By Lalnun – The 71st anniversary of Chin National Day will take place at the sports ground of Basic Education High School No. 2 in Kalay, Sagaing, on February 20, the region’s Chin affairs minister said. According to Lal Thaung Tun, who holds the ministerial position, the Sagaing regional government provided 10,000,000 kyats (US$6,572) for the celebrations. He explained that although there are more than 50 ethnic Chin tribes with varying traditions and languages, all of the groups celebrate Chin National Day. “If we celebrate together, we will be close and have unity among our Chin tribes,” he told Khonumthung…
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By Lalnun – The Chin Progressive Party (CPP) released a statement on Thursday responding to an earlier call by the Khumi National Party demanding that Paletwa Township be designated a new district with greater attention paid to its challenges, lest it “depart from Chin State.” The CPP said that it stood against comments could cause disunity among the Chin people. The open letter by the Khumi (Khami) National Party released on January 28 warned the state’s chief minister not to ignore the problems in Paletwa. “We must be united among our Chin people. I don’t want to see any kind…
By Moe Kyaw – Eight ethnic Chakma civil society organizations (CSOs) demanded last week that the Indian interior minister allow people from Burma to apply for Indian citizenship in accordance with the Indian Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. On January 30, the All India Chakma Students’ Union chairman Dilip Kanti Chakma—based in New Delhi—recommended that Burma be added to the bill’s list of countries whose nationals can be granted Indian citizenship after living in the country for six years. The current countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. The bill allows for citizens of those countries to receive Indian citizenship if they…
Workshops and religious ceremonies will require an application for permission to the Chin State government two weeks in advance, according to the Mindat Township management committee. The order also applies to international NGOs that wish to hold workshops in the township, the committee’s January 24 statement said. In the application for permission for such events, the background of the applicants must be reported, along with a biography of the trainers and speakers, an agenda of the training, pictures of any banners used, the number of participants, and recommendation letters from the village or ward administrator and the police station. Only…
By Lalnun – Traffic authorities in Kalay, Sagaing Region, launched a road safety awareness campaign on Wednesday in a move to reduce accidents and increase adherence to safety regulations. The Kalay district police force, township police force, township vehicles and traffic control authorities, fire fighters, and traffic police participated in the campaign on Wednesday. According to Police Lt-Col Aung Kyaw, policemen put road safety stickers on motorbikes and distributed helmets as a part of the awareness campaign. “It will be good if people wear helmets when they are driving motorbikes. We are doing this campaign as a part of our…
By Moe Kyaw – In an open letter sent to the Chin State chief minister on Tuesday, the Khumi (Khami) National Party asked that Paletwa be designated a district. The new district would incorporate Paletwa, Sami, and Miza Townships. Paletwa has the largest population of Chin State’s townships, according to the party, as well as the most villages. The township also is undergoing a new city plan in which it is expected to develop better transportation infrastructure, including an airport. It will also be a distribution point for electricity from the national grid. The open letter also highlighted Paletwa’s strategic…
By Lalnun – The Ninu Women in Action Group will release a book this weekend taking a feminist approach to the Christian Bible. “From the God of Abraham to the God of Ha’gar,” the book will be launched at the office of the Matupi Women’s Organization in Matupi, Chin State on February 2. Mai Len Nei Cer, director of Ninu, said that gender-based discrimination persists among Christians. The aim of the book, she explained, is to encourage Christians to discuss these issues and re-study the Bible with this in mind. “Men wrote the Bible. Men translated the Bible. Most…
By Larnun – Around 500 farmers recently staged a demonstration in Hakha, Chin State, citing a lack of transparency in city planning. The farmers protested at the Htantlang road junction in Hakha Myothit ward last Friday. Za Talam, an advisor to the local farmers’ association, said that the government had not negotiated its land use projects with landowners before going ahead with the city plan. “The implementation is not in line with laws. There is no rule of law either. There is a lot of corruption in the Chin State government. That’s why we staged a protest,” she said. Za…
During a visit from State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi earlier this week, community members from Rihkhawdar town in Falam Township said they needed to have better access to electricity and drinking water. The State Counsellor arrived in Rihkhawdar on January 20 as part of her visit to Chin State, and met with elders in the town. She was welcomed by dancing youth, and donated 100 bags of rice and 100 viss of cooking oil. The meeting she held there was not open to the public. Chunt Lianna, the administrator of Rihkhawdar’s Ward 1, said that Daw AungSan Suu…
Burma’s education system needs to change, said State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on a visit to Kalay, Sagaing Region this week. The de-facto head of government spoke to the public at City Hall on Monday following a visit to Chin State. “The world is changing. Our needs are also changing. We have to set up an education system which is in line with these needs,” she said. The State Counsellor lamented how for many years, parents only paid attention to children’s exam scores, rather than measuring the knowledge they gained. “Parents want their children to pass their exams…