tlem, a former MP for Thangtlang Township and one of the leaders of the protest, told Khonumthung News that the people facing eviction feel they have no choice but to resist the…
Khonumthung News speaks to the field director of the Chin Human Rights Organization about the current situation in Chin State. Clashes between the Burma Army and the insurgent Arakan Army (AA) have been taking place in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township for more than four years now. Thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes, and numerous human rights abuses have been reported in the conflict-affected area. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) lack sufficient humanitarian assistance, in large part because of the Burma Army’s restrictions on the transport of rice into the township. To learn more about these and…
Traditional methods cause environmental damage and yield poor profits for farmers, says the chairman of the Chin State parliament. Farmers in Chin State should abandon their traditional practice of crop rotation in favor of a permanent farming system in order to increase their earnings and protect the environment, according to the chairman of the state’s parliament. “Chin farmers have used the rotating farming system for so many years. This is how they grow corn. But they can’t make more than 1-200,000 kyat (US$65-130) in profits this way,” said Zo Bawi, the chairman of the Chin State parliament. According to Zo…
By LALNUNA – Chin university students and youths who recently visited camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township say that villagers forced to flee fighting between the Burma Army and the insurgent Arakan Army (AA) still lack sufficient aid. At a press conference held in Yangon on Tuesday, the students and youths discussed what they learned about the current needs of the IDPs when they went to the camps to deliver relief supplies earlier this month. “What they need most at the moment is food assistance. They also need education and healthcare support for their…
By Lalnuna – Ethnic Chin people living in Chin State and Sagaing Region’s Kalay Township have come to the aid of internally displaced persons (IDPs) forced to flee from clashes between Burmese government forces and the Arakan Army (AA) in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township. Earlier this month, Chin civil society organizations and student groups began collecting donations to support Chin IDPs living in the villages of Meezar and Thae Chaungwa, raising a total of 40 million kyat (US$???) in the towns of Mindat, Tedim, Falam, Hakha and Kalay. According to the Chin Students’ Union (Kalay), the money was distributed between July…
By Lanuna – The government of Chin State has vowed to take action against people who have moved into an area slated for development in the state capital Hakha, saying the project can’t go ahead as long as unauthorized construction continues there. “We can’t start this project with them living there. We can take action against these people using municipal law, general administration law, and the VFV [Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Lands Management] law,” said Soe Htet, the state’s minister of municipal affairs, electricity and industry. According to Soe Htet, there were only eight houses in the area when the…