[pdf-light-viewer id=”3487″]
Author: Editor
More than 5,000 people, including local lawmakers, turned out for a rally in northern Sagaing Region’s Kalay Township on Wednesday to call for changes to Burma’s constitution. The issue, which the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) has made a cornerstone of its campaign to hold onto power after elections slated for next year, is seen as highly contentious, as the constitution as it currently stands guarantees the military a role in government. Thant Wai Kyaw, the NLD MP for Kalay in the Sagaing Region parliament, said that any part of the 2008 constitution that does not serve and protect…
More than 1,700 have been rescued from flooding in recent days after heavy rains that began on Saturday caused the Kaladan River to overflow its banks in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township. Relief workers say that four wards in the town of Paletwa and 11 villages in the surrounding area have been affected by the latest flooding. “Paletwa is used to facing flooding every year, but this year, the water level is a little bit higher than last year. Flood victims in town are staying in monasteries, schools, Anglican churches and their relatives’ houses, while those from the villages are…
The customs department of India’s Mizoram State has closed the border gate between the Chin State town of Rihkhawdar and Zokhawthar in Mizoram indefinitely, according to local businesspeople. The closure went into effect on Monday. “I had heard that they were going to close the border gate, and today [July 15] they finally did. No Burmese goods can be imported into Mizoram, but people are still permitted to cross as usual,” said a Rihkhawdar-based businessman who spoke to Khonumthung News. The reason for the move was unclear, but local traders said it might be due to a dispute between the…
More than 200 Chin people gathered in Yangon on Saturday to call for an end to clashes between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army (AA) in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township, and to demand that the AA leave the state completely. The demonstrators flew the state flag at their protest in front of Yangon’s city hall and held placards that stated their demands: “Stop War in Chin State” and “Save Paletwa”. Others called for the release of Chin civilians detained by AA forces since February. “We want to talk to both the [Burma] Army and the AA. Some people…
Remote areas of southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township are struggling to meet the basic food needs of local people, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), due to Burma Army restrictions aimed at cutting off vital supplies to the Arakan Army (AA). The restrictions, which have been in place since early May, allow each village-tract in the township to bring in just 50 bags of rice at a time from Kyauktaw, in neighboring Rakhine State. Permits issued by local authorities, including the General Administration Department (GAD) in Paletwa, are also required. “The army only allows 50 bags of rice per village-tract. We…
Chin villagers forced to flee clashes between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army (AA) in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township say they are struggling to survive on the humanitarian aid that they have been receiving since they became internally displaced persons (IDPs). More than 600 IDPs from five villages in Paletwa Township are currently taking refuge in Meezar, a village located about five hours by boat from the town of Paletwa. The IDPs, who are living in makeshift bamboo huts, say they can sometimes make up for the lack of aid by working as day laborers, but when work…
Chin State’s Election Commission (EC) says it is working together with respective government departments to update its voters’ list and ensure that next year’s election is as inclusive as possible. “The General Administration Department has been collecting a population list, and depending on the data that they gather, the Immigration Department will issue family registration documents and national ID cards by August. Then GAD officials will transfer the data that they collect to township election commissions, which will put this data onto computers. Then we will get a draft voter list,” Lin Kyaw, the secretary of the Chin State EC,…
Chin State civil society organizations (CSOs) calling for greater transparency in Burma have asked that the original demarcation lines between the state and other regions be reinforced. The CSOs held a central executive committee meeting in Tedim, Chin State, from July 4-5 to discuss the issue. “Chin State has disputes with Sagaing, Magwe and Rakhine State over border demarcation,” Andrew Htar Tawng, who represents Chin State’s branch of Alliance CSOs for Myanmar’s Transparency and Accountability, told Khonumthung News, describing how various maps have shifted these borders over the years. “We want the Union and state governments to solve this demarcation…
A Chin State government press conference is commencing on today, with multiple media outlets dissatisfied with restrictions in place for reporters. Today press conference is set to review the performance of the state government’s third year in office. It was originally supposed to be held on June 24 but was pushed ahead due to scheduling conflicts. The government released its own “eight-point principles” for media outlets ahead of the press event, stating that journalists were allowed to ask only three questions, that the questions must be submitted in advance, and that no live broadcast would be allowed. Chin media condemned…