Indian ambassador to Burma Saurabh Kumar discussed creating opportunities for less restricted travel between Mizoram and Chin State in a recent meeting with the Chin State government, a spokesperson said. The meeting was held at the state hall in the Chin State capital of Hakha on Friday morning. According to the state’s municipal minister and spokesperson U Soe Htet, meeting participants explored the possibility of people from both Burma and India getting cross-border arrival visas lasting 14 days and which would be valid in both Mizoram in India and inb Chin State. “We mainly discussed how both nations could issue…
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People in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township say they do not have enough food since Burma Army troops from Infantry Battalion (IB) 289 have blocked the transport of rice from Rakhine State. According to locals, the approximately 15 shops in Paletwa town which deal in rice have closed because they have no product to sell. According to the Paletwa Township Social Volunteer Team, locals are now facing a shortage of their staple food. “IB-289 has blocked rice transport. Rice sellers have said that they are not allowed to bring rice [from Rakhine state],” the team’s U Kyaw Khin told Khonumthung…
Those incarcerated in the Mawlike-Kalay prison in Sagaing Region held a protest on Thursday because no one from their penitentiary was released in the mass Presidential pardons that ended this week. On Tuesday, more than 6,000 prisoners were released nationwide in Burma in the final round of pardons by the Burmese government which began with Thingyan, the Buddhist New Year festival. “It’s unfair because some prisoners are not released even though they are charged under the same acts [as others who got released],” Ko Kyaw Thet Win, chair of the Upper Chindwin Youth Network told Khonumthung News. Prisoners in Mawlike-Kalay…
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…
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…