NLD Party Headquarters instructed U Aung Than, vice-chairman of Chin State Parliament, to resign from his post. U Zobawi, parliament chairman for Chin State, confirmed the information with Khonumthung News but said there weren’t more details at press time. Dr Hmu Thang, MP for Thangtlang township constituency, said Zobawi discussed it in a recent state-level parliamentarian meeting. “We are so surprised to hear about it. U Aung Thang didn’t attend the meeting because he took leave,” Hmu Thang said. According to various sources close to the NLD, it’s unclear why the party told U Aung Than to resign, causing speculation…
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The Hakha-based Community Care for Emergency Response and Rehabilitation (CCERR) has announced it will provide assistance to internally displaced people (IDPs) in Paletwa Township who have fled clashes between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army (AA). Funds have been collected through private donations, CCERR representatives said, adding that they will continue to solicit contributions from religious organizations, civil society organizations and individuals throughout Chin State. All the aid will be transferred in March. “We have a responsibility to help our ethnic brothers and sisters as much as we can. When they face troubles, we must help them. Currently, we…
A secretary in the Chin National Front (CNF) has said that intensified fighting between the Burmese military and the Arakan Army (AA) could be resolved through engagement with the government-led peace process. As armed conflict continues in southern Chin State’s Paletwa Township, the CNF’s Secretary (3) Pu Htet Nee cited the CNF’s path in signing the controversial Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) as an example for the AA. The CNF is one of 10 ethnic armed organizations to sign the accord with the government and army. “Clashes should be resolved on the grounds of the NCA. The CNF is walking on…
India has deployed members of its security forces to its border with Burma due to intensifying clashes between the Burma Army and the Arakan Army (AA) in Chin State’s Paletwa Township. Mizoram media has reported that two columns of Indian soldiers left their base camp on February 17 to secure the border with Paletwa, as well as to prevent troops from entering India and to assist displaced people. They are stationed in southern Mizoram’s Laung Talai. While refugees have not recently crossed the border at Laung Talai, more than 300 people have fled to Mizoram since early 2018 due to…
The ethnic Chin people are the rightful owners of the land and natural resources in Chin State, the Chin Land Affairs Network (CLAN) declared in a meeting on amendments to Burma’s Vacant, Fallow and Virgin (VFV) land law in Kalay, Sagaing Region, last week. CLAN held discussions on the law’s impact on the people from February 12-13 and then released a statement after the meeting. “Only Chin people have the right to manage Chin lands. Regarding the allocation of natural resources with the Union, they need the agreement of Chin people before they use these resources,” CLAN’s Mang Zakup told…
Eight villages in Chin State’s Paletwa Township have suffered damage due to clashes between the Burmese military and the Arakan Army (AA), local sources say. Fighting occurred near Kha Moung Wa village in late January, with the Burma Army reportedly attacking the AA through the use of helicopter gunships; shells landed in the village. According to one resident, all of the people in Kha Moung Wa fled. “We fled because of the air attack. Bombs landed in our village. All of the houses have already collapsed, so we cannot live in our village,” a villager from Kha Moung Wa told…
Copper statues of the first ethnic Chin university graduates were unveiled by Chin State chief minister Salai Lian Luai this week. The statues were placed in Falam to encourage a new generation of Chin youth to take interest in their own history and to continue their education, representatives from the Global Falam Youth Organization (GFYO) said. The statues depict Pu Siah Luai, the first Chin graduate from Rangoon University in 1938, and Pi Hlawn Kip Thuai, the first Chin female graduate of Rangoon University 22 years later. “Our message is that education is so important and our youth need to…
The Chin Youth Network has spoken out in defense of protesters in Loikaw, Karenni State, against whom police fired rubber bullets and water cannons, injuring at least 10 people. Thousands of people tried to enter Kanta Heywon Park in Loikaw on February 12, where a statue of Burma’s late Gen Aung San has been placed. Protesters said that the statue is inappropriate while the promises of equality and autonomy historically made between Aung San and ethnic peoples remain unfulfilled. “The Kayah State government didn’t use negotiation to solve problems, but instead used excessive force to crack down on the protest…
Chin MMA fighter Tial Cung Thang will fight with Cambodian fighter Rin Saroth in One Championship MMA competition at Thuwunna sport stadium in Yangon on 8 March. Tial Cung Thang will be the first Chin MMA fighter. “Pho Thaw, Ms. Antonia and I (Tial Cung Thang) will participate in MMA fighting competition in Thuwunna sport stadium on 8 March 2019. We will represent as Burmese national fighters. I expect we will get a good result. I hope all Burmese audiences will be proud and happy to see our victory,” Tial Cung Thang wrote this in his social media network page.…
Speaker of the Chin State parliament Zo Bawi said that the state government is considering promoting Paletwa and Tedim from townships to districts before the end of the current government’s term in 2020. The move would make for three districts in each southern and northern Chin State. “It’s better for implementing local development. If we can expand towns, development will follow after that,” Zo Bawi told Khonumthung News. The Khumi (Khami) National Party sent an open letter to the Chin State chief minister and the state parliament speaker at the end of January asking that Paletwa Township be made a…