India’s ambassador to Burma Saurabh Kumar is on a five-day visit to Chin State to observe the implementation of India-backed development projects in the region. Mr. Kumar’s trip is from May 6-10, according to Chin State municipal minister U Soe Htet. “His visit is mainly to observe the projects that are assisted by the Indian government,” he said. These the roads connecting Paletwa to Zorinpwi, Rihkhawdar to Tedim, and Tamu to Yargyi, as well as a cross-border bridge to India and a deep seaport. “The Paletwa-Zorinpwi road project is currently halted because of disturbances by the AA forces, so he…
Author: Editor
A man who recently escaped an Arakan Army (AA) camp struck his daughter with a knife after reuniting with his family in a Paletwa IDP (internally displaced people’s) camp, locals said, adding that he appeared “mentally disturbed” since fleeing from the detention site. U Kyaw Thein—who also goes by the name Aung Yad—was arrested by AA forces with more than 50 others on February 2 and reportedly taken to a camp belonging to the ethnic armed group on the Bangladeshi border. He escaped on May 5. He originally came from Kingthalin village, but his family is now in the Meezar…
An airport for small aircraft will be constructed in southern Chin State’s Matupi Township, according to municipal minister U Soe Htet. The airport will be located in the town of Lailinpee, and will be built by the UK-based Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), a Christian organization which states in its mission that it uses aviation technology to provide aid to isolated communities. It will have a runway 3,000 feet long, and 150 feet wide, making it suitable for airplanes holding 15 passengers or less to take off and land. U Soe Htet said that the surveying for the project is nearly…
Matupi’s new district office will be built in Hpalai-Ngalai village—outside the town of Matupi—Chin State municipal minister U Soe Htet has confirmed. For more than seven months, locals have protested this location for the office, because it is nine miles from the nearest town. They requested that it be built in the Matupi municipal area instead. The decision “doesn’t mean that we don’t respect the local people in Matupi,” Minister U Soe Htet told Khonumthung News. “We respect the voice of the people. We listened to the voice of the people. But if we listen to everyone’s voices, we would…
Soldiers from the Myanmar Army assaulted a man employed with the electricity ministry because their power was cut off, said a human rights group. The Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) said six soldiers from Matupi base IB-140, attacked Salai Boi Ha, age 30, in charge of the Bong Talar hydropower plant in Matupi, in Chin State. Power for IB-140 was temporarily unavailable after the water powering a hydropower dam was low. Salai Boi Ha’s left hand was broken and he suffered a head injury from the attack. The soldiers that beat him have been arrested and are being held in…
Students are calling for education budgets allocated for universities in Chin State to be fairly distributed among campuses. The University Student Fellowship (CUSF) released a statement asking for the state government to evenly disperse funds to higher education facilities in the various townships. “When we look at the budget for 2018 to 2019, we find there are different budgets allocated for the various townships in Chin State,” said Salai Thawng, a spokesperson of CUSF. “For instance, the combined financial budget for three townships is much lower than for one township. We understand there will be different budgets for different townships…
A ceremony was held in Hakha at the site of where the first sports academy in Chin State is planned. Vice-president Henry Van Thio placed the first brick and threw fragrance water to bless the location. Planners of the new facility said the academy will encourage athletic development in Chin State by providing a place that is suitable for young athletes to advance their skills. “The healthcare and sport ministry wants to promote sport for all. Everybody needs to be healthy. The Sport Academy will be a place for talented young athletes to develop,” said Pau Lum Ming Thang, the…
A Khumi organisation issued a statement calling for the release of 52 ethnic Khumi that it claims were kidnapped by the Arakan Army (AA) and used as human shields in Chin State. The Khumi Affairs Coordination Council (KACC) said the victims, all from Kangtlang, located in Paletwa township, were kidnapped in early February and taken to the Bangladeshi border. Two managed to escape and tell their harrowing tale to their community. AA used the villagers as human shields when the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) attacked with combat helicopters, said Saw Mya, coordinator of KACC. “The AA said that villagers volunteered to…
An MP cautioned journalists from writing biased news, encouraging them to report objective articles based on the truth during a recent media conference in Hakhar town, in Chin State. Mang Hin Derl, Agriculture, Livestock and Forest minister for Chin State, said: “I’d like to request for journalists to report truthful, reliable and balanced news. Journalists need to report news in line with journalism ethics.” The Myanmar Media Council organized the Four-pillars discussion” Judiciary, Executive, Legislative and Media in the Hakhar city hall in Hakhar town. Salai Hung Tun Gei, the editor of Chin World Media, said Chin media outlets serve…
A Mizoram-based trade group wants to start monitoring trade between Myanmar and India after it says millions of Indian rupees in taxes are being lost every day from unlicensed merchants selling and buying goods on the border. The Importer and Exporter Code Holder Association of Mizoram says it will monitor illegal trading in Burma’s # 2 border trading camp located in Rihkhawdar town, in Chin state and India’s Mizoram State. “Trading between Rih and Zokhawthar amounts to millions of Indian Rupee every month but traders aren’t paying taxes on this. The Indian government is losing millions of rupees every month.…